Muslim mob threatens and assaults RSS-VHP volunteer for playing devotional garba song in car
Dwarka, Gujarat, India 
13 October, 2024
Case Summary
In Jamkhambhaliya, Dwarka district, an RSS and VHP volunteer was attacked by a Muslim mob on October 14th. The man, playing a devotional garba song in his car, was surrounded and assaulted near Madina Masjid Chowk. A majlis (Islamic speech) event was in progress when the mob, led by Lala Sheikh and Rustam, grabbed his collar, threatened him, and assaulted him for playing the religious song. The victim had been dropping a friend home and passed through the area twice. The first time, he was allowed to pass. However, on his return, the mob stopped him, ordered him to park, and questioned why he played the garba song near their event. They threatened to kill him if he passed through the area again and were enraged by the religious music. Fearing for his life, the victim escaped and immediately reported the incident to the local police. The police quickly responded by registering a First Information Report (FIR) against 25-30 people, including Lala Sheikh and Rustam. Senior officers arrived, and additional police forces were deployed to maintain order. Legal action was initiated under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
Why it is Hate Crime ?
This case has been placed in the tracker as a religiously motivated hate crime under the category of 'Attack not resulting in death' and within this, the sub-category selected is- Attacked for Hindu identity. 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. Another sub-category selected is 'attacked for crossing 'Muslim area''. One of the reasons that Hindus get attacked unprovoked specifically by Islamists is for crossing ‘Muslim areas’. Essentially, Muslim mobs often attack Hindus crossing or present in certain areas which have a majority Muslim population. It has often been cited as one of the reasons to blame Hindus for attacks against themselves, signalling that Hindus displaying religious symbols, taking our religious processions or crossing any area which is dominated by Muslim residents is a provocation in and of itself. These areas are mostly ghettoized areas where mobs mobilize quickly to attack Hindus for a variety of reasons like playing music during a religious procession, crossing a mosque, wearing a tilak or any other religious symbol in a Muslim-dominated area, praying at a local temple in that area etc. There have been cases where the few local Hindus of that area have been attacked on their way to the Temple for prayers as well, simply because the area is considered a Muslim-dominated area. Several times, it is entirely possible that the immediate trigger for the violence against Hindus was non-religious in nature, however, the violence became religiously motivated in nature because the area was Muslim dominated and the residents on the whole harboured animosity towards Hindus, evidenced from the actions of the mob, the slogans, and the nature of the attack. Such crimes are motivated by the religious identity of the victims and are therefore classified as hate crimes under this category. In this case, the Hindu man was threatened and assaulted by Islamists for playing devotional Garba songs in his car. Garba songs are a significant part of Hindu religious festivals, particularly during Navratri, and are an expression of cultural and religious identity. The attackers’ intolerance toward the playing of such music reflects a broader animosity toward Hindu practices. The attack, in this case, was unprovoked as the benign Hindu devotee was merely playing bhajans in his car, without creating any sort of disturbance for others. However, the Muslim perpetrators, out of their animosity for the Hindu religion, found it disturbing and launched a vicious attack on the victim. The other element important in this case is that the attack took place in an area dominated by Muslims in terms of population and because of the gathering taking place in the area. It is evident that the attack against Hindus playing their own religious songs in the confines of their own case was also inspired by their presence and playing religious music in a Muslim majority area where Muslims had gathered for a sermon. Since intrinsic animosity towards Hindus and their religious beliefs became the motivating factor of the crime, this case has been documented as a religiously motivated hate crime in this tracker.
Case Status
Complaint registered
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Muslim Extremists
Perpetrators Range
Unknown
Perpetrators Gender
male
Sources 
