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 12 January to 18 January 2025, 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 a disturbing incident, stones were reportedly hurled at the Tapti Ganga Express near Jalgaon station in Maharashtra. The train, travelling from Surat to Chhapra, was carrying devotees heading to Prayagraj for the Maha Kumbh 2025. The incident occurred approximately 3 km beyond Jalgaon, damaging the windowpane of the B6 coach.
2) A tragic incident was reported in Jevargi town of the Kalaburagi district, where a 14-year-old girl, studying in the 8th standard, allegedly died by suicide after persistent harassment by a 21-year-old Islamist man. The accused, identified as Mahaboob, a resident of Basaveshwara Nagar in Jevargi, was reportedly coercing the girl into accepting his romantic advances.
3) The Islamist Committee put up a distorted map of Bharat in Mumbai’s suburb Thane. The committee even termed Moinuddin Chishti as the ‘King of Hindustan.’
4) BBC News published an article dubbing the Maha Kumbh Mela as a ‘bathing spectacle.’ At the same time, it referred to the Naga Sadhus as ‘naked ash-smeared ascetics.’ The politically tone-deaf and culturally insensitive article was written by controversial ‘journalist’ Geeta Pandey.
5) A video of one Abdul Hakeem, the owner of National Paradise Restaurant in Guruvayur, showing him allegedly desecrating a sacred Tulsi plant with his pubic hair went viral on social media. The Thrissur City Police, in a Facebook post, stated that Hakeem has allegedly been suffering from a mental disability for 25 years and is undergoing treatment. They also warned against sharing the video, emphasizing that posts fostering social unrest would result in strict legal action.
6) A heinous attack was carried out on a bull belonging to the famous Srikanteshwara temple in Nanjangud in the Mysore district on January 16. As per reports, the attackers chopped off the bull’s tail and inflicted serious injuries on his body using sharp weapons. A vet was called to treat the bull and the bovine is currently out of danger. Earlier, in a similar incident, a person identified as Saiyyed Nasru sliced off the udders of three cows in Bengaluru.
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) Terrorist groups operating from Pakistan are once again striving to destabilize Bharat by recruiting new members, exploiting the Babri Mosque issue to radicalize young Muslims. This recruitment campaign is being led by none other than Farhatullah Gori, the same terrorist who recently advocated attacks on Bharat’s infrastructure.
2) In a bizarre turn of events, Pakistan’s former Information and Broadcasting Minister, Fawad Chaudhry, has claimed to have solved the “mystery” behind an attack on Hindi film actor Saif Ali Khan. Ignoring the pressing issues within his own country, Chaudhry attributed the incident to the ‘rise of Islamophobia’ in Bharat, going so far as to call for Pakistan to “rise for the rights of Muslims in India.”
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) At least 7 Indigenous students were seriously injured and more than 15 others were injured in a planned attack on the Sonkshubdha Adivasi Chatra-Janata (‘aggrieved Indigenous student-mass’) by the Islamist students and the radical group gathered under the banner ‘Students for Sovereignty’ in Dhaka.
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.
