Hindu deities denigrated by Muslim youth on social media
Shamli, Uttar Pradesh, India 
21 April, 2025
Case Summary
A Muslim youth identified as Sauyav, son of Umardeen, a resident of Madalpur village in Shamli district, Uttar Pradesh, has been booked for posting derogatory remarks against Hindu deities on Instagram. The content, deemed offensive, went viral on social media, prompting swift actions from authorities. Thanabhawan Hind police took cognisance of the matter and registered a case under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code pertaining to the hurting of religious sentiments. Station-in-Charge Bijendra Singh Yadav confirmed that the accused, Sauyav, had uploaded the objectionable content via his personal Instagram account. Following the viral spread of the post, a formal case was registered against him. At the time of writing this report, the accused was absconding, and the police had initiated an investigation into the matter, treating it as a potential hate speech case.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
This case has been added to the tracker under the prime category of - Hate speech against Hindus. The sub-category relevant under this case 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 case qualifies as hate speech and a potential hate crime, as the individual, Sauyav, who is a Muslim, made derogatory statements targeting Hindu deities. Such actions are often motivated by religious animosity towards Hinduism and are consistent with patterns observed in other documented cases of anti-Hindu hate speech. While the act itself may be individual, it primarily stems from Islam's opposition to polytheism and has historically manifested in hostility toward Hindu practices and symbols and other polytheistic religions, which are seen as idolatrous. This ideological foundation has, in many instances, been used to justify the denigration of Hindu beliefs. It is important to highlight that such speech is not merely offensive but actively seeks to marginalise and dehumanise Hindus based on their religious identity, thereby fulfilling the criteria for hate speech.
Case Status
Complaint registered
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Muslim Extremists
Perpetrators Range
One Person
Perpetrators Gender
male
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