Dalit Hindu activist brutally attacked by Muslims over his association with BJP and opposition to Muslim radicals

Case ID : 0b6717c | Location : Pune, Maharashtra, India | Date of Incident : Sat, 22 June, 2024

Case ID : 0b6717c

Pune, Maharashtra, India

22 June, 2024

Dalit Hindu activist brutally attacked by Muslims over his association with BJP and opposition to Muslim radicals

Attack not resulting in death

Attacked for supporting/being part of perceived Hindu party/org or working for Hindu community

Attacked for opposing radicals or trying to save victim

Case Summary

Khadak Police Station in Pune, Maharashtra, booked nine Muslims, including Atul Khan, Salman Sheikh, Sultan Sheikh, and Aslam Patel, for attacking Akshay Dhavre, a Hindu Dalit activist. The assailants broke Akshay’s thumb and inflicted severe injuries, due to his association with the BJP and his activism against Islamists. The police have charged the accused under multiple sections of the IPC, Arms Act, Maharashtra Police Act, and SC/ST Act. The attack occurred on June 23 when Akshay and his friends were having tea. The accused arrived on bikes, threatened Akshay, demeaned Dalits, and assaulted him with iron rods and sharp weapons. During the attack, Akshay lost his thumb while defending himself. The assailants also injured Akshay’s head and back, and threatened to kill anyone opposing them. The attackers said, “Hum yaha ke baap hai. Hamare khilaf agar koi bolega to hum use jinda nhi chodenge (We rule over this locality. We won’t spare anyone who would talk against us).” Nagesh Dhavre, Akshay’s brother, filed the complaint and confirmed that the attack was due to Akshay's support for Hindu Dalit victims and his opposition to Muslim goons. Despite multiple previous threats, no action had been taken by the police. Nagesh reported that three suspects had been arrested, though police confirmation was not available. Akshay is currently undergoing treatment at Sassoon Hospital. Nagesh demands strict action against all involved, emphasising that the attack was premeditated and aimed at silencing their activism. The police investigation is ongoing, and further updates are expected.

Why it is Hate Crime ?

This particular case has been classified as a religiously motivated hate crime under two subcategories of the prime category 'Attack not resulting in death' because of the various distinct components that demonstrate the perpetrator's bias against the Hindu faith and their deliberate attempt to harm the Hindus. The first sub-category under 'Attack not resulting in death' relevant in this case is 'Attacked for supporting/being part of perceived Hindu party/org or working for Hindu community', as he himself testified that he was attacked by Muslim goons for his association with the BJP. In several cases, Hindus are attacked specifically or tangentially for their association with parties or organisations perceived to be pro-Hindu and/or for working in favour of the Hindu community. One of the classic cases was the attack against a Bharatiya Janata Party Yuva Morcha (BJYM) worker Praveen Nettaru. Nettaru was attacked and hacked to death for his association with Hindu organizations and his work for the Hindu community. He was murdered by PFI, a terror organization which aimed to commit a genocide of Hindus, target Hindu leaders specifically and turn India into an Islamic Nation. In such cases, it is possible that the immediate trigger for the violence is non-religious – either according to the perpetrator or the police. However, there are surrounding circumstances from which the conclusion can be reached that the victim was attacked for his association with a Hindu organization. In a similar case, Rinku Sharma was attacked by radicals. He was a member of Bajrang Dal and regularly worked for the Hindu community. While the police cited a different non-religious trigger for the attack, it is true that he was associated to a Hindu organization and the family of Rinku Sharma specifically attributed his gruesome murder to him working for Bajrang Dal and raising Jai Shree Ram slogans. Such cases are intrinsically driven by religious hate and would therefore be documented as a hate crime under this category. The second sub-category under which this case has been listed is, 'Attacked for opposing radicals/or trying to save victim from radicals', the victim here also testified that he was assaulted for opposing the activities of Muslim goons and radicals. In several cases, Hindus are attacked for opposing religiously motivated crimes being committed against a fellow Hindu or simply for voicing an opinion opposing radical elements, who either have in the past or continue to persecute Hindus. In such cases, the initial attack against the victim, against which the Hindu was trying to defend the victim, would also need to be classified as a religiously motivated hate crime. Since the initial crime itself was religiously motivated and the subsequent crime of attempting to save the victim or speaking against the radical elements ends up inviting a violent attack, it would also be classified as a religiously motivated hate crime under this category.