Hindutva is labeled as fascism and imperialism by Iranian Actress who rose to fame in India
India 
6 May, 2025
Case Summary
Iranian actress Mandana Karimi condemned India’s military action in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, accusing it of murdering civilians and children. She equated Hindutva with Zionism and American exceptionalism, calling them forms of fascism and imperialism that commit war crimes with impunity. India carried out ‘Operation Sindoor’, destroying nine terrorist camps in Pakistan in response to the brutal killings of Hindus in Pahalgam. In that Pahalgam attack, terrorists had singled out Hindu victims by asking their religion, resulting in the deaths of 26 people. The military operation was a firm retaliation aimed at dismantling the terror infrastructure responsible for the Pahalgam massacre. Following the operation, Mandana Karimi, an Iranian actress and model, reacted to the incident by condemning India and labelling Hindutva as fascism and imperialism. In 2015, Mandana Karimi came into the limelight with the film Bhaag Johnny and the reality show Bigg Boss 9. She was raised in Tehran and journeyed from being an air hostess to entering the world of entertainment. In 2018, television audiences came to know her through Ishqbaaaz, and in 2022, the digital space saw her in Kangana Ranaut’s show Lock Up. In other words, Mandana Karimi became a well-known name in the Indian entertainment industry. It is clear that Mandana Karimi earned fame and fortune through the Indian audience. Otherwise, she might still have been an air hostess today, not a celebrity. In 2017, she married her boyfriend, Gaurav Gupta, following Hindu customs. There were also reports that she had left Islam and adopted Hinduism. However, later that same year, their relationship soured, and she filed a domestic violence case against her husband. She later withdrew the case for a settlement. Eventually, in 2022, the two got divorced. Following the attack, she uploaded the following story on Instagram: India bombing Pakistani Kashmir murdering civilians and children moments ago. Israel murdered a family in Khan Yunis just moments ago. America bombed Yemen, murdering civilians just yesterday. All of these deaths are a direct response from genocidal powers that learned from each other that you can carry out war crimes with impunity while the world swallows its tongue. Whether it’s Zionism, Hindutva fascism or American exceptionalism, imperialism continues to rage on and burn all in its path. In other words, the same Mandana Karimi who, just a few years ago, had reportedly embraced Hinduism and married following Hindu rituals, now considers Hinduism as fascism and imperialism.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
This case has been added to the tracker un the primary category of - Hate Speech against Hindus. The sub-category selected here 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 a hate crime because of Mandana Karimi’s direct vilification of Hindutva. 'Hindutva' is often used as a euphemism to make the targeting of Hindus more palatable. Hindutva is essentially a unifying ideology for Hindus which became imperative for Hindus to find and preserve their cultural identity which was being eroded and attacked due to Islamic invasions, British colonisation, Christian theological impositions and conversions. Hindutva is not a destructive ideology, as some attempt to portray, but one that is used as a unifying edifice for Hindus. Hindutva is also often used as a euphemism to target Hindus on the whole and their religious identity and faith. It is essentially semantic jugglery to confuse Hindus into believing that their own persecution by supremacists is somehow 'justified' because the specific victims espoused an ideology (Hindutva) which deserves the onslaught. The fact that the use of 'Hindutva' is merely to mask animosity towards Hindus was evident from the "Dismantling Global Hindutva" conference held in the USA, where speakers unabashedly spoke about how Hindutva and Hinduism are indistinguishable and therefore, the "dismantle Hindutva" one would have to "dismantle Hinduism". The practices of targeting Hindus and their religious and cultural identity and justifying that victimisation and dehumanisation by using euphemisms like "Hindutva" stems out of inherent animosity and hostility towards Hindus. Her remarks come in the immediate aftermath of a terror attack in which Hindus were specifically targeted and killed, making her words not just insensitive but actively hostile to the victims and the community they belonged to. By branding Hindutva as a genocidal force alongside Zionism and American exceptionalism, she has effectively vilified the collective cultural and civilisational identity of Hindus. Her speech does not critique a political ideology in good faith; rather, it seeks to delegitimise an entire community’s struggle for dignity, safety, and cultural preservation. When such rhetoric comes from a public figure who gained fame, fortune, and identity through the very culture she now disparages, it underscores the depth of the prejudice and contempt directed at Hindus. This is not dissent—it is hate dressed as moral outrage. Hence, this case is classified as a hate crime against Hindus.
Case Status
Unknown
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Muslim Extremists
Perpetrators Range
One Person
Perpetrators Gender
female
Sources 
