Nadine Osman
A Muslim family living on the outskirts of New Delhi was violently attacked in their home after a brief social media video showed their underage daughter saying she would eat beef, a comment that is considered offensive by many Hindu nationalists who regard cows as sacred.
The remark quickly spread online and triggered outrage among hardline groups who accused the girl of insulting Hindu beliefs. Within hours, a mob appeared at the family’s house in Tulsi Niketan, Ghaziabad, a densely populated suburb in northern India, shouting Islamophobic slurs and threatening to break in. Terrified and outnumbered, the family could do little but barricade themselves inside.
The mob included members of the Bajrang Dal and Hindu Raksha Dal, organisations associated with India’s growing Hindu nationalist movement.
The group was reportedly led by Daksh Chaudhary a well-known local extremist who has been repeatedly accused of delivering hate speeches targeting Muslims. Although police say they are searching for him, Chaudhary remains at large and continues to upload videos online from hiding.
Following the attack, a second video emerged on social media. It showed the teenage girl, bruised and clearly distressed, being forced to apologise for her earlier comments.
Reports suggest that the recording may even have been made in the presence of police officers, raising concerns about whether authorities were complicit or failed in their duty to protect the victim. Chaudhary himself posted the video, mocking the girl and boasting that she had been “silenced.”
In further statements, he escalated his threats, saying: “She was barking so much. Now she has been rubbed off. If you speak against Hindutva, this is the fate you’ll meet.” Hindutva refers to an ideology that seeks to establish India as a nation defined primarily by Hindu identity.
The police response has prompted widespread criticism. Officials said they acted once the girl’s original video went viral.
They registered criminal complaints (known in India as First Information Reports) against both the attackers and the girl herself. While the mob faces charges including assault, intimidation and provoking a breach of peace under India’s new criminal code, the girl has been reported for her remarks about political leaders. Police also noted that the family had not filed a formal complaint, which observers say may reflect fear of reprisals rather than unwillingness to pursue justice.
Two of the five named suspects, Annu Chaudhary and Amit Thakur, have been arrested. However, the central accused, Daksh Chaudhary, continues to evade authorities and has released several more inflammatory videos online.
The situation escalated when Pinki Chaudhary, a senior figure in the Hindu Raksha Dal, posted his own video statements demanding the girl’s arrest and using openly anti-Muslim language. In one clip, he warned that his organisation could “go to any extent,” and even called for the demolition of the family’s home, a tactic increasingly used in parts of India as a form of extra-judicial punishment against minorities.
Police say the girl will be offered counselling, but her family remains traumatised and afraid. Human rights groups note that this incident is part of a broader pattern in India, where violence and intimidation against religious minorities (particularly Muslims) have risen sharply in recent years.
Feature photo: Screengrab shows the underage Muslim girl being led away from her home by the mob in Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh, following a viral video of her saying she would eat beef. (Credit: X/CC)
