Stone pelting in Bharuch after Muslims forcibly hoist Islamic flags atop Hindu houses during Ganeshotsav celebrations
Bharuch, Gujarat, India 
9 September, 2024
Case Summary
On the night of September 10, 2024, in the Gokulnagar area of Bharuch, members of the Muslim community installed Islamic flags and pylons atop Hindu homes during the Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations. Despite requests from Hindus to refrain from this installation, the Muslims proceeded, leading to clashes that included stone pelting and violence. Bharuch Superintendent of Police Mayursinh Chawda responded to the incident by assembling a team of law enforcement officials. Two individuals injured during the altercation were taken to a nearby hospital, while police worked to disperse the crowd and restore order. Those involved were identified and detained, with legal action being initiated against the accused. SP Chawda reported that police received information about the clash around 10 to 11 PM, prompting a swift response from various police units. Enhanced security measures were implemented in the area, and authorities reviewed CCTV and media footage to gather evidence.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
This case has been added as a religiously motivated hate crime under two prime categories of the tracker. The first is- Attack not resulting in death. Within this, two sub-categories have been selected. The first 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 second sub-category selected under the aforementioned category 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. Likewise, the second category under which the case has been placed is- Attack on Hindu religious symbols and within this, the sub-category selected is- Violence against religious structures or centres. In Hinduism, a religious structure is also considered divine. Hindus believe that not just the Deity but the religious structure itself is sacred. In this sub-category, we would document attacks against religious structures which are not consecrated temple spaces. Such religious spaces could be temporary in nature – for example – the religious spaces erected specifically for festivals like Durga Puja etc. This category would also document cases of attacks against religious centres. These spaces in their own right may not be ‘sacred’ per se, however, are often spaces where religious gurus live, religious teaching is imparted, or belong to religious institutions. Any attack against religious structures is a result of animosity towards the religion itself, which manifests itself through the religious spaces and therefore, such attacks are considered religiously motivated hate crimes. Religious centres are also manifestations of the religion, its teachings or gurus and therefore, attacks against such centres would be considered religiously motivated hate crimes. In this incident, despite requests from the Hindu community to refrain from placing Islamic flags and pylons atop Hindu homes during Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations, individuals from the Muslim community proceeded with the installations. This act of displaying symbols from another faith atop Hindu homes during a major Hindu festival appears as an intentional provocation and a show of disrespect toward Hindu beliefs and traditions. Additionally, the stone-pelting directed at the Ganesh pandal—a focal point of worship during the festival—was a deliberate attempt to disrupt a sacred space, instil fear within the Hindu community, and infringe upon their right to celebrate their faith peacefully. Such actions reflect not merely isolated violence but a targeted effort to provoke Hindus by assaulting their religious symbols, spaces, and expressions of devotion. These attacks constitute a symbolic aggression against the Hindu community, rooted in underlying hostility toward Hinduism, which is why this case has been documented in the tracker. It is important to highlight that the attack on Hindu devotees was unprovoked. The incident began when members of the Muslim community installed Islamic flags and pylons atop Hindu homes during Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations, disregarding requests from Hindu residents. This act served as the initial trigger, seen as a deliberate provocation. When stones were subsequently thrown at the Ganesh pandal, a sacred site during the festival, Hindu devotees perceived it as a direct attack on their religious practices and beliefs. Only then did they respond in reprisal, leading to a larger communal clash. This sequence of events underscores that the initial aggression came from the Muslims who disregarded the Hindu community's request and disrupted their religious celebration.
Victim Details
Total Victim
2
Deceased
0
Gender
- Male 0
- Female 0
- Third Gender 0
- Unknown 2
Caste
- SC/ST 0
- OBC 0
- General 0
- Unknown 2
Age Group
- Minor 0
- Adult 0
- Senior Citizen 0
- Unknown 2
Case Status
Arrested
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Muslim Extremists
Perpetrators Range
Unknown
Perpetrators Gender
unknown
Sources 
