Muslim mob attacks Hindus for using gulal and chanting slogans during Ganesh Visarjan procession
Jhansi, Uttar Pradesh, India 
14 September, 2024
Case Summary
In Jhansi, a clash broke out between Hindu and Muslim communities during a Ganesh Visarjan procession in the Madarganj Mohalla area, a Muslim-majority part of the city. The altercation, which lasted around 15 minutes, began over the raising of religious chants and the throwing of gulal (coloured powder) by Hindus. The brawl escalated into physical violence, with kicking and punching. Hindu women were also assaulted - with a total of six people being injured. A video of the incident went viral, sparking outrage among Hindu organisations. Chanting "Jai Shri Ram," several Hindu groups gathered at the police station, protesting and demanding the arrest of individuals from the other community involved in the fight. According to local resident Munnalal Raikwar, the conflict started after a group returned from Ganesh immersion. Although initial tensions over slogans and gulal were resolved, a second confrontation erupted later in the evening when Muslims hurled abuses, leading to a violent clash.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
This particular case has been classified as a religiously motivated hate crime under one prime category of the tracker because of the various distinct components that demonstrate the perpetrator's bias against the Hindu faith. The category under which this case has been placed is- Attack not resulting in death. Under this, three sub-categories have been selected based on case details. The first is- Attack on religious procession. The outward celebration and display of religious symbols in an intrinsic part of Hinduism. Religious processions on various festivals are age-old traditions and a way to manifest faith and form a part of the religious practices of Hindus. On several occasions, such religious processions come under attack by non-Hindu mobs, in a manifestation of their animosity towards Hinduism and their practices. The reasons cited for such violent attacks are many and range from crossing a non-Hindu resident-dominated area to playing loud music, crossing from an area where there is a religious structure of another faith etc. The violent attacks are triggered by the outward display of religiosity by Hindus. The attacks are mainly a manifestation of religious supremacist doctrine which believes that idolatry, essentially the Hindu faith, is one that deserves to be annihilated since the very tenets of Hinduism, its practices and traditions are considered a sin in those doctrines. Since these attacks emanate from intrinsic and doctrinal animosity towards Hindus and Hinduism, it is considered a religiously motivated hate crime under this category. The second sub-category chosen here is- Attacked for Hindu identity. In several cases, Hindus are attacked merely for their Hindu identity without any perceived provocation. A classic example of this category of religiously motivated hate crime is a murder in 2016. 7 ISIS terrorists were convicted for shooting a school principal in Kanpur because they got ‘triggered’ seeing the Kalava on his wrist and tilak that he had put. In this, the Hindu victim had offered no provocation except for his Hindu religious identity. The motivation for the murder was purely religious, driven by religious supremacy. Such cases where Hindus are targeted merely for their religious identity would be documented as a hate crime under this category. The third sub-category selected 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. This case is also being sub-categorised under 'attacked for crossing 'Muslim area'' since the area where the attack against Hindus took place is one dominated by the Muslim population. One of the reasons that Hindus get attacked unprovoked specifically by Islamists is for crossing ‘Muslim areas’. Essentially, Muslim mobs often attack Hindus crossing or present in certain areas which have a majority Muslim population. It has often been cited as one of the reasons to blame Hindus for attacks against themselves, signalling that Hindus displaying religious symbols, taking our religious processions or crossing any area which is dominated by Muslim residents is a provocation in and of itself. These areas are mostly ghettoized areas where mobs mobilize quickly to attack Hindus for a variety of reasons like playing music during a religious procession, crossing a mosque, wearing a tilak or any other religious symbol in a Muslim-dominated area, praying at a local temple in that area etc. There have been cases where the few local Hindus of that area have been attacked on their way to the Temple for prayers as well, simply because the area is considered a Muslim-dominated area. Several times, it is entirely possible that the immediate trigger for the violence against Hindus was non-religious in nature, however, the violence became religiously motivated in nature because the area was Muslim dominated and the residents on the whole harboured animosity towards Hindus, evidenced from the actions of the mob, the slogans, and the nature of the attack. Such crimes are motivated by the religious identity of the victims and are therefore classified as hate crimes under this category. In this case, the Hindu men were brutally attacked by Islamists for participating in Ganesh Visarjan, a religious procession taken out on the last day of Ganesh Chaturthi, a significant Hindu festival that is celebrated to honour Lord Ganesha. It is important to note here that there was no sort of provocation from the Hindu side. In fact, the Muslims took offence to the religious slogans and the use of gulal by the Hindus and launched a vicious attack on their religious procession. The incident was aggravated when the violence continued despite initial resolutions, and later confrontations erupted, further intensifying the conflict. The fact that the violence occurred in a Muslim-majority area and was linked to a Hindu religious event suggests the incident was fueled by animosity toward the Hindu community and their religious practices. The clash, which left several people, including children and women, injured, indicates an intentional effort to disrupt or target Hindu religious expressions, turning the celebration of Ganesh Visarjan into a flashpoint of communal violence. It is important to note that there was no initial provocation from the Hindu side. In fact, it was the Islamists who were offended by the Hindus celebrating their festival and the attack was also driven by the fact that the area was Muslim dominated and a Hindu religious procession was passing through it while raising religious slogans, as is the right of Hindus. Given that the fundamental motivation behind these actions is contempt for the Hindu religion, this instance has been added to the tracker under the following category.
Case Status
Unknown
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Muslim Extremists
Perpetrators Range
Unknown
Perpetrators Gender
unknown
Sources 
