5 Hindu youth attacked by Muslim mob over 'blasphemy'

Case ID : 04aed06 | Location : Rajkot, Gujarat, India | Date of Incident : Wed, 26 January, 2022

Case ID : 04aed06

Rajkot, Gujarat, India

26 January, 2022

5 Hindu youth attacked by Muslim mob over 'blasphemy'

Attack not resulting in death

Attacked over 'Blasphemy'

Communal clash/attack

Case Summary

A group of five Hindus in Bhaktinagar, Rajkot, Gujarat, were attacked by a mob of around 25 Islamists over a post on social media which the Muslims termed 'Blasphemous'. The incident began when Vinay Dodiya, a Hindu, shared a post, sparking tensions between the two communities. Both sides shared Instagram stories and decided to meet to discuss the issue. However, the situation escalated, and the Hindu group was attacked. The police intervened and dispersed the crowd, but the situation led to property damage and threats. An FIR was filed under various sections of the Indian Penal Code, and 12 people were arrested. The police conducted a peace meeting to prevent further violence. This incident followed just after the murder of Hindu man Kishan Bharwad for 'blasphemy'.

Why it is Hate Crime ?

This case has been added to the hate tracker under the prime category- Attack not resulting in death. Further, as per case details, the first sub-category selected under the above-mentioned category is- Attacked over 'blasphemy'- Blasphemy essentially refers to the desecration of anything which is held sacred/holy to a group of people. However, for religious supremacist groups, the elements of ‘blasphemy’ are ever-changing, shifting and expanding – leading to infringement on the rights of other religious groups, freedom of speech and expression, threats and even physical violence. There are instances where blasphemy is also used as a dog whistle to target Hindus owing to intrinsic animosity towards Hinduism. There are several instances where stating truths as mentioned in the non-Hindu doctrine itself has led to unmitigated violence against Hindus. There have also been instances where non-Hindus have themselves created a ‘blasphemous’ situation, like placing a Quran in a temple, to use it as an excuse to attack Hindus. Essentially, Blasphemy charges are often made up and/or are used to shut down any form of criticism of non-Hindu faiths and as a tool to target Hindus. Any physical violence over Blasphemy charges against Hindus are foundationally based on animosity for Hindus and their faith owing to religious supremacist ideologies, therefore, such attacks would be documented as religious motivated hate crimes under this category. The second sub-category relevant here is- Communal clash- Communal clash is a form of collective violence that involves clashes between groups belonging to different religious identities. For a communal clash between Hindus and non-Hindus to qualify as a religiously motivated hate crime, the trigger of the violence itself would have to be anti-Hindu in essence. For example, if there is a Hindu religious procession that comes under attack from a non-Hindu mob and after the initial attack, Hindus retaliate in self-defence, leading to a communal clash between the two religious communities. While at a later stage, both communities are involved in the clash/violence, the initial trigger of the violence was by the non-Hindu mob against the Hindus and therefore, it could safely be termed as an anti-Hindu violence. Further, the trigger would also have to be religiously motivated. In the cited example, the attack by the non-Hindu mob was against religious processions and therefore, can be concluded to be religiously motivated. In some cases, the trigger may be non-religious, however, it develops into religious violence against Hindus at a later stage. In such cases too, the foundational animosity towards Hindus becomes the motivating factor of the crime and therefore, it would be classified as a religiously motivated hate crime against Hindus under this category. In this instance, a mob of Islamists launched an attack on five Hindu youths. The violent mob accused the Hindu youth of committing blasphemy. The misuse of blasphemy law by Islamists poses a significant threat to Hindus. As seen in several cases, this law is often used as a tool of oppression and violence, leading to false accusations, mob justice, and social ostracization of Hindus. This law, which is sparingly used in Muslim-majority countries like Pakistan and Bangladesh to attack minority Hindus residing there, has become increasingly common in India too, where bloodthirsty Islamists often twist and use these laws to settle their scores with Hindus. The misuse of blasphemy laws against Hindus is often motivated by religious prejudice. Hindus are targeted because of their religious identity. In this case, too, the Islamists in the name of blasphemy, launched a vicious attack against the Hindu youths. This was done out of sheer hatred and animosity against the Hindu youths and his religious beliefs, making this case a religiously motivated hate crime It's crucial to note that this incident finally resulted in a communal clash. This only occurred because the victim's incensed supporters retaliated after the Islamists attacked the Hindu group, sparking a conflict between the communities.