Muslim mob attacks RSS swayamsevaks with cricket bats and stumps in Bhilwara

Case ID : 0b673fe | Location : Bhilwara, Rajasthan, India | Date of Incident : Sat, 22 June, 2024

Case ID : 0b673fe

Bhilwara, Rajasthan, India

22 June, 2024

Muslim mob attacks RSS swayamsevaks with cricket bats and stumps in Bhilwara

Attack not resulting in death

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

Case Summary

On June 23, 2024, tension flared at Mahatma Gandhi Park in Bhimganj, Bhilwara district, Rajasthan, between Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) members holding their regular shakha and members of the Muslim community playing cricket. The following day, Bhilwara police detained six minors and arrested six Muslim individuals in connection with an attack on the RSS members. RSS worker Vijay Soni filed the FIR, stating that the attack occurred between 6 and 7 PM on June 23. He reported that 7-8 RSS swayamsevaks were in the park when an individual named Arman arrived with a group of 20-25 people armed with cricket bats, stumps, and other weapons and attacked the swayamsevaks. Upon hearing of the incident, Soni and other Hindus rushed to the park, causing the attackers to flee. The injured swayamsevaks were taken to the hospital for treatment. The police booked the accused under various IPC sections and identified the arrested individuals as Aman, Ayan, Abid Hussain, Mohammad Rafiq, Israt, and Shahid Khan. Reports indicated that the conflict began when a cricket ball from the Muslim group went near the RSS members. An argument ensued when the Muslim boys tried to retrieve the ball, escalating into physical violence. The incident quickly spread on social media, prompting RSS and Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) workers to gather at the local police station to demand action against the attackers. Vijay Soni noted that such attacks on the shakha have occurred around 15 times in the past, driven by resentment from the Muslim community over the RSS gatherings, their chanting of the Sangathan Mantra, and discussions of Dharma and Hindu values in an area with a significant Muslim population.

Why it is Hate Crime ?

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. In this case, the RSS members specifically said that the gathering in this area had been attacked several times before by groups of Islamists because they did not like the discussion on Hindu values in an area with a significant Muslim population. Muslim radicals harbour special animosity towards RSS and its members because it is perceived to be an organisation which works for the upliftment of the Hindu community and espouses Dharmic values. Since there is a pattern of radicals attacking this specific gathering of RSS members, and the victims testified about the religious animosity driving these attacks, this case is being categorized as a religiously motivated hate crime under this category.