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 10 March to 16 March 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) Adil from Bijnor was taken into custody by the police in connection with the murder of 20-year-old Badal Saxena in Uttar Pradesh’s Noida. The accused fled to Mumbai to escape from the authorities. Another young man named Salman has already been apprehended in the case. He was having an affair with a Hindu girl in the office. The murder transpired after the victim told others about their relationship, which infuriated Salman.

2) A minor Nepali Hindu girl was rescued from Uttarakhand’s Nainital. She was trapped by Israfil Ansari, who pretended to be Munna Mahato and had married and abandoned two other girls previously.

3) In the Saharanpur district of Uttar Pradesh, a case of “land jihad” has emerged, where Bobby Ansari and Shahnawaz are accused of unlawfully occupying a crematorium designated for the Dalit community. In response to resistance, the victims endured not only casteist insults but also attempts on their lives, including gunfire from the accused.

4) A case of grooming jihad has been reported from Uttar Pradesh’s Kaushambi district, where a group of Islamists abducted a 17-year-old Hindu girl. The accused are Naufil, Imran, Usman, Sameer Khan, and others. The girl’s family claims that Naufil Khan brainwashed her into a relationship and then kidnapped her. They allege that the girl left home with Rs 4.32 lakh and was taken by Naufil’s gang in a car.

5) A Muslim youth threatened to kill police officer Manoj Tomar, who stopped people from offering Namaz on the road.

6) In a case of Love Jihad reported from Uttar Pradesh’s (UP) Sonbhadra, an Islamist named Eman Ahmed is alleged to have befriended a minor Hindu girl and later attempted to abduct her. The incident occurred in the Robertsganj Kotwali area.

7) The dead body of a 16-year-old Hindu girl was found near Dangtal Railway Market in Bongaigaon district of Assam. As per reports, the victim had been missing since Tuesday (5th March). A day later, her family filed a complaint with the Bongaigaon police and accused a local named Sarfaraz Hussain of luring and entraping the minor girl.

8) A Hindu family’s decision to convert to Christianity due to their initial struggle with childlessness took a distressing turn. Upon the birth of their child, the church allegedly approached them with an unconventional request – to auction the child and contribute the proceeds to the church. The family, facing financial constraints, found themselves in a predicament, compelled to raise funds through this unusual means.

9) In a disturbing trend, incidents of stone pelting have been reported on the Ayodhya-bound Aastha Special train from the capital Raipur. A few anti-Hindu extremist mobs have led to stone pelting from both sides of the train in Sultanpur, Uttar Pradesh. However, precautionary measures by security personnel had already ensured the closure of windows and doors, thereby preventing any harm to passengers, but a few stones entered the train through the windows.

10) The Panchavati Police served notice to the famous Kalaram Mandir in Maharashtra’s Nasik, citing a complaint by a local regarding the temple authorities’ illegal use of loudspeakers.

11) A man named Nadeem Shaikh has been accused of molesting a Hindu woman in Surat’s Rander area. The victim, a 40-year-old woman from Rajasthan, lives with her family in the Tatwadi area of Rander Road, where she runs a grocery shop. The victim has two children.

12) In Bikaner’s Gangshahar police station area, a case of Islamist Zakir Hussain Shaikh and three other members of his family beating an SC (Scheduled Caste) family and forcibly taking away the girl has come to light. Sumit Dharu, son of Sanjay Valmiki and resident of Vinoba Basti Hal Rajiv Nagar Bikaner, reported that he had a love marriage with Sania on 22 December 2023. Zakir Hussain Shaikh, Naseeruddin Shaikh, Sahil Shaikh, Ruksana Shaikh, and 10-15 other people came to his house, assaulted his father, and forcibly took Sania away.

13) Another Love Jihad case has come to light from Uttar Pradesh’s Ghaziabad district. In this case, the accused, Talib Hasan, pretended to be Ankit and trapped a Dalit girl who was a widow. As per the reports, the accused had been raping the victim for over four years by threatening to leak her obscene photos and videos. It is alleged that he deceivingly intoxicated her and recorded her obscene videos while sexually assaulting her in an OYO room.

14) Continuing their appeasement policies, the Congress and YSRCP governments revised school timings for the month of Ramzan in Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh, respectively, and Telangana’s Congress government reduced the work hours of Muslim employees.

15) In a distressing incident, a miscreant targeted the 800-year-old Chola-era Sri Kalleshwara Swamy temple in Nittoor village of Gubbi taluk, Tumkur district of Karnataka. The temple, classified as a C-grade establishment under the Religious Endowment Department, fell victim to arson today, with the iconic chariot set ablaze.

16) A Muslim girl is accused of deceiving a 15-year-old Hindu girl and then taking the victim with her. Afterwards, the latter was found with a 25-year-old Rahisuddin two days later. The authorities apprehended the two perpetrators, and a case was registered.

17) In Uttar Pradesh’s Banda district, a 22-year-old Hindu girl reportedly went missing from her house. Following her disappearance, her family has accused a man named Asib of kidnapping her. It is alleged that Asib’s family members, including his mother Chuhiya and brother Ghulam, are part of this conspiracy.

18) An instance of molestation of an 8-year-old Hindu girl has surfaced in Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh. The accused is identified as 20-year-old Suleman, who locked the little girl in a room. She was saved when her family members opened the door.

19) A day after Islamists disrupted Arati at the Hanuman Mandir in Maharashtra’s Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar. As per a report by Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar City News, on 12 March, the regular Tuesday evening Arati was going on in the Hanuman Mandir at Chikalthana’s Kamgar Colony. Islamists barged in and warned Hindus not to conduct prayers for a month.

20) In a shocking incident from Karnataka’s capital, Bengaluru, an illegal orphanage was discovered in Sampigehalli by Priyank Kanoongo, the chairman of the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) and his team during an inspection on 15 March. He informed about the development on his official social media handle along with videos, adding that at least twenty young girls were present there.

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.