Hindus falsely blamed for violence initiated by the Muslims during cricket victory celebration in Mhow, Madhya Pradesh
Mau, Madhya Pradesh, India 
10 March, 2025
Case Summary
In the Mhow area of Indore, Madhya Pradesh, violence erupted when locals celebrating India’s cricket victory against New Zealand were attacked as their procession passed by Jama Masjid. Reports indicate that as the celebratory procession approached the mosque, a mob from the masjid began pelting stones at those rejoicing over India’s win. According to Dainik Bhaskar, the celebrants were chanting Jai Shri Ram, which enraged the local Muslims in front of the Jama Masjid, leading them to attack the procession. A PTI report also confirmed that the attack occurred as the procession neared the mosque. Videos of the incident show that slogans of Allahu Akbar and Naara-e-Taqbeer were raised just before the mob began pelting stones. Several shops and vehicles were reportedly set on fire, and Dainik Bhaskar also reported stone pelting near a temple. As soon as news of the violence surfaced, propagandists like Mohammad Zubair and other Islamists rushed to distort the narrative, attempting to shift the blame onto Hindus despite clear evidence that the violence was initiated by the Muslim mob. Initially, Zubair tried to justify the attack by claiming that the Hindus "provoked" the Muslims by bursting firecrackers outside the Jama Masjid and chanting Jai Shri Ram. Later, in a follow-up tweet, he escalated his claims, alleging that Hindus had thrown firecrackers inside the mosque, leading to a Muslim "retaliation." However, while Zubair and others attempted to shield the rioters, the Imam of Jama Masjid himself admitted in an interview with News18 that the violence began when Muslims from the masjid attempted to lynch Hindus chanting Jai Shri Ram during the celebration. Despite this confession, Islamists continue to spread the false claim that Hindus threw firecrackers inside the masjid as an act of provocation, though the police have categorically refuted this claim. The police clarified that Hindus were celebrating India’s cricket victory by bursting firecrackers, including when the procession passed the mosque. Even as Zubair shared the police’s statement, his inclusion of the Imam’s misleading claims appeared to be a deliberate attempt to obscure the truth. Notably, neither Zubair nor any other Islamist propagandist has shared the part of the Imam’s statement where he concedes that Muslims initiated the violence by trying to lynch Hindus for chanting Jai Shri Ram.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
This case has been added to the tracker under the prime category of- Hate speech against Hindus. Under this, the sub-category selected is- Anti-Hindu subversion and prejudice and the tertiary categories chosen within this are- 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, 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 has been added under the above-mentioned category as the media narrative surrounding the violence in Mhow exemplifies a clear attempt to distort facts, deflect blame, and minimise the severity of the attack on Hindus. Instead of acknowledging that the violence was instigated by a Muslim mob targeting Hindus for celebrating India's cricket victory, certain propagandists, notably Mohammad Zubair, sought to misrepresent the sequence of events. His initial attempt to justify the attack by portraying Jai Shri Ram chants and the bursting of firecrackers as provocation reflects a broader pattern of subverting Hindu religious expression by framing it as incitement. He later escalated the falsehood by claiming that Hindus had thrown firecrackers inside the Jama Masjid, thus implying that the violence was a reaction rather than an unprovoked assault. This manipulation of facts serves to downplay the hate-fuelled attack on Hindus while subtly shifting culpability onto the victims. The most telling aspect of this subversion is that the Imam of the Jama Masjid himself admitted that the violence began when Muslims attempted to lynch Hindus chanting Jai Shri Ram. Yet, this crucial statement was deliberately omitted by those engaged in shaping the narrative to exonerate the perpetrators. This case aligns with a broader trend of media and ideological bias, where acts of aggression against Hindus are either downplayed or framed in a manner that absolves the attackers of responsibility. By twisting the facts, suppressing inconvenient truths, and propagating misleading claims, these narratives contribute to a climate of prejudice against Hindus.
Case Status
Unknown
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Muslim Extremists
Perpetrators Range
Unknown
Perpetrators Gender
unknown
Sources 
