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 18 August to 24 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) Priyank Kanoongo, the National Commission for Protection Of Child Rights (NCPCR) Chairperson, expressed concerns over the radicalisation in the curriculum of Bihar’s government-funded Madrasas. He emphasised that the Madrasa is not a place for a child’s basic education as they should study in schools.
2) Mahant Ramgiri Maharaj received Sar Tan Se Juda (STSJ) threats from Islamists for speaking the truth and asking Hindus to stand up for their rights following the targeted killing of Bangladeshi Hindus. Islamists across Maharashtra protested against him and demanded FIR (First Information Report) against Maharaj, stating he ‘insulted’ Mohammad.
3) A 16-year-old girl identified as Pooja Pawar committed suicide 8 months after facing harassment at the hands of one individual identified as Kasim Yasin Pathan. The girl is believed to have jumped into a well ending her life in Aher village of Maharashtra’s Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar district. One of the local BJP leaders, Ram Satpute, shared the incident, demanding action in the case.
4) Days after being stabbed by a Muslim classmate, Hindu student Devraj succumbed to his injuries on Monday (August 19). Devraj had been hospitalized following the incident and was undergoing treatment. This tragic update comes a day after his family alleged they were denied access to visit him in the hospital. In response, a large crowd, including Devraj’s family, participated in a rally at Mukherjee Nagar Chowk in Rajasthan’s Udaipur. The rally, marked by slogan chanting, proceeded to MB Hospital, where they demanded that the family be allowed to see Devraj.
5) A shocking murder case of Gaurav Singh over an Interfaith Love affair with a Muslim girl has come to light from Uttar Pradesh’s (UP) Hardoi district. The body of 28-year-old Gaurav Singh was recovered from the house of his Muslim girlfriend. A pistol and a knife were also found near his dead body. Following the incident, Gaurav’s brother, Akhilesh Singh, filed a complaint with the Police in which he accused five villagers of killing his brother. The accused have been identified as Sarvesh Khan, Kadar, Shahrukh, Karim, and Ijad.
6) A case of ‘love jihad’ has come to light in UP’s Lucknow where a complaint was lodged against a Muslim driver named Ziaul Haq alias Zia who hid his religious identity and raped a Hindu girl. He even recorded her obscene videos and blackmailed her. He pressured her to embrace Islam and marry her, however, she refused and was assaulted by him. Notably, he similarly sexually abused and blackmailed other Hindu girls as well.
7) The Emmanuel Tribal Mission Society, a Christian missionary organization, has come under fire for operating an illegal children’s home in Chengicherla in Telangana’s Rachakonda district and engaging in religious proselytization of minors. Authorities were alerted to the activities following an inspection by the District Child Protection Officer, leading to an FIR being registered against the organization.
8) In a shocking and tragic incident, Gaurav Singh (28), was found dead in his Muslim girlfriend’s house with a gunshot wound between his chest and abdomen. A country-made pistol was discovered near his body. The incident came to light when the girl’s father, Sarvesh Khan, visited Gaurav’s home and informed his father, Santosh Singh, about the body lying in their house.
9) Amid the nationwide outrage over the doctor’s rape and murder case in Kolkata’s R G Kar Hospital, a minor Hindu girl, studying in class X, was gang-raped in Assam’s Dhing. However, within a few hours, the police arrested two Islamists. They are Jonaidul Islam and Tafazzul Hussain. The Dhing area comes under the Nagaon district of Assam.
10) In UP’s Bijnor district, a minor Hindu boy was threatened by Danish, a shopkeeper who sells sewing and embroidery goods in the city. This 9-year-old victim child had gone to Danish’s shop in a Muslim-dominated area to buy some goods. The police have registered an FIR based on the complaint and legal action is being taken.
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) Islamist radical students forced teacher Khuku Rani Biswas to resign. Khuku Rani Biswas was in charge of Jessore Nursing Institute. They kept her gheraoed in her office for five hours.
World
1) Indo-Canadian community groups have expressed anger over pro-Khalistan elements openly targeting the country’s Hindus, as evidenced by a protest at the India Day Parade in Toronto. Pro-Khalistanis targeted Canadian Hindus, asking them to return to Bharat.
2) During the India Day Parade, the 9-foot-by-6-foot model float of the newly opened mandir to Ram in Ayodhya became the centre of controversy. The Council on American-Islamic Relations, among other Muslim advocacy groups, signed a letter asking that the float’s sponsors, two American Hindu temples and a Hindu American cultural nonprofit, be investigated by the Department of Justice and the FBI.
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.
