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 21 April to 27 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) Controversy marred the Thrissur Pooram festival as police violated traditions by entering the temple premises wearing boots.

2) There have been reports of an attack on a Hindu family in the Haryana region of Nuh by Islamists. Victim Santram filed a case against Idris, Junaid, Zubair, Akhlaq, Zafar, Akram, Shamim, Javed, Ayub and one other for assaulting him. Two women, Sahuni and Raveena are also named as the assailants. They are all charged with beating and mistreating the women in Santram’s family in addition to robbing his shop.

3) All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen president (AIMIM) and Hyderabad Lok Sabha MP Asaduddin Owaisi stoked controversy during his door-to-door campaign. He was heard saying, “Rehan beef shop Zindabad” to the butcher in front of a store with “Rehan Beef Shop” written on its board in Hyderabad’s Old City. He also greeted the people present at the shop and shook hands with them. He further expressed, “Kaat te raho (keep slaughtering),” while departing from there with his supporters.

4) A case of ‘Love Jihad’ has come to light from Bihar’s East Champaran, where the modus operandi resembles that highlighted in the movie ‘The Kerala Story’. Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) arrested a married man named Sameer Alam who was accompanied by a minor Hindu girl who hails from the Dalit community.

5) Hubballi-Dharawad police arrested two men identified as Sadiq Imam Saab Tadakoda and Adil, both residents of Dharwad, for social media posts justifying Fayaz stabbing his former classmate Neha to death in Hubballi. Notably, Fayaz murdered Neha for declining his proposal of a relationship.

6) Rohit, a Hindu YouTuber, was brutally attacked by a few Islamist youths in Mysuru, Karnataka, for singing a song in praise of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The assault, accompanied by degrading actions, including being pelted with cigarettes and beer bottles, occurred near a government guest house. The victim, hailing from Mellahalli village, was targeted for his composition applauding the prime minister.

7) Family confirms Gomathi was attacked by DMK goons for voting for Lotus (BJP), while Tamil Nadu police had denied it.

8) A knife attack on a Hindu businessman, Raju Hargunani, was reported from the Kanpur area of Uttar Pradesh. The primary accused is a minor from the Muslim community who had previously worked at the shoe showroom. The victim’s intestines were also ripped open in the brutal assault. He is critically injured and has been receiving treatment at the moment while the juvenile assailant is in police custody. There were four attackers, based on the police.

9) The 23-year-old Hindu woman who was assaulted, raped and tortured by 24-year-old Ayan Pathan in Guna, Madhya Pradesh has lost sight in one eye while the second one now has low vision because he threw chillies in her eyes. Police have also recovered a belt and Fevikwik glue tube from the room. She was taken to the hospital and her mother has stated that the accused should be held accountable for every single injury.

10) Ashwini ML, the NDA candidate for Kasaragod Lok Sabha constituency, updated on social media that CPM goons stopped her vehicle and abused and harassed her while she was campaigning at Padanna Beach.

11) Tensions erupted in Rajasthan’s Alwar after some miscreants from the Muslim community attacked a wedding procession of the Rajput community with lathis and stone pelting. Around 8 people who were part of the procession suffered injuries.

12) In a disturbing incident that has sent shockwaves through Karnataka, a 28-year-old married woman from Belagavi has come forward with harrowing allegations of coercion, sexual assault, and forced conversion at the hands of a couple. The victim, whose identity remains protected, recounted her ordeal, alleging that she was raped by an Islamist man identified as Rafik in the presence of his wife, who subsequently manipulated and blackmailed her into converting to Islam.

13) Masjids and Owaisi’s political outfit AIMIM are reportedly supporting Congress in Maharashtra’s Solapur. BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party) Solapur candidate Ram Satpute has accused masjids of issuing fatwas favouring the Congress candidate.

14) A 14-year-old Hindu girl tragically ended her life after being blackmailed and extorted by a group of radical Islamists, including Mohammad Kaif and Mohammad Azan, through Instagram. The crime is reported from Rajasthan’s Kota.

