Behind the Slurs: What Delhi’s Queer Artist Attack Tells Us About India’s Culture War

When queer fashion designer and creator Param Sahib walked into his Delhi studio on Sunday morning, it was to a sight no artist (or human) should ever have to witness. His workspace was in shambles: sewing machines overturned, fabric shredded and tossed, and the walls screamed with homophobic slurs.

This wasn’t just vandalism. This was a hate crime.

“They broke everything in my office,” Param said in a video shared to Instagram, visibly shaken and tearful. “They dismantled everything.”

For many in India’s creative and LGBTQ+ community, the attack felt heartbreakingly familiar. It was a reminder that despite rainbow campaigns and Pride Month reels, the country still has a long road ahead when it comes to queer safety. The defacement of Param’s studio wasn’t just an attack on property. It was an attack on identity.

A Hate Crime That Cuts Deeper Than Broken Machines

The incident occurred on the night of May 4, 2025. No one was physically harmed, but the psychological trauma lingers. “Homophobic cuss words were written on the walls… my clothing samples were chopped and thrown everywhere,” Param stated. His voice cracked under the weight of exhaustion and grief: “I’m sick of fighting this.”

And that’s perhaps the most heartbreaking part. This isn’t the first time.

Param revealed it’s the second attack on his studio in five years. With no arrests reported and vague reassurances from authorities, how many times does a queer person have to be targeted before it’s treated with the urgency it demands?

The fashion world knows Param not just for his bold aesthetics and celebrity clientele: Taapsee Pannu, Raja Kumari, and Regina Cassandra, among others. But also for being unapologetically queer in a space that’s still catching up to inclusivity, his label PARAM SAHIB, launched in 2016, is rooted in self-expression, colour, and protest. That, clearly, is what made him a target.

Queer Visibility and Violence in India

This isn’t just about Param. It’s about every queer Indian creator who dares to be visible. The timing, aka post-election India with rising conservatism, adds context that can’t be ignored. Param had already been receiving online threats. In his post, he wrote, “The past few months have been mentally tearing apart… the brutality of it is making me cry.”

Violence against queer people in India remains underreported and under-addressed. While the Supreme Court decriminalised homosexuality in 2018, societal attitudes haven’t caught up. Being openly queer (and successful) often paints a target on one’s back. Param’s plea wasn’t a call for war.

It was a plea for peace: “I just hope people really choose love and peace over this hate crime.”

The silence from mainstream fashion bodies and influencers is deafening. Where are the solidarity posts when they matter? Where is the outrage when an artist’s life work is trashed simply for existing?

As Param picks up the pieces (again) the rest of us must reckon with this truth: queer visibility is still met with violence in many parts of India. And unless we talk about it, fight for it, and protect it, it’ll keep happening.