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 28 July to 03 August 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 Bank of India Staff Union (Kerala) was caught in a controversy after its decision to felicitate former Pakistani president Gen. Pervez Musharraf at their 23rd State Conference sparked widespread outrage and protests. The Bank of India Staff Union (Kerala) is controversial after its decision to felicitate former Pakistani president Gen. Pervez Musharraf at their 23rd State Conference sparked widespread outrage and protests.

2) A case has been registered at Kalghatgi police station against Mujahid Khan (45), who is accused of harassing his wife and threatening to kill her for refusing to convert to Islam. The victim referred to as Rekha (35)(name changed), has faced significant distress and danger due to these threats. 

3) In a shocking incident, a pujari of the Manacaud Muthumari Amman temple was handcuffed and taken into custody by the Poonthura Police while performing a puja in the sanctum sanctorum. The pujari, Arun Potti, who claimed his innocence, spoke of contemplating suicide due to the acute insult he faced during the incident. Arun Potti is the chief pujari of Manacaud Muthumari Amman temple. Potti was taken into custody by Poonthura Police.

4) In a startling revelation, the Tumakuru City Corporation has been implicated in an illegal land registration scandal involving a prime 1.30-acre plot near the Vinayaka Temple near the Tumakuru main bus stand. The key individuals named in this alleged scandal are Islamists P. K. Mohammed of U. K. Monu Timber, Kanachuru Islamic Education Trust, and contractor Mohammed Ibrahim. 

5) A shocking controversy has emerged in Karnataka’s Bengaluru, where there are claims that the city receives dog meat from Rajasthan. Thousands of kilograms of suspected dog meat were taken away by railway police at Majestic railway station, which infuriated the public. Hindu activists led by Rashtra Rakshana Pade (RRP) President Puneeth Kerehalli brought the issue to light by raiding a meat supply chain at a Bengaluru railway station. Their suspicions were confirmed when they discovered meat packs having abnormally long animal tails. This led to grave doubts regarding the origins of the meat.

6) A social media post by Harsh Soni is going viral. Harsh, from Maharashtra’s Pune, cancelled his cab. He claims the driver, Javed Pathan, threatened and assaulted him for cancelling the Uber cab booking.

7) Days after a Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) worker was attacked in Kutch, a similar case has come to light from Gujarat’s Patan district. The Police have arrested one Sadiq Khan, who attacked and attempted to abduct a female Durga Vahini volunteer. They also attempted to abduct her, and when she resisted, they hurled casteist abuses at her.

8) Arvind Vaishya (26), associated with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), was brutally murdered by 4-5 persons belonging to the Muslim community. The accused persons stabbed Arvind as he attempted to help one of his friends, who the accused persons were allegedly harassing.

9) In a shocking revelation, a Hindu woman from Dharawada has filed a case against her husband, Islamist Mohammad Mujahid, accusing him of threats and coercion to convert to Islam.

10) Yashashree Shinde was murdered, reportedly by her ‘boyfriend’, Dawood Sheikh, in the most brutal fashion. The incident was reported from Navi Mumbai.

11) According to reports, a few days ago, a Hanuman Mandir in Hajuri was desecrated by anti-Hindu elements by breaking the murti of Bhagwan Hanuman and also destroying the Mandir premises.

12) A shocking incident has come to light in Haldwani where a 16-year-old mentally challenged Hindu girl was raped by tempo driver Mohammad Nadeem. Mohammad Nadeem, a resident of Vanbhulpura, lured the girl into his vehicle under the pretext of dropping her off at her music class.

13) Protests erupted in Ayodhya after Samajwadi MP Awadhesh Prasad’s close aide, Moeed Khan, was accused of raping-impregnating a minor Hindu girl.

14) In Dhangardiha village under Bhavnathpur block of Giridih district, a government school teacher allegedly created a ruckus by vandalising a sound system during Saraswati Vandana (a prayer dedicated to Devi of knowledge, Maa Saraswati).

15) A case of brutal murder following Nikah-linked religious conversion of a Dalit woman recently came to light from the Ghaziabad district of Uttar Pradesh. According to reports, the accused, Mohammad Alam (35) from Hapur, murdered Pooja Devi, his 33-year-old wife, and disposed of her body in a canal.

16) A police complaint has been lodged against far-left propaganda portal The Wire’s Arfa Khanum Sherwani for her Hinduphobic post that insulted Shivling.

World

1) Muslim children were suspended from Springwell School in Hounslow, West London, after they tried to convert one of their Hindu classmates to Islam forcefully. The Muslim students brainwashed the Hindu child into agreeing to alter his name to Mohammed and remove his kalava (sacred thread tied to the wrist) with scissors. The Muslim boys additionally advised the Hindu boy that eating meat would make him stronger and halal meat is stronger. This is even though they knew he was a vegetarian.

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.