Indian politican insults the Hindu religious event of Mahakumbh
Uttar Pradesh, India 
16 February, 2025
Case Summary
Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, who has a well-documented history of making disparaging remarks about Hindu traditions, has once again targeted a sacred Hindu festival, the Mahakumbh Mela 2025. He dismissed its significance outright, claiming that “there is nothing like Mahakumbh.” Furthermore, he accused the Modi government of fabricating the term ‘Maha’ merely to extract money from Hindus and mislead them into believing in the festival’s importance. According to him, the entire event is a waste of public funds. However, Mahakumbh Mela 2025 holds deep spiritual significance for Hindus, occurring after 144 years when the Sun, Moon, Jupiter, and Saturn align in a rare celestial event. It is the largest Hindu congregation, where crores of devotees take a holy dip in the Ganga, believing that it cleanses them of their sins. Akhilesh Yadav’s attempt to undermine such a revered festival not only disrespects the Hindu faith but also reflects his party’s long-standing pattern of anti-Hindu rhetoric. The Samajwadi Party, under his leadership, has consistently exhibited hostility towards Hindu beliefs. His father, Mulayam Singh Yadav, had infamously ordered police to open fire on karsevaks during the Babri Masjid demolition. Following this, in 1993, their party proudly promoted the slogan, "Mile Mulayam Kanshi Ram, Hawa Ho Gaye Jai Shri Ram," openly mocking Hindu sentiments. More recently, on 12th February 2025, SP leader Afzal Ansari made a derogatory remark about Mahakumbh, sarcastically questioning the belief that bathing at the Sangam purifies sins. He insinuated that if this were true, no one would remain in hell, and Vaikunth (the divine abode) would be overcrowded. Such statements exemplify how the Samajwadi Party continues its legacy of belittling Hindu traditions and sentiments, reinforcing the party’s deep-seated bias against Hinduism.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
This case has been added to the tracker under the category of- Hate speech against Hindus. 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 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 highlights a clear pattern of anti-Hindu rhetoric from the Samajwadi Party, particularly under Akhilesh Yadav’s leadership. His outright dismissal of the Mahakumbh Mela 2025, a once-in-a-lifetime Hindu spiritual event, not only disrespects deeply held religious sentiments but also suggests a deliberate attempt to undermine Hindu traditions. Akhilesh Yadav’s claim that the Modi government “fabricated” the Mahakumbh concept is factually incorrect and misleading. The Mahakumbh occurs every 144 years, following a rare celestial alignment, and its significance has been deeply rooted in Hindu scriptures and traditions for centuries. Accusing the government of using it as a “money-making scheme” disregards the faith of millions of Hindus who participate in this grand religious gathering. Given the clear intent to ridicule and denigrate the Hindu faith, this case has been added to the tracker as a religiously motivated hate crime.
Case Status
Unknown
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
State and Establishment
Perpetrators Range
One Person
Perpetrators Gender
male
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