Hindu activist attacked by Muslim man who threatens him to stop working with Hindu organisation

Case ID : 0b67534 | Location : Patan, Gujarat, India | Date of Incident : Fri, 26 July, 2024

Case ID : 0b67534

Patan, Gujarat, India

26 July, 2024

Hindu activist attacked by Muslim man who threatens him to stop working with Hindu organisation

Attack not resulting in death

Attacked for Hindu identity

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

Case Summary

In Gujarat's Patan district, an incident occurred on July 27, 2024, involving the attempted abduction of a Durga Vahini volunteer, Ramilaben Parmar, by Sadiq Khan, a local strongman. As Ramilaben was returning home with her sworn brother, Gaman Bharwad, Sadiq and an unidentified accomplice stopped their bike. Sadiq attacked Ramilaben, slapping her and ordering his accomplice to drag her into their car. When they resisted, Sadiq fled, threatening Ramilaben to quit her work with Durga Vahini or face dire consequences. Ramilaben filed a complaint at Santalpur police station, leading to Sadiq's arrest under various sections of the Bhartiya Nyay Sanhita and the SC/ST Act. The case, which was handed over to the Patan SC/ST Cell, sparked outrage among Hindu organizations, including the Vishwa Hindu Parishad and Bajrang Dal. These groups planned protests and public programs, including recitations of Hanuman Chalisa, demanding justice. The victim’s family, who had faced ongoing harassment, expressed fear and concern for their safety in a village with a significant Muslim population. Bhagwati Parmar, sister of the victim, told that the village has over 50% Muslim population and the sarpanch also hails from their community. She added that during Hindu festivals or in temple rituals like Aarti, Hanuman Chalisa, Navratri, or Ramnavami, they have to face harassment.

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. Durga Vahini is a women’s organisation linked to the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP), a Hindu nationalist group in India. Founded in 1991, Durga Vahini focuses on empowering women by promoting Hindu values, culture, and traditions. Recently, a Hindu woman associated with Durga Vahini in the Patan district of Gujarat received threats from a local Muslim, warning her of severe consequences if she did not resign from her position within the organization. This tactic of intimidation is designed to force her to sever ties with the group and reflects a larger pattern of hostility towards those who support Hindu values and beliefs. Such threats also undermine her right to express her religious identity. Additionally, the woman reported that Hindus in the area frequently experience harassment during festivals or temple rituals, including Aarti, Hanuman Chalisa recitations, Navratri, and Ram Navami celebrations. These incidents illustrate a growing trend of intolerance toward Hindu religious practices, emphasizing the difficulties devotees face in freely practising their faith. Moreover, these actions stem from a deep-seated animosity toward Hindus and their beliefs; thus, this case has been recorded and classified as a hate crime. This case is also being added to the sub-category 'attacked for being associated with Hindu organisation'. 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.