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 institutionalised & 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 January to 24 January 2026, we hope to provide a snapshot of such crimes and hopefully awaken more people around the world to this human rights crisis:

Bharat

1) A troubling dispute in Mallur village of Byadgi taluk (Haveri district) has raised serious questions about fairness and accountability in the handling of public institutions built on donated land. Veerappa Kulkarni, from the donor family, alleged that land beyond the donated portion was occupied during the construction of a government Urdu primary school and demanded that the excess encroached land be returned.

2) In a shocking incident, in the Hosapete Vijayanagara district, a woman was found brutally murdered with her throat slit on the terrace of a house in the Chapalaghatta/Chapalagadda area near Railway Station Road, triggering fear and anger among residents. Police identified the victim as Uma (35), a mother of three. She had reportedly been living separately from her first husband, Raghu (also known as Ramanjaneya), for around six years due to marital differences and was staying at her parents’ house in Chapalaghatta. Reports also stated that she had married an Islamist named Khaja Hussain about four months ago.

3) The late-night arrest of social worker Puneeth Kerehalli by Bannerghatta police has set off a fierce public backlash due to selective policing and an attempt to silence citizen-led scrutiny of suspected illegal Bangladeshi migrant settlements in the city. As per the reports, social media campaigns demanding his release intensified over the weekend due to the unlawful, politically motivated actions by the police department.

4) A disturbing pattern has emerged over the past seven years: forced religious conversions, physical assaults, threats, and psychological coercion targeting Hindu transgenders by Muslim transgenders.

5) A minor Hindu girl from Belagavi district was rescued, and an Islamist man named Mohd Sahil was arrested after the family alleged that he groomed, abducted, and attempted to pressure her into the Islamic religious conversion under the pretext of marriage. Police said a special team traced the girl to Bengaluru, brought her back safely, and took the accused Islamist Sahil into custody following a complaint from her parents.

6) A shocking case of love jihad in Uttar Pradesh’s (UP) Hamirpur district has ignited widespread protests, leading to the arrest of key accused following violent clashes and a police encounter. The incident involves a minor Hindu girl from Sumerpur town who was lured, raped, blackmailed with an obscene video, and pressured to convert her religion. Sanatani organizations and local traders shut down markets in fury after the video went viral on social media platforms.

7) Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has landed in fresh controversy after two separate incidents in the last two days: first, his refusal to wear a saffron peta at an official event in Belagavi district, and next, a viral video showing him returning a photograph of Guru Raghavendra Swamy handed to him by a devotee in Bengaluru. These twin flashpoints have strengthened the perception that the Congress government’s ‘secularism’ is being used as a cover for cultural bias, where Hindu faith markers are pushed away, pushed away in public, while gestures toward Islamic symbols appear to be accepted more readily, including past instances where Siddaramaiah has been seen wearing a skullcap.

8) In Kerala, a 42-year-old man named U Deepak died by suicide after influencer Shimjitha Musthafa posted a viral video accusing him of sexually harassing her on a crowded bus, leading to his arrest on abetment to suicide charges. The video, which garnered over 20 lakh views, depicted Musthafa claiming Deepak deliberately touched her without consent despite being recorded, sparking widespread online outrage and public shaming that Deepak’s family says left him humiliated and unable to eat, even on his birthday. Police registered the case following a complaint from Deepak’s mother, who described her innocent son as shattered by the accusations, while the Kerala State Human Rights Commission ordered a probe.

9) Udupi witnessed a fresh political flashpoint after the district administration’s participation in the centuries-old Paryaya festival became the center of a Congress–BJP confrontation. The controversy erupted after Udupi Deputy Commissioner Swarupa T.K. was seen holding and raising a Kesari flag to flag off the Paryaya procession, an act the Congress has objected to as a violation of service rules, while the BJP and Hindu organizations have defended it as part of a longstanding Hindu tradition.

10) Make-up artist & distortionist Ruchika Sharma claimed that Hindu Devi Mariamma is the same as Christian Mary. In doing so she repeated the Missionary-Era Lie on a national stage.

11) Kadugodi police have arrested Islamist Syed Arbaaz Khan (25) after a road-rage incident in east Bengaluru escalated into a knife threat against a family travelling in a car. The arrest came after a dashcam video of the confrontation, filmed near Nexus Shantiniketan Mall, spread widely on social media and triggered swift police action.

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) The house of a Hindu teacher was set ablaze in Gowainghat Upazila, Sylhet, Bangladesh, raising fears among minority communities. Birendra Kumar Dey, widely known as Jhunu Sir, saw his home targeted in an attack that shocked neighbours and residents. Video footage of the blaze circulating online shows flames engulfing the house as family members hurriedly escaped. Fortunately, no injuries were reported, but the incident has renewed concerns about the safety of Hindu families in the area.

2) Ripon Saha, working at Karim Filling Station in Goalanda Mor, was crushed to death by an SUV after he tried to stop the vehicle from leaving a petrol pump without paying for fuel, police said. Police later seized the SUV and arrested its owner, Abul Hashem alias Sujan (55), along with the driver, Kamal Hossain (43).

World

1) Upset Hindus worldwide are seeking official apology from Mondelēz International, “one of Australia’s largest food manufacturers” with “125-year history in Australia”, for non-disclosure of beef in some of its products; and immediate recall of all such items.

2) Vandalism at Sri Venkateswara Temple in Cary, North Carolina, has sparked outrage among Hindu communities, with Hindu groups demanding a hate crime investigation into the deliberate damage to a sacred murti. The incident occurred early on 18 January around 3:00 a.m., when at least five suspects targeted the temple’s exterior, as captured on surveillance footage.

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.