Muslims spread fake news of Muslim man beaten to death by Hindus for resisting Holi colours; postmortem confirms cardiac arrest
Unnao, Uttar Pradesh, India 
15 March, 2025
Case Summary
Islamist social media handles, including Maktoob Media and Hate Detector, spread misinformation about the death of a 48-year-old Muslim man named Sharif in Unnao, Uttar Pradesh. They claimed that Sharif was physically assaulted by a Hindu mob celebrating Holi after he objected to being coloured while on his way to a mosque near Mohalla Kashif Ali Sarai Chungi Power House. According to these claims, bystanders later rescued him and gave him water, but he collapsed and died soon after. The misleading claims gained traction online, with Maktoob Media sharing the post on Instagram and Hate Detector posting it on X, falsely accusing Hindus of a communal attack. However, Unnao Police swiftly debunked the allegations, stating that Sharif died of a cardiac arrest and not due to any assault. The police clarified that a post-mortem examination was conducted by a panel of doctors and videographed, revealing no signs of physical injury. Sharif, a Qasim Nagar Rabbanna Mosque area resident, had returned to India two months prior from Saudi Arabia, where he worked as a driver. These social media handles falsely communalised his sudden death to incite tensions.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
This case has been added to the tracker under the prime category of- Hate speech against Hindus. The sub-category selected under this 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, 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 a deliberate attempt by Islamist social media handles, including Maktoob Media and Hate Detector, to falsely communalise a natural death in order to incite tensions and vilify Hindus. By fabricating claims of a Hindu mob assaulting Sharif for objecting to Holi celebrations, these platforms sought to spread misinformation and provoke communal discord. However, the swift response from Unnao Police, backed by a post-mortem examination that confirmed cardiac arrest as the cause of death with no signs of physical injury, exposed the falsehoods. Such misleading narratives not only distort facts but also fuel hostility against Hindus, making this case a clear example of anti-Hindu propaganda that warrants inclusion in the Hinduphobia tracker.
Case Status
Unknown
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Others
Perpetrators Range
N/A
Perpetrators Gender
unknown
Sources 
