Attacks on Hindus and Hindu Dharma, both in Bharat and overseas, are frequent and unrelenting. In many regions of the world, this persecution is like a genocide slowly unfolding before our eyes. For decades, the world has ignored the actual depth and breadth of these attacks, driven by disturbing anti-Hindu bigotry. From murders, forced conversions, land grabs, assault on festivals, desecration of temples and murtis, hate speech, and sexual violence to institutionalized & legal discrimination, Hindus are facing an increasing assault on their very existence along with an unprecedented Hindu hatred.

In this weekly summary for the period from 02 June to 08 June 2024, we hope to provide a snapshot of such crimes and hopefully awaken more people around the world to this human rights crisis:

Bharat

1) An incident involving the abduction of a Hindu girl and her forced conversion to Islam has surfaced in Uttar Pradesh’s (UP) Banda. The 18-year-old was taken to Mumbai by Shakeel Ahmed. Afterwards, he converted her to Islam and performed nikah with her. Furthermore, he changed her name to Iqra.

2) Following a recent incident, where a minor Hindu aged 15 was abducted by Sabbir Ahmed and his father from Sepahijila district in Tripura, Bangladesh authorities reportedly alerted Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) to stay vigilant of such cases and stop Muslims from entering Bangladesh along with abducted girls and females from India.

3) In a dispute over the sale of a buffalo, an Islamist youth attacked a youth named Avinash in Mudhol of Karnataka’s Bagalkote district. It is reported that Islamist Siphon Saab assaulted Avinash when he asked for the remaining payment for the buffalo he had sold.

4) In Bihar, an alarming incident occurred involving supporters of the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), who allegedly attacked scheduled caste (SC) people for supporting and voting for the BJP-led NDA (National Democratic Alliance). According to eyewitnesses and local sources, the RJD workers had issued prior threats to the SC community, warning them against participating in NDA events. When these warnings were ignored, and several SC people attended Modi’s rallies, RJD operatives purportedly retaliated with violence. The attacks left several individuals injured, necessitating their admission to Patna Medical College and Hospital (PMCH) for urgent medical treatment.

5) In a tragic incident in Hardoi, Uttar Pradesh, a 12th-grade student, Yuvraj Singh, was brutally shot dead in broad daylight. Yuvraj Singh was the only son of his parents. Based on the local reports, the Islamist assailant, a minor, fled the scene after the attack, creating an atmosphere of fear in the area.

6) Infiltrators from Bangladesh attempted to kidnap a Border Security Force (BSF) jawan after he tried to stop them from illegally entering Bharat. The incident occurred at Indo-Bangladesh fence gate No.196 at Kalamchera in Tripura.

7) A disturbing case was reported from UP’s Sant Kabir Nagar District. 35-year-old Saud Ansari raped a 6-year-old Hindu girl. The police team immediately acted to catch the accused after receiving the information. Meanwhile, the accused committed suicide. The police have taken the body of the accused into custody and sent it for post-mortem for further investigation.

8) A Hindu shop owner gave a job to Danish Khan in good trust and faith. However, Khan raped his daughter and blackmailed her using private pictures. The incident was reported in UP’s Lucknow.

9) Several X users registered strong protests against controversial Instagram user Priyanka Paul and accused her of hurting Hindu religious sentiments. A recent controversy erupted over her painting, which insulted Prabhu Sri Ram. Notably, Priyanka Paul, an “Ambedkarite Feminist”, goes by the user name artwhoring on Instagram.

10) In Rajasthan’s Ajmer district, a case of gang rape of a girl in 11th grade was reported. The main accused, Irfan, tricked the girl into a friendship through Instagram, using one of his female friends to set the trap. After this, the main accused and his accomplices gang raped her and threatened to release a video of the assault if she didn’t comply with their demands. They also forced her to give them Rs 5 lakh and later demanded an additional Rs 10 lakh.

11) Social media has turned into a battlefield amid the raging Israel-Hamas conflict in Gaza, with an independent journalist in Nagpur submitting a police complaint citing hate messages and death threats on Instagram, including one that warned her of ‘Sar Tan Se Juda’ (beheading).

12) Soon after the results, Hindus were attacked in different parts of the South 24 Parganas district and Kolkata. Houses were vandalised, women were beaten, and bombs were hurled at Hindus. It has been alleged that TMC-backed Islamists are behind these attacks. 

