Hindu deities insulted: Man arrested for portraying Hindu deities in an obscene manner
Indore, Madhya Pradesh, India 
11 May, 2025
Case Summary
Maharashtra Cyber Department has arrested a 39-year-old man from Indore for spreading obscene and derogatory content on Hindu deities on social media. The accused, a resident of Indore and preparing for his CA exam, had been operating multiple fake accounts on 'X' (formerly Twitter), where he consistently shared vulgar and objectionable posts portraying Hindu gods and goddesses in an obscene manner. He was editing and morphing images of Hindu gods in a derogatory way. The content was not only aimed at insulting Hindu religious sentiments but also posed a potential threat to communal harmony and national unity. Following a detailed investigation by the police, they arrested him and his mobile phone was seized upon which it was revealed that he had made at least six other fake accounts, all of which were engaged in posting inflammatory and derogatory content. The material was shared across various platforms, including Twitter, Facebook, and even pornographic websites. The Maharashtra Cyber Police have registered a case under multiple sections of the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita (BNS) 2023, including Section 196 (fraud), Section 294 (obscene acts and words), and Section 299 (intentionally hurting sentiments), along with Sections 67 and 67A of the IT Act, 2000, which involves publishing and transmitting obscene material electronically. As of the date of writing this report, the accused was arrested by the police, and the investigation was ongoing.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
This case has been added to the tracker under the primary category of: - Attack on Hindu religious representations. Within it, the sub-category selected is: Iconoclastic representation of Hindu Gods/Goddesses. An icon is a symbol of someone or something that is revered, or a religious representation of a spiritual ideal. Iconography is of vital significance in the Hindu milieu. It helps connect people’s spiritual beliefs with the real world. Iconography within the Hindu faith takes several shapes and forms. Murtis are of most significance to Hindus, to which daily rituals, prayers and offerings are done. Besides the murtis, there are several other symbols which have deep significance in the Hindu faith – the Om and Swastika for example. Any iconoclastic representation of these symbols, images and murtis is an affront to the religious beliefs and faith of the Hindu community itself since the symbols and icons are deeply religious in nature. In this sub-category of crime, we would record hate crimes and iconoclastic representations, in words, art, or any other form of representations of symbols that hold religious significance for the Hindu community. Since these symbols, icons and murtis are central to the Hindu faith, any iconoclastic representation of these symbols is born out of animosity towards the faith itself, manifesting itself through these symbols and therefore, these representations would be considered religiously motivated hated crimes. The second category selected here is- Hate speech against Hindus, and within 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 from 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 has been added to the tracker because the man deliberately posted highly offensive and sexually explicit images of Hindu deities, with the clear intent to insult and provoke Hindu devotees. These were not random or misguided acts, but calculated and premeditated efforts to distort sacred imagery to hurt Hindu religious sentiments. The accused used multiple fake social media accounts to circulate these morphed images, indicating a persistent and organised attempt to spread inflammatory content targeting the Hindu faith. Deities are an integral part of the Hindu religion. Any attempt to mock them is born out of animosity towards the Hindu religion. In this case, the vulgar edits and repeated dissemination of such images were a direct attack on the sanctity of Hindu iconography. The content shared was clearly aimed at inciting outrage and communal disharmony. This deliberate targeting of revered religious icons firmly establishes this act as a religiously motivated hate crime under the sub-category of iconoclastic representation of Hindu Gods/Goddesses.
Case Status
Arrested
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Unknown
Perpetrators Range
One Person
Perpetrators Gender
male
Sources 
