Media falsely implicates Hindus for Nagpur violence, downplays and whitewashes Muslim mob violence
Nagpur, Maharashtra, India 
17 March, 2025
Case Summary
The Times of India falsely insinuated that Hindus were responsible for the Nagpur violence while completely whitewashing and downplaying the attacks carried out by Muslim mobs. Hindus were violently attacked by Muslims while demanding the removal of Aurangzeb’s tomb. The violence escalated after an unverified rumour of the Quran being burned spread. However, the Times of India attempted to portray Hindu protestors as the instigators and perpetrators of the violence. In its coverage of the Nagpur violence, the Times of India reported, "Violent clashes erupted on Monday night in Mahal, 2 km from the fortified RSS headquarters, after protests demanding the removal of Aurangzeb’s tomb spiralled out of control, resulting in stone-pelting, arson, and attacks on police personnel." The wording of this report implies that the violence was initiated by Hindu protestors, without mentioning that Muslim mobs launched violent attacks against them. Further, the Times of India article claimed that “another community” was triggered and they assembled in large numbers after hearing “rumours of effigies of the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb and a religious ‘chadar’ being burnt by right-wing activists near Shivaji Putla Square at Mahal gate.” It again attributed the violence entirely to Hindu protestors, stating that they clashed with the police, hurled stones, and damaged properties. However, multiple eyewitnesses completely contradicted this narrative, stating that the violence was carried out by Muslim mobs chanting Islamic slogans such as "Allahu Akbar" and "Labaik Ya Rasool Allah". One eyewitness spoke to OpIndia and stated that he saw a mob of at least 500 to 600 men chanting Islamic slogans in the Mahal region. He recalled, "They were in hundreds. One of the stones hit my car. But since they all looked angry and agitated, I quietly skirted around them and went back home." Another eyewitness, Chandrakant Kawde, spoke to ANI, stating that the Muslims burnt down the decoration materials for the Ram Navami Yatra. He claimed that the violent mob consisted of around 200 Muslim rioters, who burned down his and his brother’s bikes. He said, “The decoration material for the Ram Navami Shobha Yatra was dragged with the vehicles and torched.” He also pointed out that the rioters first destroyed the CCTV cameras to avoid identification before setting vehicles on fire. Another eyewitness, Vansh Kawle, spoke to PTI and stated that even Muslim children were part of the violent mob and were chanting Islamic slogans. He said, "They came in large numbers, carrying large stones and petrol bombs. They pelted stones, vandalised property, and torched vehicles." According to the BJP MLA Pravin Datke, the violence was a pre-planned attack on the Hindu community. He pointed out that violent mobs selectively targeted shops and carts belonging to Hindu vendors. Meanwhile, the shops and carts of the Muslim vendors were untouched. He stated, "There were four shops—two belonged to Hindus and two to Muslims. Only the Hindu-owned shops were set on fire. Nothing happened to the Muslim-owned shops."
Why it is Hate Crime ?
This case has been added to the tracker as a religiously motivated hate crime under the prime category of "Hate speech against Hindus", with the sub-category "Anti-Hindu subversion and prejudice", and the tertiary category "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. The Times of India's misleading and biased coverage of the Nagpur violence demonstrates a clear attempt to shift the blame onto Hindus while downplaying the Muslim-led attacks, thereby contributing to the broader pattern of anti-Hindu prejudice in mainstream media. By falsely insinuating that Hindu protestors were responsible for the violence, the publication deliberately distorted the reality of the incident. The fact that the report avoided explicitly mentioning the role of the Muslim mob in the attacks—despite eyewitness testimonies confirming their violent aggression—reveals a deliberate effort to whitewash anti-Hindu violence. Additionally, the narrative manipulation by the Times of India is not just a case of journalistic bias but an active act of misinformation that fuels hostility against Hindus. By framing Hindus as the instigators while ignoring key details, such as the Muslim mob chanting Islamic slogans, burning Ram Navami decorations, and targeting Hindu properties, the media outlet engaged in anti-Hindu subversion. This biased reporting not only obscures the truth but also emboldens radical Muslims by legitimising their actions and erasing the suffering of the Hindu victims. Given the intentional distortion of facts, the suppression of eyewitness testimonies, and the downplaying of a communal attack targeting Hindus, the Times of India’s coverage constitutes an act of anti-Hindu hate speech, subversion, and media bias, fully justifying its classification under the above-mentioned category of the Hinduphobia tracker.
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