Gujarat: ‘Sir tan se Juda’ attempt on VHP member in Bhuj, Nizam and Irfan arrested

Case ID : 0b6745b | Location : Bhuj, Gujarat, India | Date of Incident : Sun, 21 July, 2024

Case ID : 0b6745b

Bhuj, Gujarat, India

21 July, 2024

Gujarat: ‘Sir tan se Juda’ attempt on VHP member in Bhuj, Nizam and Irfan arrested

Attack not resulting in death

Attacked for Hindu identity

Case Summary

In Bhuj, Gujarat, VHP activist Bhavesh Parmar was brutally assaulted by two Muslim youths, Nizam Mughal and Irfan Baloch, on July 22nd. The incident occurred when Bhavesh went to settle a dispute involving his friend, Raju Prajapati. Nizam and Irfan attacked Raju, and when Bhavesh intervened, Nizam stabbed him in the throat and shoulder. The attackers fled after threatening to kill Bhavesh, who was left gravely injured and was later taken to a hospital by his friends. Bhavesh, an active Gau Rakshak and VHP member, stated the attack was motivated by his pro-Hindu activism. The police registered a case against Nizam and Irfan under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and arrested them. Both accused were sent to jail in judicial custody.

Why it is Hate Crime ?

In several cases, Hindus are attacked merely for their Hindu identity without any perceived provocation. A classic example of this category of religiously motivated hate crime is a murder in 2016. 7 ISIS terrorists were convicted for shooting a school principal in Kanpur because they got ‘triggered’ seeing the Kalava on his wrist and tilak that he had put. In this, the Hindu victim had offered no provocation except for his Hindu religious identity. The motivation for the murder was purely religious, driven by religious supremacy. Such cases where Hindus are targeted merely for their religious identity would be documented as a hate crime under this category. In this case, two Muslim youths violently assaulted a Hindu youth in the Bhuj district of Gujarat, stabbing him in the throat and shoulder. The attack was initially triggered by a confrontation when the Hindu youth approached the Muslim perpetrators to resolve a dispute involving his friend. However, the situation quickly morphed into a religiously motivated crime as the assailants severely injured the Hindu youth in a ‘Sar tan se juda’ [beheading] attempt using a knife. The religious motive became even clearer when the victim testified that he was targeted because of his pro-Hindu activism. These acts are fueled by animosity towards the victim's beliefs and his efforts to promote Hindu identity and rights. Such attacks not only target individuals but also aim to silence the broader community advocating for the protection and recognition of Hindu values and practices. This disturbing trend reflects increasing intolerance and discrimination based on religious identity. Given that the underlying motivation for these actions stems from contempt for the Hindu religion, this incident has been categorized in the tracker accordingly.