'Comedian' Kunal Kamra spreads anti-Hindu propaganda of Sati
Delhi, India 
13 February, 2025
Case Summary
Kunal Kamra, a comedian and a social activist, put out a post on his X handle where he propagated the anti-Hindu narrative of the Sati System. He stated that Raja Ram Mohan Roy reformed the Hindu society and abolished Sati. Kunal Kamra stated this even without having a speck of knowledge on the subject. His claims were countered by Amish Tripathi and another X handle named 'SagasofBharat'. He cited the 1829 Sati Abolition Act, which explicitly stated that Sati was not a religious duty, was almost non-existent at the time, and was even condemned by the Hindus themselves as unlawful and wicked. 'SagasofBharat' countered Kunal's claims by citing the 1829 Sati Abolition Act. She again countered him by stating: "Kunal ji won't tell you the real reason the Sati Act was introduced which was actually a very rare occurrence. In pre-British India, widows were supported through revenue-free land grants by local rulers. When East India Company took over, they stopped such grants for their own profit, leaving widows helpless. Many women who lost their husbands much earlier & didn’t die with their husbands started committing Sati as a protest. Sati cases which were quite rare, saw a sudden rise. An overwhelming majority of middle-aged or old women whose husbands died much before proves the fact. This prompted the British (who btw used to burn their own women calling them witches) to bring the Sati Ban Act in 1829. Mr. Kamra, Don’t demean the struggles in our history against the British by peddling colonial propaganda to demean our religion." SagasofBharat had made previous X threads discussing how Sati was an uncommon practice, and even if a minority section of women practiced it it was completely her own voluntary decision. The Hindu families of the widows always discouraged Sati. She quoted multiple historical sources to back her claims. The lack of knowledge and malice in the heart that individuals like Kunal Kamra portrayed was clearly to demonise and vilify the Hindu community as misogynists.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
This case has been added to the tracker under the prime category of- Hate speech against Hindus. Within this, the sub-category selected is- Anti-Hindu subversion and prejudice and the tertiary category chosen is- Anti-Hindu Fake News or Downplaying. Hate speech is defined as any speech, gesture, conduct, writing, or display that is prejudicial against a specific individual and/or group of people, which is leading to or may lead to violence, prejudicial action or hate against that individual and/or group. Media plays a specific and overarching reach in perpetuating prejudicial attitudes towards a community owing to unfair, untrue coverage and/or misrepresentation/misinterpretation, selective coverage and/or omission of facts of/pertaining to issues affecting a specific religious group. This type of bias can dehumanise the victim group, making it easier for others to justify harmful actions against them, which aligns with the objectives of hate speech laws aimed at preventing such harm. It is often observed that the media takes a prejudicial stand against the Hindu community driven by their need to shield the aggressor community which happens to be a numeric minority, however, it is the one perpetrating violence against Hindus. For example, the media is often quick to contextualise religiously motivated crimes against Hindus, omit or misrepresent facts that point towards religiously motivated hate crimes, justify and/or downplay religiously motivated hate crimes or simply present fake news to stereotype Hindus. Such media bias leads to the denial of persecution and is often used to dehumanise Hindus, leading to justification for violence against them. For example, the media covered several fake allegations of Hindus targeting Muslims and forcing them to chant Jai Shree Ram. Most of these cases were proved false and fabricated after police investigation. These fake news reports were subsequently never retracted or clarified. Such fake news led to the justification of violence and dehumanisation of Hindus based on the argument that since Hindus targeted Muslims and forced them to chant Jai Shree Ram, the dehumanisation of Hindus and violence against them was par for the course and merely a retaliation. Such media bias leads to prejudicial portrayal of Hindus and offers a justification for violence against them and therefore, is considered hate speech under this category. This incident highlights the deliberate propagation of an anti-Hindu narrative through misinformation. Kunal Kamra, despite lacking historical knowledge, sought to portray Hindu society in a regressive light by falsely asserting that Raja Ram Mohan Roy single-handedly abolished Sati. However, his claims were swiftly countered by well-researched arguments from Amish Tripathi and 'SagasofBharat.' The 1829 Sati Abolition Act itself explicitly stated that Sati was neither a religious duty nor widely practised at the time. Furthermore, historical records indicate that the tradition had significantly declined and was actively discouraged by Hindus themselves. 'SagasofBharat' provided crucial historical context, pointing out that the rare occurrences of Sati saw a temporary rise due to British economic policies. The East India Company’s decision to revoke revenue-free land grants left many widows destitute, leading some to choose Sati as a desperate protest against British exploitation. This contextual reality, along with evidence that Hindu families typically discouraged the practice, dismantled Kamra’s misleading portrayal. The intent behind such distorted narratives is evident. By selectively amplifying colonial propaganda and omitting key historical facts, individuals like Kamra attempt to demonise the Hindu community as inherently oppressive toward women. Kunal Kamra's remark exemplifies a deliberate attempt to propagate false rhetoric aimed at vilifying Hindus, which stems from deep-seated animosity towards the religion and its adherents. Given the intent behind this misinformation and its potential to fuel hostility against the Hindu community, this incident qualifies as a hate crime and has been duly added to the tracker.
Case Status
Unknown
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Others
Perpetrators Range
One Person
Perpetrators Gender
male
Sources 
