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 31 March to 06 April 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) The body of a 65-year-old mahant of an ashram in Hardoi district has been found in three pieces in the bushes on Siddhauli Road in Sitapur district, the police said on 31 March. The mahant had disappeared under mysterious circumstances around four days ago while completing his annual pilgrimage in Sitapur’s Mishrikh.

2) A case of burglary has been reported from the Guwahati town of Assam, where three temples were targeted. Unknown miscreants stole valuable things from the temples. The incident happened on Friday (29 March) night.

3) A shocking case of love jihad and gang rape has come to light in Chirawa of Jhunjhunun in Rajasthan. The victim was abducted from the Mandrella police station area of Jhunjhunu and was taken to Haryana’s Hisar. The accused have been identified as Imran, his brother Anwar and a cleric (Maulvi). Furthermore, Imran forcibly married her in Hisar and held her as a hostage, where she was repeatedly sexually assaulted for a few days.

4) Recently, tensions erupted in Kota’s Kaithun town after the Ram Barat was attacked from behind when it passed the nearby mosque. The devotees part of the procession were assaulted, and the miscreants vandalised the procession, cut the wiring of the DJ system, and broke a laptop. Several videos of the attack are being made on the internet.

5) In Gonda, Uttar Pradesh, a 14-year-old girl was raped by a 17-year-old Muslim boy when she had gone to defecate. The incident occurred when the girl was forcibly taken into the bushes by the accused, who then raped her. The victim later informed her family about the incident, and her father filed a complaint against the accused at Kauria police station.

6) Two accused were arrested after the Kanpur police intercepted two buses transporting more than 110 people from Nawabganj to neighbouring Unnao for religious conversions, the police said. The Kanpur police have uncovered a syndicate allegedly involved in religious conversions.

7) In Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, a Muslim man, Atman, was caught deceiving a Hindu girl by assuming a fake Hindu identity. The couple was strolling together when they were stopped by some people who questioned them out of suspicion. The man initially claimed his name as Atman Singh Thakur, but upon investigation, it was discovered that his real name was Atman Khan. This revelation led to angry locals beating the Muslim youth. The girl was handed over to her family, while Atman Khan faced the wrath of the crowd.

8) Pondicherry University used its cultural festival to demean Maa Sita. They staged a play insulting Mata Sita, showing her offering beef to Ravan.

9) Durga Roy is a resident of Ward 2 of Bolpur municipality in Birbhum district. The area is under the jurisdiction of Shantiniketan Police Station. She alleged that the Police tortured and verbally abused her on the order of the local TMC councillor. She also alleged that her temple was also demolished. 

10) A case of religious conversion of a minor Hindu boy through allurement came to light from Haryana’s Greater Faridabad. According to reports, the accused doctor lured the victim for religious conversion by promising him 72 Hoors in Jannat (72 virgins in Heaven).

11) In a heartbreaking incident unfolding in Jalpally, Telangana, a 13-year-old girl has fallen victim to a horrific assault and murder perpetrated by 31-year-old Islamist Mohamad Mohin. Mohd Mohin, already married with four children, stands accused of the brutal rape and murder. The horrifying ordeal unfolded over a span of a year and a half, during which Mohin deceived the unsuspecting victim, concealing his marital status.

12) Another horrifying incident has shaken the Hindu community in Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh, as yet another crime has unfolded during Ramzan. Asif, Mushtakin, Mohammad Esaa, and an accomplice forcibly entered a Hindu household, terrorizing its occupants. Brandishing a firearm, they subjected a married Hindu woman to harrowing sexual violence and rape in front of her 14-year-old son.

13) A troubling incident occurred on Rang Panchami night in Madhya Pradesh’s (MP) Sagar City. A group of Islamists attacked a Hindu e-rickshaw driver and his friend while they were playing religious songs. This led to a clash between the two communities, with police needing to use tear gas to disperse the crowd.

14) A Muslim man named Gulab Nabi Azad allegedly concealed his Muslim identity and trapped a Hindu girl in love. He then abducted the Hindu girl. After a month of the alleged abduction, the family of the girl filed a complaint.

15) In an undated video believed to be from Shankarpally in the Telugu-speaking states (AP or Telangana), Hindu activists captured scenes showing blatant dissemination of anti-Hindu missionary propaganda. In the video, one can see Hindu activists confronting a youth allegedly from Nepal selling distorted versions of the Bhagavad Gita to the unsuspecting public. The video shows that this version of the Gita is a “secularised” version of the original. On the book’s first page, the Telugu text translates to “Life is our Creed. Ours is Human Dharmam. No Dharma like Hindu, Muslim, Sikh, or Christian exists”.

