Hindu deity denigrated with vulgar language and abusive audio clip by Muslim man
Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh, India 
8 April, 2025
Case Summary
In the Hanumantal locality of Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh, a social media post by a Muslim youth targeted the revered Hindu deity, Mata Budhi Khermai. The deity, worshipped at the ancient Budhi Khermai Temple, holds significant religious importance for the Hindu community in the city. A Muslim man named Ashim Ansari posted offensive content about the deity, including vulgar language and an abusive audio clip, which quickly circulated online. In response, members of the Hindu community and several Hindu organisations staged a protest in the Sarafa area, demanding strict action against the accused. Gohaulpur CSP confirmed that a complaint had been received, and an investigation was underway. The accused had been detained, and police were continuing their inquiry to identify all individuals involved in the incident.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
This case has been added as a religiously motivated hate crime under the prime category- Hate speech against Hindus, of the database. Under this, the sub-category selected is- Anti-Hindu slurs, mocking faith. Anti-Hindu slurs and the deliberate mocking of the Hindu faith owing to religious animosity involve the usage of derogatory terms, stereotypes, or offensive references to religious practices, symbols, or figures. One of the common anti-Hindu slurs used against Hindus is “cow-worshipper” and “cow piss drinker”. The intention of using this term is to demean and mock Hindus as a group and their religious beliefs since Hindus consider the cow holy. Additionally, some symbols and the slurs attached to them have a historical context that exacerbates the insult, hate, stereotyping, dehumanisation and oppression against Hindus. Cow worship has been used for centuries to denigrate Hindus, insult their faith and oppress Hindus specifically as a religious group. There has been overwhelming documentation about how cow slaughter has been used to persecute Hindus with cow meat being thrown in temples and places of worship. There has also been overwhelming documentation where cow meat (beef) has been force-fed to Hindus to either forcefully convert them to Islam or denigrate their faith. Apart from cow worship, the Swastika – which holds deep religious significance for the Hindus – has also been misinterpreted and distorted to use as a slur against Hindus. Similarly, the worship of the Shivling has been used by supremacist ideologies and religions to denigrate Hindus owing to religious animosity. Such slurs and denigration stem out of inherent animosity and hate towards Hindus and their faith, therefore, it is categorised as hate speech targeted at Hindus specifically owing to their religious identity. This incident qualifies as a hate crime because it involved direct verbal abuse and denigration of a Hindu deity held sacred by the Hindu community. The offensive post and abusive audio clip circulated by Ashim Ansari were not isolated acts of expression but targeted mockery of the Hindu faith. By using vulgar language against Mata Budhi Khermai, a deity deeply revered in Jabalpur’s Hanumantal locality, the act intended to insult and provoke the religious sentiments of the Hindu community. Such deliberate targeting of religious symbols or figures constitutes hate speech, rooted in religious hostility, with the objective of humiliating and demeaning a specific faith group.
Case Status
Complaint filed
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Muslim Extremists
Perpetrators Range
One Person
Perpetrators Gender
male
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