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 11 February to 17 February 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) A Hindu youth was shot dead and his body thrown on a railway track in Uttarakhand’s Haldwani riots. Samajwadi Party (SP) leader Mateen Siddiqui’s brother, Javed, was arrested for inciting violence.

2) A disturbing case of love jihad has surfaced in Sitamarhi, in which Mohammad Aneesh, hailing from the Rajopatti area, is accused of trapping a minor Hindu girl from Gorakhpur. The man intended to force the girl into prostitution. An FIR has been filed based on the victim’s statement, leading to the arrest of the accused.

3) Another alarming case of love jihad surfaced in Gautam Buddh Nagar, Noida, Uttar Pradesh. Mohammed Azam Khan physically harassed and blackmailed a Hindu girl. Based on Sudarshan news reports, the victim said that Khan befriended her via Instagram in 2019 and later invited her to an Oyo townhouse under the pretext of discussing marriage. Instead, he physically assaulted her and coerced her into compromising situations, taking intimate, obscene photos and videos without her consent. Khan subsequently resorted to blackmail, threatening to expose the images and videos unless she paid him money.

4) A parent of a student filed a complaint at the Mangaluru South police station against a teacher from St. Gerosa Catholic Girls School in Mangaluru for allegedly making derogatory remarks against the Hindu Dharma, Prabhu Sri Ram and PM Narendra Modi.

5) A Muslim family in Mumbai’s suburb of Thane reportedly converted their residence into a madrasa, where they used to play Azaan (Islamic prayer) on a loudspeaker three times a day, thereby causing a nuisance to their neighbours. It must be mentioned that the flat was provided to the family by Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA).

6) Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind, on Tuesday (13 February), asked the Rajasthan government to withdraw the order regarding the Surya Namaskar practice in schools with immediate effect. BJP government in Rajasthan has issued orders to conduct Surya Namaskar in all schools from 15 February, the day of Surya Saptami. The Jamiat has called upon the Muslim community across the state to boycott the Surya Namaskar programme. 

7) In the Mandsaur district of Madhya Pradesh, the police have arrested five people accused of raping a minor girl. Sohail, Arbaaz, and Anos, along with two minor accused, were taken into custody.

8) In Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh, a man named Saurabh faced a horrific ordeal in his neighbourhood. A woman named Shabina, along with her family members, including her husband, brother, sister, and mother, called him to her house and brutally assaulted him. They tied him up, removed his clothes, and repeatedly burned his private parts with a hot iron rod.

9) In Kashipur, a Muslim youth named Fardeen attacked Pooja as she was going to tuition classes from home. She was left bleeding, but nearby people intervened and took her to the hospital. The attacker fled, but the incident was caught on CCTV. He reportedly attacked Pooja for rejecting his love proposal. As per the latest information, Fardeen has been arrested by the police.

10) The Ayodhya-bound Aastha Special train from Surat faced a heavy stone-pelting incident near Nandurbar in Maharashtra. Fortunately, no injuries were reported from the incident. The railway police have filed a complaint against unknown individuals regarding the matter.

11) Kanpur Police arrested Mohammad Bhallad, a Muslim man from the Rawatpur area, for causing a disturbance during the aarti at the Dakshineswar temple. According to reports, the accused arrived at the temple with a group of 50-60 Islamists and assaulted the devotees.

12) The dead body of Kalpana Mondal (24) was found in a cornfield at Sripur village under the jurisdiction of the Mothabari Police Station of the Maldah district. She was reportedly raped before being murdered.

13) Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) staged a protest at the Tripura Government College of Art and Crafts over purported vulgarity in a Murti of Ma Saraswati being worshipped at the college premises.

14) NCPCR (National Commission for Protection of Child Rights) Chief Priyank Kanoongo accused the Jharkhand government of being complicit with the conversion mafia.

15) A heavily armed Muslim mob killed a Hindu man with an iron pipe and pelted stones at his family over a monetary dispute in Sabarkantha. The police have filed a case against 30 persons. An investigation has been initiated.

16) A case of unlawful possession of dwellings built for the needy under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana has surfaced in Bilaspur, Chhattisgarh. It has come to attention that members of the Muslim community have illegally taken over 125 residences. Not only that, but domes have been built around these houses, which have been converted into mosques, tombs, and sites for exorcisms.

17) Deepika Bharadwaj, who converted to Islam after marrying Wasim Hussain, was accused of harassing her mother for the property.

18) In Uttar Pradesh’s Farrukhabad district, a Hindu youth, his mother, and sister were attacked by Shamim and Sadruddin along with two other unidentified associates. The incident occurred when the victim youth, Vikas Rajput, was visiting a fair with his family. Some Hindu sadhus present at the fair intervened to help. Police have registered a case and begun an investigation into the matter.

19) The Kerala government arrested Sreeraj Kaimal, State Organising Secretary of Hindu Seva Kendram. According to the police, the case is based on Sreeraj sharing a picture on social media and saying he wanted to meet the artist in person. He was remanded for 14 days.

20) An Islamist mob pelted stones on a Hindu procession in Bihar’s Darbhanga district. As the procession, carrying a Maa Saraswati murti for immersion, passed through the Kasai Mohalla (Butchers’ Colony) in Muriya, an Islamist mob attacked it. The mob hurled stones, looted nearby houses, vandalized the area, and desecrated the Saraswati Devi vigraha. The procession was part of the Basant Panchami festival celebrations held on 14 February. ‘Islam Zindabad’ group was behind stone pelting in Darbhanga. FIR has been filed on more than 200 persons. Faizan and Tabrez are among fourteen arrested after the vandalism of Maa Saraswati Murti.

21) The Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPM) goons attacked the Ganapati Puja held as part of the renovation at Nedumannur LP School in Kuttiady, Kozhikode.

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) A Pakistani Hindu minority visited a local barbershop in a village in Pakistan with the intention of getting a haircut. Upon requesting the service, the Islamist barber bluntly refused, stating, “I will not cut the hair of a Hindu.” Minorities are faced with such discrimination almost every day.

Bangladesh

Attacks on Hindus in Bangladesh are relentless and designed to cleanse the religious minority from the country gradually. According to a study by Prof. Abul Barakat of Dhaka University, no Hindus will be left in Bangladesh by 2050 due to systemic and institutionalized persecution. Temple desecration, land grabbing, mob attacks after false blasphemy charges, rape/forced conversion of women, and hate speech are tools used to intimidate and drive Hindus out.

1) Unknown miscreants attacked five temples in the Barabkunda union of Sitakund. They broke all the Murtis of temples. The temples are an important part of the sacred pilgrimage site Agnikund. Sri Hanuman temple, Shiva temple, Trinath temple, Annapurna temple and Jagannath temple were attacked.

2) Unknown miscreants attacked a Saraswati Puja Mandap in the Paikpara area of Brahmanbaria town. Everything was vandalised, including the Puja Manadap and the Murti of Maa Saraswati. The head of the Murti was cut and thrown away. Other things were also vandalised.

World

1) Pro-Hamas and Hinduphobic lobby harassed Hindu American Democratic politician Bhavini Patel for her political views.

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.