The hashtag #ArrestAarfaKhanam has been trending on X for over 24 hours with approximately 500,000 posts. Netizens are demanding action against Supreme Court advocate and Congress leader Aarfa Khanam, based in Okhla, for a now-deleted Eid-Al-Adha post that allegedly offended Hindu religious sentiments.
Hindus start tagging Bar Council India Chairman @MishraManan01 & request to cancel the Practice licence of Adv Aarfa Khan @Adv_AarfaKhanam pic.twitter.com/yxRClfAjcK
— Vikram Pratap Singh (@VIKRAMPRATAPSIN) June 7, 2025
The controversy arose from an illustration Khanam shared on X depicting a Muslim child in a skullcap with a cow alongside the message “Eid-Ul-Adha Mubarak.” This post was interpreted by many as suggesting the cow was intended for sacrifice as part of the Islamic festival of Eid-Al-Adha, a practice considered offensive to some Hindu beliefs.
Screenshots of the deleted post quickly went viral, sparking outrage and pushing the hashtag to the top of India’s trending list by Saturday afternoon.
हर बार हिंदू आस्था का अपमान, फिर ट्वीट डिलीट कर भाग जाना — यही इनका चरित्र है#ArrestAarfaKhanam pic.twitter.com/xZmeOegWpg
— Gaurav Bhatia गौरव भाटिया 🇮🇳 (@gauravbhatiabjp) June 7, 2025
X users called on the police to file an FIR against Aarfa Khanam for allegedly hurting Hindu sentiments. Amid the backlash, Khanam issued a public apology on Saturday, stating that she had no intention of offending any religion, including Hinduism. She added that she deleted the post as soon as she realized her “mistake.”
ईद-उल-अज़हा के अवसर पर मेरे साथ x अकाउंट से एक पोस्ट साझा हुई थी, जिसमें किसी भी धर्म या समुदाय की भावनाओं को ठेस पहुँचाने का कोई उद्देश्य नहीं था। लेकिन अगर उस पोस्ट से किसी को ठेस पहुँची हो — विशेष रूप से हिन्दू समुदाय के किसी भी सदस्य की भावना आहत हुई हो — तो मैं उसके लिए दिल… pic.twitter.com/PZq4BNB4Y9
— Aarfa Khanam (@Adv_AarfaKhanam) June 7, 2025
She wrote, “On the occasion of Eid-ul-Azha, I shared a post from an X account with no intention of hurting the sentiments of any religion or community. However, if it caused offence—particularly to members of the Hindu community—I offer my sincere apologies. I have deep respect for all religions and beliefs. The moment I realised my mistake, I deleted the post. My sole intention was to extend festive greetings, not to hurt anyone’s religious sentiments. Let us all strive to uphold harmony, peace, and mutual respect.”
She accompanied her apology with a video message, reiterating that she had no intention to offend. However, despite calling the post a mistake, she went on to repost several messages defending the image and claiming it was not offensive.
https://twitter.com/Lawyer_Kalpana/status/1931344293391659396 ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1931344293391659396%7Ctwgr%5E528521ce5c9fc42f60200fadcd890d527191e483%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.opindia.com%2F2025%2F06%2Fhashtag-arrestaarfakhanam-continues-to-trend-after-congress-leader-aarfa-khanam-promoted-cow-slaughter%2F
Multiple complaints have been filed against Khanam in various locations, but so far, there has been no update on any police action taken against her.
