'Cut This Man's Beard': Hate Speech, Hate Crimes Amid Independence Day 2025

(Exposing hate and communalism is a key focus area in The Quint's reportage. Become a member and help us do more such stories).Independence Day for most Indians is a day to come together in a spirit of patriotism and celebrate India's freedom from colonial rule. However, on this 15 August there were people who made hate speeches or carried out hate attacks. In one case, a Muslim man was even attacked for flaunting his patriotism by wearing a tricolour headband.Among those accused of making communal remarks were two Chief Ministers from the Bharatiya Janata Party — Himanta Biswa Sarma in Assam and Pushkar Singh Dhami in Uttarakhand. (Caveat: This is not an exhaustive list. Meanwhile, The Quint is committed to report on hate in New India as we timely update on such cases. Follow our Uncovering Hate tracker here)79th Independence Day: Who is a Nationalist and What is True Nationalism?Assam CM Sarma, in his Independence day speech in Dispur, Kamrup promoted the anti-Muslim conspiracy theories like 'love jihad' and 'land jihad,' claiming that various types of 'jihad' have emerged and are allegedly disturbing the environment in the State.He also cited the recent eviction drives, as The Quint has reported on them here, reiterating his commitment to free every piece of land from "unidentified encroachers."On the other hand, Uttarakhand CM Dhami also propagated the 'land jihad,' 'love jihad' and 'thook jihad' bogeys, claiming that his government has taken action against these. "We have freed 7,000 acres worth land from land jihad," he claimed.Further, he highlighted the government’s actions in bringing "anti-conversion" laws and demolishing madrasas and other structures.Meanwhile, a group of miscreants brutally thrashed and abused a Muslim man, Rizwan Ahmad in a tea shop in Paurhi Garhwal, Uttarakhand. Ahmad is a resident of Saharanpur, Uttar Pradesh.A video as circulated by Hindutva Watch, shows that the men are shouting, "cut his beard!" and "this is a Hindu's rule," while forcing him to chant 'Bharat Mata ki Jai' and 'Jai Sri Ram.' Despite chanting the same, he was still beaten up by the men. The police have now arrested three men in this case.In another instance from Agra, a Muslim man was harassed by Govind Parashar, national president of the Rashtriya Hindu Parishad, and his associate. They harassed the man — who was on his way to an Independence Day rally — for wearing a tricolor scarf as a headband. They forced him to chant Bharat Mata Ki Jai, telling him, “This is not Pakistan.”While these were some of the instances of assault against Muslim men, another case from Gujarat school came to light.Some students of Kumbharwada school in Bhavnagar, dressed up as Burqa-clad women in a Play and acted as 'terrorists.' This, as an audio about the Pulwama and Pahalgam attacks played in the backdrop.Lallan Kumar, a coaching teacher in Darbhanga, Bihar reportedly led a procession with 8–10-year-old students, handing them posters that branded Muslims and Sikhs as 'terrorists,' telling them to leave India.He also allegedly called for burying anyone who invoked Allah’s name in the country. After facing some backlash from the locals, Kumar's father claimed that he was suffering from mental health problems.This time, PM Narendra Modi was also accused of making dog-whistle communal remarks during his Independence Day speech, in which he spoke about alleged 'infiltrators' trying to seize lands and properties of Indians. He said, "There is a well-thought-out conspiracy to change the demography. Seeds are being sowed to fuel a problem. These ghuspethiye (infiltrators) are snatching lands of innocent Adivasis and jobs from the youth." This comment becomes noteworthy in context of the recent crackdowns on Bengali-speaking migrants in Delhi and Gurugram, and also the forced evictions in Assam. In both these cases, Bengali-speaking Muslims were branded as 'infiltrators' or even 'Bangladeshis.' PM Modi's Independence Day Speech: Swadeshi, Op Sindoor, RSS & Economic Schemes

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'Cut This Man's Beard': Hate Speech, Hate Crimes Amid Independence Day 2025

From Muslims attacked in several cases to politicians spewing hate speech, a glimpse into the 79th Independence Day.

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Topics: Hate Crimes Communal Uttarakhand