Hindu women abused and threatened by members of the Muslim community for lighting up society on Diwali
Navi Mumbai, Maharashtra, India 
28 October, 2024
Case Summary
In Navi Mumbai’s Taloja Sector 9, tensions between Hindu and Muslim communities escalated over Diwali celebrations at Panchanand Society. The dispute arose when members of the Muslim community objected to installing lighting decorations in public spaces to celebrate the Hindu festival of Diwali. A viral video captured a group of men threatening and abusing Hindu women, warning them against setting up lights in the area. One man is heard saying, “Lights won’t be put up in the society. I will see to it that no lights are installed here.” The video also showed Islamists joining the confrontation, with one of them directly threatening the woman recording the incident. The disagreement has its roots in a June 2024 incident during Bakrid when Hindu residents protested against the public slaughter of goats by Muslim community members in the society. At the time, Hindu families had expressed their concerns about the appropriateness of such activities in shared spaces. Months later, the Muslim community’s objection to Diwali decorations appears to be a response to the earlier Bakrid protests, equating the installation of Diwali lights with the public slaughter of goats.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
This case has been added to the tracker under the prime category- Attack not resulting in death. Under this, the sub-category chosen is- Attacked for Hindu identity, since disrespect for the Hindu religion is the primary purpose behind this incident. 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. This incident where members of the Muslim community objected to installing lighting decorations to celebrate the Hindu festival of Diwali, underscores a stark display of intolerance rooted in religious animosity. Diwali, one of the most revered festivals in Hinduism, involves traditional practices like lighting lamps and bursting firecrackers, symbolizing joy and triumph of good over evil. The unprovoked confrontation where women were threatened and abused for celebrating their festival, reveals a blatant disregard for the cultural and religious sentiments of Hindus. In fact, this behaviour highlights the underlying prejudice and hate the perpetrators harbour against Hindus and their festivals, leading to such violent reactions. Due to the perpetrator's obvious contempt for the victim's faith and its expression, this case qualifies for documentation under the tracker. It is important to note here that after the threats and abuses against the Hindu women celebrating their festival, Muslim extremists attempted to justify their action that the lights were installed in public spaces. It is often seen in such cases that extremists offer post-facto justification for their violence, in an attempt to shield the perpetrators and dehumanise the victims of violence - essentially claiming that the unprovoked violence had a justifiable cause. Similar justifications are seen when religious processions come under attack. Such justifications, which are merely surface-level cover-ups for the religious hostility that drives the violence against Hindus manifesting their faith, dehumanise Hindus to further incite violence against them.
Case Status
Unknown
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Muslim Extremists
Perpetrators Range
N/A
Perpetrators Gender
male
Sources 