16) A peculiar sight has sparked controversy in an undated video that has surfaced from Andhra Pradesh. The pathway to the Holy Trinity Daiva Mandiram at Chemidthi Village, Gudur Mandal, Nellore, is a church reportedly managed by one Smt. Dr Srilakshmi features tiles bearing the sacred Hindu symbols of Om and Swastika.

17) A 20-year-old Hindu girl in Rajasthan’s Bharatpur fell prey to a Muslim man named Mubarak, who brutally assaulted her regularly after performing nikah (Islamic marriage) with her. The girl’s name was also changed to Ayesha.

18) In a disturbing incident that unfolded in Sanjay Nagar, Kurar Village, Malad (East) of Mumbai, a 30-year-old teacher fell victim to a brutal assault perpetrated by a 22-year-old Islamist local resident identified as Mohammad Haroon Idrishi, also known as Chaman. The brutal attack, with an iron rod, was purportedly inflicted by the Islamist man whom she declined to marry. The victim is presently hospitalized in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of a nearby medical facility.

19) Amid Lok Sabha’s election campaign, a temple came under attack in Assam’s Udharband, the Cachar district. Unknown miscreants attacked the famous Kalachand Ashram and the Radhakrishna temple inside it. 

20) In Delhi, an incident of Jihad and elopement has come to light where an Islamist boy, disguised as Raju Kumar, has developed a friendship with a minor Hindu girl, eventually leading to their elopement. The incident has stirred concern and distress within the victim’s family, who are now facing jurisdictional hurdles between Delhi and Ghaziabad Police. The family’s desperation has escalated, threatening drastic measures if prompt action is not taken to locate and return their daughter safely.

21) The Harinama Sankritan program was stopped in the Kashthashali market, which is under the jurisdiction of the Purbasthali Police Station of Purba Bardhaman district. Later, after the police intervention, the Harinama Sankritan program was started again. 

22) Ishtiaq Khan and Inzamamul reportedly abducted two minor Hindu girls in the Surguja district of Chhattisgarh. The victims and accused attended the same private school. Many individuals, including members of Hindu organisations, protested the occurrence in the streets and called for stern action against the culprits.

23) Maharashtra Cabinet Minister Mangal Prabhat Lodha stepped in to ensure Hindu youth from Parel’s Postgalli area, whom Islamists beat up, were served justice. BJP leader Mangal Lodha visited the Bhoiwada Police Station on Wednesday (3 March) evening and took police officers to task following complaints from locals that the Police were troubling Hindu youth instead of acting against the Islamists. He also took the officers to task for their laxity in taking cognisance of the complaints made by Hindus.

24) A shocking case of betrayal and murder has come to light in Delhi where 31-year-old Habib (or Hashib) Khan and his 29-year-old wife Samina (or Sameena) Begum murdered 22-year-old Sachin Kumar, and his naked body was thrown in Uttar Pradesh’s Hindon river. Habib murdered Sachin after suspecting him of having an extramarital affair with Samina. The pair has been taken into custody.

25) A case of purported love jihad came to the fore from Rae Bareilly in Uttar Pradesh. A Muslim youth named Mohammad Ansari hid his religious identity and posed as a Hindu to trap a Hindu widow in his love affair. He established a physical relationship with her and started to blackmail her to convert to Islam with her intimate pictures and videos after his real identity was revealed to her.

26) A Hindu temple was attacked in Kolkata, and the Murti was vandalised. The incident was reported in the Chitpur area. According to reports, some local Hindus had organized Shitala Mata Puja in the locality. However, some local Muslims objected to using loudspeakers. Local Hindus alleged, “Some Islamists came and threatened to keep loudspeakers silent during the Azan. When we refused to do so, they got angry. They called others and attacked the Puja mandap.”

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) Amidst growing outrage, members of the Hindu community and traders in Dera Murad Jamali took to the streets to condemn the recent abduction of a young girl, Priya Kumari and demanded urgent action for her recovery.

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) A fresh case of attack and Murti vandalism was reported from the Dinajpur district. Local Hindus of the Bahabaldighi village saw that the Murti of the Kali Mata temple was vandalised.

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.