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 25 May to 01 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 Islamist mob vandalised a Police station in Channagiri town in Karnataka’s Davanagere district and torched several Police vehicles. At least 11 police personnel sustained injuries, and around eight police vehicles were also destroyed. The mob went on a rampage, alleging the custodial death of a gambling accused named Adil.

2) A case of abduction and attempt to rape a Schedule Caste (SC) Hindu minor girl has come to light from Uttar Pradesh’s Bareilly district. Rashid and three others from the Muslim community, including Rashid’s father, have been accused of kidnapping and attempting to rape a minor SC girl. The kidnapping of the girl was apparently done at gunpoint.

3) Villagers of Wadanage, situated in Maharashtra’s Kolhapur District, observed a bandh to protest the Waqf Board’s land grab. The Waqf Board is accused of grabbing land adjacent to Mahadev Temple and shops in the area. During the ongoing hearing, Wadange villagers submitted a statement to Collector Amol Yedge highlighting the Gram Panchayat’s failure to present its position regarding the land.

4) Haldwani Police arrested Saif Ali, who is accused of using a fake identity to trap a Hindu girl in a Love affair. After getting information from Hindu activist groups, the Police caught Saif at a Private hotel near the Railway station in the Lalkuan Nagar area. The accused had booked a room in the hotel using a fake ID card.

5) Controversy erupted in the Punjabi Market of Kosikalan, Mathura, after Wahid Qureshi, a local shopkeeper, attempted to rename the entire market as ‘Islamic Bazar.’ The situation intensified when Qureshi distributed shopping bags bearing the new name, leading to widespread anger among traders and residents.

6) A disturbing case of harassment has emerged in Mumbai, where a Hindu girl has reported relentless pressure from a man named Mohd Hamid for marriage despite her repeated refusals. The victim, who supports her family as the sole breadwinner, alleges that Hamid has been stalking her and issuing threats, leaving her in a state of fear and distress.

7) In a serious incident that occurred in Nagamangala of Mandya’s Belluru town, an Islamist mob attacked the home of Abhilash, causing significant damage and creating a tense atmosphere in the area.

8) A case of forced conversion has come to light in Uttarakhand. Ranipur Police of district Haridwar registered an FIR against Hakeem Mufti Adil under Sections 3 and 5 of the Uttarakhand Freedom of Religion Act, 2018, on complaint of a man named Kundan. In his complaint, Kundan said that Hakeem Mufti Adil lured his parents to convert to Islam in exchange for money.

9) A fight ensued between some students at the Guru Nanak Dev Degree College at Mailoor on the outskirts of Bidar city in Karnataka after a few of them belonging to the Muslim community assaulted two Hindu students for raising Jai Shri Ram slogans. The accused students were identified as Basheer Khan, Gufran, Anses, Sheikh Pasha and Bilal, while the two victims were identified as Natraj and Veerendra. Natraj is a minor, as per the FIR lodged by the Bidar police.

10) In a brutal incident, 25-year-old Sujit Soni (named Sujit Swarnkar in NPG News), a Gaurakshak and Bajrang Dal district co-convenor of Balrampur, Chattisgarh, was found dead. The body of a young woman was also found near Sujit’s body.

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) Kidnapped Hindu Girl Chanda Maharaj has now been sent to live with her abductor, Shaman Magsi, a Sunni Muslim man.

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) Utsa Gain is a Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Science and Technology University student. He studies in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. He used to stay in a university hostel. Soon, his classmates sent the article to other Muslim students at the university. They all alleged that the article was blasphemous, and derogatory remarks were made in the article against Muhammad. Muslim students dragged Utsa Gain from his room. They tortured him. Due to the severe torture, Utsa Gain became unconscious.

World

1) A case of land jihad has come to light from Nepal’s Mahottari district. Several Hindu organisations have stated that Rohingya, Bangladeshi, and illegal Muslim immigrants from other countries have hatched a conspiracy to grab the land of an ancient temple. Notably, the land belongs to the ancient temple of Laxminarayan Math, which locals call Mathihani Math. This temple is said to be the largest monastery in Nepal and is hundreds of years old.

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.