Muslim students in Akola Homoeopathic College force students to apologise for performing drama depicting Shivaji Maharaj killing Afzal Khan
Akola, Maharashtra, India 
27 January, 2024
Case Summary
On January 28th, during an annual event at Homoeopathic Medical College Akola in Maharashtra, Muslim students demanded an apology from the Hindu students for performing a scene depicting Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj killing Muslim tyrant Afzal Khan. The scene was part of a traditional Marathi song-dance called Powada. Muslim students claimed the performance hurt their religious sentiments and insisted on an apology from the performers. Following the incident, local Hindu organizations demanded that the college take action against the Muslim students involved. Manish Khade, a student, mentioned that the Muslim students left during the performance, returned, and forced the performers to apologize on stage.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
An example of the state-affected prejudicial and targeted orders against the Hindu community would be a government denying the right of a Hindu or a group of Hindus to hold a religious procession owing to the animosity of non-Hindu groups. Denial of the religious right of the Hindus to assuage the non-Hindu group which harbours animosity to a point where it could lead to violence against Hindus is not only a failure of law and order but is a prejudicial order against Hindus, denying them their fundamental rights to express their religious identity. An example of a hate crime against Hindus by a non-Hindu would be a non-Hindu institution forcing its Hindu employees to abandon religious symbols that a Hindu would wear as an expression of faith owing to inherent prejudice against the faith professed by the victim or a non-Hindu group of people restricting a Hindu group from constructing a place of worship simply because the demography of the area in which the temple is being built is dominated by non-Hindus. This sub-category would also include non-Hindu groups restricting religious practice by Hindus. Such actions are driven by religious animosity and/or prejudice against Hindus and their faith and would therefore be categorized as a hate crime. Here, Muslim students reportedly forced Hindu students to apologize for a drama depicting Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj killing Afzal Khan. Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj is a revered figure in Indian history, particularly among Hindus. Depicting his resistance against Afzal Khan is an important narrative in the context of Hindu valour and pride. Forcing students to apologize for performing a drama about a historical event involving a prominent Hindu figure is seen as an infringement of their religious rights. It is indeed a manifestation of religious intolerance and an affront to Hindu cultural expression. Further, such actions are discriminatory and indicative of religious bias. Consequently, this incident is being categorised as a religiously motivated hate crime against Hindus.
Case Status
Complaint not filed
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Muslim Extremists
Perpetrators Range
N/A
Perpetrators Gender
unknown
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