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 16 June to 22 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) In Telangana’s Medak town, tensions escalated following the stabbing of BJYM karyakarta Raj Arun, allegedly by a Muslim mob. The incident occurred during a peaceful march to the police station to complain about the illegal slaughtering of cows in the town.
2) Congress has repeatedly displayed its anti-Hindu nature. The latest instance is of Telangana’s Congress MLA Anil Kumar Reddy. A poster by Reddy to wish for Bakri Eid shows the image of a cow. This appears to be a deliberate attempt to hurt Hindu sentiments. The poster has images of several leaders, including Telangana CM Revanth Reddy, Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Vadra, Kharge and other leaders.
3) An incident of hurting religious sentiments has come to the fore from Maharashtra’s Navi Mumbai. Goodluck Goat Meat Shop’s owner was detained after visuals of a goat meant for Bakrid scribbled with ‘Ram’ went viral on social media.
4) A day after Eid Al Adha, Islamic radicals attacked a Hindu village in the Murshidabad district of West Bengal. Villagers were attacked with sticks and sharp weapons. Houses and shops belonging to the community were broken.
5) Balasore district administration imposed Section 144 in the region from Pir Bazar to Patrapada (later extended to the entire Balasore municipality) after Islamists pelted stones and a clash occurred between 2 communities in the district in Northern Odisha. The incident occurred after people spotted a red blood substance flowing in the drain near the Pir Bazar. It was alleged that cows were slaughtered in the area during Id-ul-Adha or Bakrid celebrations.
6) On the day of Eid, tension erupted in Silchar town of Assam regarding the alleged cow slaughter. Local Hindus started a protest, after which the police arrested two persons. Although, the main culprit behind the alleged cow slaughter is still absconding. The Police confiscated some meat from a pack that was believed to be beef.
7) Ravi Sukhram Vishwakarma and his family were assaulted by Monty Sayyed, Jameer Sayyed, and three minors, along with a large Muslim mob.
8) A committee established by the Tamil Nadu government to “address caste-based discrimination and violence” in educational institutions has put forth its recommendations, igniting a debate on the measures proposed. The one-man committee, led by retired Madras High Court judge Justice K. Chandru, has proposed a series of measures that disproportionately restrict Hindu traditions while remaining conspicuously silent on potential issues within other religious communities.
9) In an act of barbarism and mob terror, Islamists in the Daultabad area of Maharashtra’s Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar were found slaughtering cows on the occasion of Bakrid. The local Hindus notified the police when they noticed this act, and immediately, police raided the area. However, as per reports, the enraged Islamists made life-threatening attacks on the volunteers of Hindu organizations. Furthermore, the Islamists rioted and destroyed some vehicles in the area.
10) After celebrating Eid Al Adha, popularly known as Qurbani Eid, a Hindu was attacked in the Birbhum district of West Bengal. Islamic radicals allegedly threw beef inside a temple. As per the local sources, a day after Eid, three Islamic radical youths threw beef inside a temple in Margram.
11) In a horrific ordeal, an Islamist mob including Mohammad Faizal, Shakil, Yunus, Rafiq, and others brutally attacked Sudhanshu Mishra and his family, seemingly without reason, aiming to create chaos and instil fear within the community. Based on statements from the victim’s family, this was a pre-planned attack.
12) Police have arrested Mohd. Aaqib, a conman who pretended to be an astrologer named Kabir Baba. He claimed to tell the future using rituals and took money from people. Aaqib, who lives in Mohalla Tihai, house number 845 in Mawana town, Meerut district, admitted to the police that he tricked people with fake rituals. He secretly recorded video calls and made obscene videos to blackmail them.
13) An Islamist youth named Mohd Israel barged into the house of a 14-year-old Hindu girl and molested her. After this incident, people from Hindu organizations, including Bajrang Dal, gathered and gheraoed the Kuravar police station.
14) Another case of deception and Islamist sexual grooming/Love Jihad comes from Dehradun in Uttarakhand state. Around 4 years ago, a Muslim youth named Mohd Samshad reportedly befriended a Hindu girl by impersonating himself as a Hindu by introducing himself as Tushar Verma and giving the girl a job in his office.
15) In Uttar Pradesh’s Bareilly district, Mohammad Arman converted a handicapped Hindu girl to Islam, did Nikah with her and then left her demanding dowry. Money and jewels belonging to the victim were also taken by the accused. The victim was molested by her father-in-law Irfan, and her mother-in-law and sisters-in-law beat her.
16) The Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (IIT Bombay) has fined students Rs 1.2 lakh each for performing a play called ‘Raahovan’ during the institute’s annual performing arts festival. The play, loosely based on the Bharatiya Itihasa Ramayana, received heavy criticism on social media for disrespecting Sri Ram and Hindu culture.
17) In an alarming event meant to hurt Hindu beliefs, over 53 carcasses of cattle were discovered in three separate locations, including Seoni in Madhya Pradesh. These corpses were not only carelessly discarded but also flung into the sacred waters of the Wainganga River, adding to the community’s distress. Receiving complaints, the local police swiftly summoned a veterinary doctor to check the remains. Following the examination, the carcasses and remains were buried, and an immediate inquiry was launched.
18) A case has been registered against Christian Evangelists Rina Ramdas Mansa (50) and Elisa Ramesh Alfred (70) at the Chandan Nagar police station following allegations of forced conversions to Christianity. The incident occurred in Bidi Kamgar Colony, causing significant unrest among local residents. The women entered uninvited, with three other Evangelists—Rebecca Anuraj Sigamani (48), Sharda Jagdish Sode, and Priya Raju Singamani (45)—waiting outside.
19) Over 100 CPM activists surrounded a house where Chhatrapati Shivaji’s coronation anniversary day celebrations (Hindu Samrajya Diwas) were held in Karivellur near Payyannur in Kannur district. BJP workers who came to the event were assaulted, and their vehicles vandalised to incite a riot.
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) Islamists Muhammad Khokan and Muhammad Emdadul and their gangs attacked the Hindu locality of Ward no 7 of the village. They vandalised a few homes of the minorities and a temple.
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.
