Hindus attacked during Devi idol immersion, police books 12 Hindus and denies communal angle
South 24 Parganas district, West Bengal, India 
7 April, 2024
Case Summary
On April 8, 2024, Islamists launched an attack on Hindus, including BJP workers, during the immersion of a Goddess Maa Raksha Kali idol in Sarisha's Kalagachiya area, Diamond Harbour, South 24 Paraganas. Visuals went viral on social media showing houses set ablaze with flames and heavy smoke emerging. BJP said that its members were specifically targeted for playing songs of Shri Ram during the procession, accusing the ruling TMC of orchestrating political terrorism. According to activist Devdutta Maji, President of Singha Bahini, more than 100 attackers were dispatched by TMC block president SK Shamim on motorcycles. Additionally, an army of assailants was sent from Falta towards Sarisha by SK Jahangir Khan. Amit Malviya, in charge of BJP's IT department, demanded increased security measures from the Election Commission of India, especially during Ram Navami. However, the West Bengal police denied religious motives behind the incident, stating that it was a clash between two groups over verbal exchanges. They claimed that prompt police intervention defused the situation, with three individuals arrested. The police initiated action against BJP workers, who were the victims, and arrested two of them. Devdutta Maji alleged police brutality against the arrested BJP workers and expressed concern over the situation, stating that Hindu youth are leaving the village due to fear.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
This particular case has been classified as a religiously motivated hate crime under two sub-categories under the prime category 'Attack not resulting in death' of the tracker because of the various distinct components that demonstrate the perpetrator's bias against the Hindu faith and their deliberate attempt to alienate the victims from their Hindu identity. The first sub-category relevant in this case 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 relevant here 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. In this case, Islamists attacked a Hindu religious procession and targeted Hindus for playing Bhajans. Bhajans are a form of religious expression and worship in Hinduism. Attacking individuals for performing or playing bhajans is an attempt to suppress their right to practice their religion. Moreover, it is an act of hostility directed at their faith and religious identity. The attack, in this case, was unprovoked as Hindu devotees were merely playing bhajans during the immersion of a Goddess Maa Raksha Kali idol. However, the Muslim perpetrators, out of their animosity for the Hindu religion, found it disturbing and launched a vicious attack on the Hindu devotees. Since intrinsic animosity towards Hindus and their religious beliefs became the motivating factor of the crime, this case has been documented as a religiously motivated hate crime in this tracker. It is also pertinent to note here that the police claimed that there was 'no communal angle' to the mob attack and that the violence was a 'clash between two groups over verbal altercation'. Any communal violence is also a 'clash between two groups'. Even if we do take the word of the West Bengal police, that a 'verbal altercation' led to the violence, from the circumstances of the case it is evident that this 'verbal altercation' took place between the "two groups" (Hindus and Muslims) during the religious procession of the Hindus. The Hindus have also testified that the Muslims took umbrage to the Hindus expressing their religious identity in the form of bhajans and religious chants. Therefore, the police is essentially confirming what the Hindus said, only, claiming that there was "no communal angle", which seems untrue. The police, in many such cases, where the motive behind the crime is obvious but not explicitly mentioned, deny that the crime committed was in any way motivated by a religious bias or say that there was ‘no communal angle’ to the crime. Several factors are generally at play here. Many a time the police downplay incidents of low-level communal crime because it is their jurisdiction that comes under question. The police also often say that there was ‘no communal angle’ to a crime when there was one because they wish to ensure that owing to the crime already committed, there is no further flare up in the area. Likewise, the Left media is also inclined to emphasise this "no communal angle" trope, especially wherever the victim of the crime is a Hindu. However, only a police statement or a media report, for instance, cannot be enough to determine whether there is a communal angle present in the crime that has been committed. In fact, to determine whether the crime is communal in nature or not, we need to give emphasis to the ground realities. For example in the case of Rinku Sharma, the Bajrang Dal activist who was mercilessly stabbed in his house in front of his family members in Delhi’s Mangolpuri area in the year 2021, the leftist media and the leftist ecosystem had tried to peddle that there was no communal angle to the crime. Even the police denied that the crime was communal in nature. However, Opindia spoke to several people who are on the ground with the family of Rinku Sharma and we were told that the communal tension in the area is palpable. The family of Rinku Sharma has said that the Muslims of the area held a grudge against Rinku ever since he celebrated the Ram Mandir verdict. Like the case of Rinku Sharma, those cases where even if the police have denied a communal angle or the leftist media have gone on an overdrive to peddle the ‘no communal angle’ trope, the ground reality, like the victim’s family or relative's testimonies, make it clear that there was an obvious religious bias that led to the crime, will be documented in this tracker. Going by the same logic, here, the Hindus were indeed attacked by a Muslim mob during their religious procession. The police's denial of a 'communal angle' while essentially confirming the version of the Hindus does not seen genuine and therefore, this case is being added to the hate crime database.
Case Status
Unknown
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Muslim Extremists
Perpetrators Range
Unknown
Perpetrators Gender
male
Sources 