15) Congress leader Rashid Alvi defended the Manmohan Singh government’s stand on prioritising minorities, Muslims in particular, for receiving the benefits of development, saying there was nothing wrong in that approach.

16) Officials demolished a house in Madhya Pradesh’s Guna that was illegally built by Mohammad Ayan Pathan accused of torturing a Hindu woman for a month. Pathan reportedly held the woman, who was his neighbour, hostage and tortured her. They were in a relationship earlier, according to the police.

17) In Jharkhand’s Girdih, a group of Islamist men attacked a young man named Neeraj. The attackers, including Akhtar Ansari, Armaan, Shahid, Waris, Afzal, and Aansuf Ansari, reportedly stabbed Neeraj because Akhtar was asking for Neeraj’s sister’s mobile number. The victim intervened when he heard about this and was stabbed by the group. He has been admitted to the hospital, and the police have arrested two attackers, including Arman while others are absconding.

18) It is alleged that police in Borabanda in Hyderabad/Bhagyanagaram took action by removing speakers from a Hanuman Temple during the Hanuman Jayanti festivities, leading to questions regarding the move’s legality and fairness.

19) A woman named Bulbul, who worked at a beauty parlour in Rajasthan’s Churu district, has died in a suspicious manner. Her body was found hanging in the parlour, and the police have started an investigation. Four men, Arshad, Wahid, Muzaffar, and Amjad, have been accused of forcing her to die.

20) A Biryani seller in Delhi’s Jahangirpuri was held for selling biryani on paper plates with images of Prabhu Sri Ram. According to reports, people created a stir after discovering images of Sri Ram on the plates. The police arrived and brought the situation under control.

21) Triggered by Neha Hiremath’s tragedy, a Karnataka Hindu girl who attempted to terminate her relationship with an Islamist was violently assaulted.

22) In a concerning incident in Shriram Nagar, Gangavati taluk, Koppala district of Karnataka, more than 20 Muslim youths reportedly attacked a Hindu youth, Sri Kumar Rathod for chanting the slogan “Jai Shri Ram.”

23) In a disturbing incident in a village in Madhya Pradesh’s (MP) Ashok Nagar district, a 13-year-old girl was raped by Islamist Mohammad Rashid. The incident occurred in the Naisarai police station area, where Rashid and his accomplice threatened the girl’s mother with a knife before taking the girl to a nearby field and sexually assaulting her. The family searched for the victim and found her in the fields later.

24) In a horrifying ordeal, a young Hindu woman was subjected to molestation by an Islamist while travelling from Bangalore to Mangalore on a bus to exercise her right to vote. The unsettling incident occurred when Mohammad Azim, a passenger from the Islamic community, engaged in inappropriate behaviour towards her. Displaying remarkable courage, the woman promptly reported the misconduct to the bus driver as Islamist Azim persistently harassed her. However, despite her plea, the driver failed to take appropriate action.

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 minor girl named Neena is of the Gujarati community, who lives in Kot Ghulam Mohammad, disappeared from her home around 2:00 or 3:00 am on 22 April 2024. Her family discovered in the early morning that she was missing. The girl’s family alleged that Mehdi Hassan, also known as Mido Khaskheli was involved in in her disappearance. It is reported that Mehdi had Neena converted her to Islam religion at Pir Sarhandi shrine and then married her.

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) Devotees of ISKCON temple of Sitakunda caught an Islamist who entered the temple and tried to vandalise the Murti. The arrested Islamist has been identified as Muhammad Zaman. He is a resident of the Barishal district.

2) Unknown thieves targeted Sri Jagannath temple in Rauzan, situated in the Noyapara locality. The following morning, local Hindus found that the lock of the temple gate was broken. Everything inside the temple was stolen. The temple’s donation box was broken, and all the money was taken. Also, all the ornaments of the Vigraha were stolen.

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.