Head of Ganesh Pandal attacked with sharp weapons by a Muslim man, threatened for organising Ganeshotsav

Case ID : 04aed6a | Location : Pune, Maharashtra, India | Date of Incident : Wed, 18 September, 2024

Case ID : 04aed6a

Pune, Maharashtra, India

18 September, 2024

Head of Ganesh Pandal attacked with sharp weapons by a Muslim man, threatened for organising Ganeshotsav

Attack not resulting in death

Attack against Hindu devotees

Case Summary

In Pune's Daund area, Yasin Ismail Sayyed assaulted Sitara Torve, the head of the Raje Shiv Chhatrapati Sarvajanik Ganesh Utsav Mandal, for organizing Ganeshotsav events. As Torve was returning home on his bike after the festival program, Yasin stopped him and attacked him with the handle of a sharp weapon, causing Torve to lose control of his bike and fall. Yasin threatened to kill him for organizing the event despite his warning. The assault left Torve with injuries to his head, feet, and legs. The altercation began when Yasin had called Torve the previous night, asking him to stop the festival's ‘Home Minister’ event, but Torve couldn’t attend the call due to the noise at the event. Angered by this, Yasin attacked him the next day and warned that no one would dare to lead the Mandal after him. The locals intervened and helped Torve while Yasin fled the scene.

Why it is Hate Crime ?

This case has been added to the hate tracker under the prime category- Attack not resulting in death. Under this, the sub-category selected is- Attack against Hindu devotees- Hindu devotees are a few of the easiest targets of religiously motivated hate crimes because during the festival/procession/puja etc, for non-Hindus it is easy to profile their victims on the basis of religion. Hindu devotees come under attack on several occasions by individual non-Hindus or mobs of non-Hindus owing to their animosity against Hinduism, its symbols and tradition/practices. There are several instances of Hindu devotees being attacked while they worship in temples or temporary religious structures, during religious processions, doing bhajan/kirtan/puja in their own homes, in the residential society etc. These attacks are perpetrated by non-Hindus primarily because of their animosity towards Hindus and their faith. In some cases, the trigger for the violence may be non-religious, however, there are two elements that make these hate crimes. First, the Hindus who come under attack are attacked violently while indulging in religious activity. Whether they are in a place of worship or not is immaterial to the crime. When individuals are attacked while indulging in religious practices, the attack in itself is a hindrance to their freedom to practice religion and therefore constitutes a hate crime. Secondly, religious supremacist doctrines and ideologies deem religious practices of Hindus to be offensive ab initio since they are considered “sinful” by these ideologies, worthy to be annihilated by force or coercion. Driven by these religious supremacist ideologies and doctrines, the attacks against Hindu devotees stem from intrinsic animosity towards Hinduism. In some cases, the trigger for the violence may be non-religious, however, it develops into a religiously motivated crime during the course of the violence. Since these attacks stem from animosity towards Hindus and Hinduism, they are considered religiously motivated hate crimes under this category. The attack on Sitara Torve by Yasin Ismail Sayyed in Pune’s Daund area exemplifies a religiously motivated hate crime, reflecting hostility toward the celebration of Ganeshotsav, a significant Hindu festival. Yasin's aggression stems from his opposition to the festival's events organized by Torve and the Raje Shiv Chhatrapati Sarvajanik Ganesh Utsav Mandal. His decision to assault Torve after a failed attempt to intimidate him over the phone demonstrates a clear intent to suppress Hindu cultural expression and instil fear within the community. This act of aggression against Torve was not merely a personal dispute; it was rooted in a broader attempt to undermine and attack the religious identity and practices of the Hindu community, thereby constituting a hate crime motivated by religious animosity.