13) A gruesome case of gang rape and impregnation of an 18-year-old girl by three Muslim youths has come to light in Belthangady Taluk in Karnataka’s Mangaluru. The three youths raped the girl, and now she is six months pregnant. The case led to charges under the gang rape and various sections under the POCSO Act at the Belthangady Police Station.

14) A shocking murder case came to light from Uttar Pradesh’s Pratapgarh district. A man named Qadir Musalman stormed the house of a Dalit family and stabbed a girl to death.

15) Thol Thirumavalavan, founder of Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK) and Lok Sabha MP, once again stirred controversy with his remarks, referring to members of the BJP and Sangh Parivar outfits as “Sanatan terrorists.” Thirumavalavan commented during the ‘VCK Awards 2024’ presentation in Chennai, evoking strong reactions from right-wing parties.

16) In a startling incident that happened in Karnataka’s Chikkodi, Congress worker Jameer Naikwadi insulted Prime Minister Narendra Modi and raised pro-Pakistan slogans during a celebration event. The incident occurred as Congress supporters gathered to celebrate the apparent lead of their candidate, Priyanka Jarkiholi, in the Belagavi Lok Sabha constituency.

17) Several persons from the Muslim community launched an attack on the rally of Hindus that was organized on the occasion of Ahilyabai Holkar Jayanti in the Mulawa region of Maharashtra’s Yavatmal district. The attack is said to have happened in the Muslim-dominated area of the region due to ‘unfavourable’ songs being played on the DJ system during the rally.

18) In Uttar Pradesh’s (UP) Bareilly district, another grooming jihad case has surfaced. A Hindu girl from Bihar accused Mohammad Arif of luring her into a love trap and forcing her to convert to Islam. She also stated that Arif’s brother, Mohammad Talib, raped her, and when she resisted, she was brutally assaulted and threatened with murder.

19) In a shocking incident, Islamist Qadir, a hotel roti maker, brutally murdered his girlfriend, Jyoti. The tragic event took place in UP’s Pratapgarh. Jyoti, a Hindu woman who had separated from her husband, had been in a relationship with Qadir for several years. Qadir entered her home and began hurling casteist slurs at her before pulling out a knife and stabbing her multiple times.

20) In a grim reminder of the 1990 Kashmiri Hindu exodus, a Kashmiri Hindu family was targeted by Islamists who prevented them from continuing the construction of their house. Sanjay Wali, a Kashmiri Pandit in Anantnag’s Verinag area, had gathered the courage to rebuild his house after the 1990 anti-Hindu massacre. Sanjay’s faced an attack from their Muslim neighbours. As they began constructing their house, residents prevented further work, destroyed their belongings, and threatened them to leave.

21) A Muslim mob poured onto streets in the name of ‘Blasphemy’ again, leading to the suspension of a student from the Government Medical College in Srinagar.

22) In Maharashtra, Muslims mobilized specifically to defeat the BJP, with AIMPLB mosques leading the charge.

Pakistan

Abduction, rape, forced conversion, and marriage of minor Hindu girls are common occurrences in the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. At least 1000 minority girls suffer such sex slavery every year in Sindh province alone. Apart from this, Pakistani Hindus face systemic and institutionalized discrimination and neglect, such as frequent attacks on Hindu temples, demonization of education curriculum, police and judicial antipathy, denial of fundamental rights, and even untouchability. This latest instance of the brutal rape and murder of a Bheel woman in Pakistan is yet another proof of the pitiable condition of Hindu minorities in Pakistan.

1) Ajmal, son of Shankar Kohli, was found hanging near his home under mysterious circumstances in Sindhori village, Tharparkar, Sindh. His unexpected passing saddens Ajmal’s family and neighbours.

Most hate crimes are driven by anti-Hindu bigotry encoded in certain religious teachings and political ideologies. While the anti-Hindu hate in Islamic countries is evident, there is another subtler form of anti-Hindu sentiment within institutions and the public sphere of ostensibly secular states (like India) that provides an enabling environment for Hinduphobia and hate crimes. This subtle, everyday discrimination can be missed unless one studies prevailing laws and patterns. The gradual ban on firecrackers during Diwali is a good example – it might seem pollution-related on the surface. Still, the double standards at play become apparent when one looks at the larger picture of restrictions on Hindu festivals and the lack of sound reasoning behind the ban.

We request all readers to share other anti-Hindu hate crimes that we might have missed in this period in the comments below or by emailing [email protected]. We also solicit support in maintaining the Hindu human rights tracker database.