Muslim man stabs Hindu youth; amputates his hands, stones him to death over suspicion of dating a Muslim woman
Gangapur, Rajasthan, India 
9 May, 2024
Case Summary
On May 12, 2024, the police arrested three Muslim individuals in connection with the murder of a 27-year-old Hindu man named Ankit Meena in Gangapur City, Rajasthan. The accused include Salman, son of Abdul Rehman Teli, and two minors. The murder occurred due to Salman's suspicion that Ankit was dating a Muslim woman. Allegedly, despite Salman's threats, Ankit continued the relationship, leading him to plot the murder with his accomplices. On May 10, Ankit was lured to Jaipur Road, given alcohol, and subsequently attacked with a knife, and stoned to death. His body was discovered on May 11. The incident led to widespread outrage and protests in Gangapur city, with residents demanding justice and ₹50 lakhs in compensation for Ankit's family. Ankit's father, Ram Babu, said multiple people were involved in the murder, which was recorded on video. He denied the love affair angle, emphasising Ankit's married status with two children (a 2-year-old daughter and a 6-year-old son). The 22-minute long video showed the attackers stabbing Ankit 20 times with an ice picker, slitting his throat, and amputating his hands.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
There have been several cases documented of Hindu men/boys being attacked specifically by Muslim groups/mobs for merely being associated or suspicion of being associated or being seen with a Muslim woman in public. In most of such cases, the Hindu man is not in a relationship with the Muslim woman, however, the mob proceeds to threaten and/or assault the Hindu man for merely being associated with the Muslim woman in any capacity. The rise of such crimes stems from a particularly sinister campaign run by several Muslim ideologues and activists. The campaign claims that Hindu men are attempting to ‘lure’ Muslim women into relationships to ensure that Muslim women leave their faith and follow Hinduism. The propaganda has been spearheaded with the help of WhatsApp groups and the extensive use of social media, sans evidence of the same. In many cases, pamphlets were fabricated to lend credence to this campaign. The root of this campaign lies in the fact that several cases of sectarian crimes against Hindu women in relationships with Muslim men have been documented. In such cases, Hindu women have often been forced/pressured to convert to Islam, assaulted, threatened and even murdered owing specifically to their religious identity and their refusal to give up that religious identity to adopt Islam. To delegitimize the suffering of Hindu women when such sectarian crimes are committed against them, the theory of ‘Bhagwa Love Trap’ was floated by sections of the Muslim community. As this theory gained traction, Muslim mobs started targeting Hindu men who were seen with Muslim women. In several such cases, the Hindu man was assaulted merely for offering to drop a Muslim woman in his vehicle or being friends. The differentiating factor between such cases and legitimate cases of Hindu women being targeted while in a relationship with Muslim men is that there is no sectarian violence, and force/pressure to convert. The nature of sectarian violence against Hindu women is not about two adults in a consensual relationship, working together, studying together, or even marrying each other where religious considerations are declared. In this category of crimes, it is pertinent to remember that in none of the cases, there is an element of the Hindu man masking his identity or forced religious conversion. Such cases are driven by specific religious motivations and against the religious identity of the victim and are therefore qualified as hate crimes. The Hindu youth in this instance was not even connected to the Muslim woman. In actuality, he was brutally murdered by the Muslim perpetrators because they believed he was seeing a girl from their community. Their hatred towards Hinduism was so profound that a mere suspicion was enough for them to commit a heinous crime like murder.
Victim Details
Total Victim
1
Deceased
1
Gender
- Male 1
- Female 0
- Third Gender 0
- Unknown 0
Caste
- SC/ST 0
- OBC 0
- General 0
- Unknown 1
Age Group
- Minor 0
- Adult 1
- Senior Citizen 0
- Unknown 0
Case Status
Arrested
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Muslim Extremists
Perpetrators Range
From 2 To 5
Perpetrators Gender
male
Sources 
