Muslim mob attacks Ram Navami procession in Karnataka, 2 Hindus stabbed, 2 injured in stone pelting
Channarayapatna, Karnataka, India 
30 March, 2023
Case Summary
In Channarayapatana of Hassan district in Karnataka, a Ram Navami procession came under attack by a Muslim mob. The Ram Navami procession was taken out by Bajrang Dal members. It was attacked by Islamists when it reached a local mosque. 4 Hindus sustained injuries in this violence. 2 of them sustained stab injuries while another two were injured in the stone pelting by the Islamists. Later, people from both communities filed a complaint against each other. Police said when the procession reached a mosque on Begur road, two people engaged in an argument with the Bajrang Dal activists and stabbed four people. The Muslims have claimed that it was the Hindus who were carrying stones and sticks and had hurled abuses at them, like 'Muslims should be chased to Pakistan'. Interestingly, after a preliminary investigation, police termed the incident a 'minor scuffle' and arrested nine people.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
This particular case has been classified as a religiously motivated hate crime under two subcategories of the prime category 'Attack not resulting in death' because of the various distinct components that demonstrate the perpetrator's bias against the Hindu faith and their deliberate attempt to harm the Hindus. The first sub-category under 'Attack not resulting in death' relevant in this case is 'Attack on religious procession'. The outward celebration and display of religious symbols in an intrinsic part of Hinduism. Religious processions on various festivals are age-old traditions and a way to manifest faith and form a part of the religious practices of Hindus. On several occasions, such religious processions come under attack by non-Hindu mobs, in a manifestation of their animosity towards Hinduism and their practices. The reasons cited for such violent attacks are many and range from crossing a non-Hindu resident-dominated area to playing loud music, crossing from an area where there is a religious structure of another faith etc. The violent attacks are triggered by the outward display of religiosity by Hindus. The attacks are mainly a manifestation of religious supremacist doctrine which believes that idolatry, essentially the Hindu faith, is one that deserves to be annihilated since the very tenets of Hinduism, its practices and traditions are considered a sin in those doctrines. Since these attacks emanate from intrinsic and doctrinal animosity towards Hindus and Hinduism, it is considered a religiously motivated hate crime under this category. The second sub-category under which this case has been placed is, 'Attacked for supporting/being part of perceived Hindu party/org or working for Hindu community' 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. The third sub-category that this case is being added to 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 instance, the Islamist mob launched a vicious attack on a religious procession taken out by Hindu devotees on the occasion of Ram Navami, a significant Hindu festival that celebrates the birth of Lord Ram, one of the most revered Gods in Hinduism. The procession was attacked when it was passing through a mosque. Notably, there was no provocation from the Hindu side. The members of the Muslim community were the ones who initiated the attack by hurling stones at the Hindu devotees. The perpetrators targeted the procession because of the participants' religious identity. Such attacks are a form of symbolic aggression against the Hindu community that stems from an innate hatred for Hinduism. Moreover, in this case, Bajrang Dal volunteers were brutally attacked by a group of Muslims. Bajrang Dal is the youth wing of the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP), which is affiliated with Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). These organisations are involved in activities promoting Hindu culture and values and their volunteers work as defenders and promoters of Hindu identity and interests. An attack on these volunteers is symbolically seen as an attack on the broader Hindu community and is rooted in religious bias or hatred against Hindus. Interestingly, in this case, the Muslims, after hurling stones and stabbing Hindus, claimed that the Hindus were carrying sticks and stones. There were also claims that the Hindus had attacked one Muslim, however, the police too haven't alluded to these charges by the Muslims. The police have said that there was an argument and the Muslims stabbed the Hindus. In such cases, there are several instances where counterclaims are filed to cover up the aggression by the perpetrators. In this case, too, it would appear that after attacking Hindus and stabbing them, the Muslim community filed a counter complaint to save its perpetrators and shift the blame on to Hindus.
Victim Details
Total Victim
4
Deceased
0
Gender
- Male 4
- Female 0
- Third Gender 0
- Unknown 0
Caste
- SC/ST 0
- OBC 0
- General 0
- Unknown 4
Age Group
- Minor 0
- Adult 0
- Senior Citizen 0
- Unknown 4
Case Status
Arrested
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Muslim Extremists
Perpetrators Range
Unknown
Perpetrators Gender
unknown
Sources 
