Muslim mob attack Hindu e-rickshaw driver with stones and glass bottles for playing religious song on Rang Panchami

Case ID : 2d5285c | Location : Sagar, Madhya Pradesh, India | Date of Incident : Fri, 29 March, 2024

Case ID : 2d5285c

Sagar, Madhya Pradesh, India

29 March, 2024

Muslim mob attack Hindu e-rickshaw driver with stones and glass bottles for playing religious song on Rang Panchami

Attack not resulting in death

Attack against Hindu devotees

Communal clash/attack

Case Summary

On March 30, 2024, in Sagar City, Madhya Pradesh, a Hindu e-rickshaw driver named Sagar was violently assaulted by Muslims for playing religious songs during the Rang Panchami festivities in the 12 Muhaal area. This led to a confrontation between the two communities, prompting the police to use tear gas shells to disperse the crowd. An FIR has been filed at the Cantt Police Station, with 15 individuals detained by the police. The incident occurred around 11 PM, when Sagar and his friend played a religious song, prompting an Islamist mob to attack them. Several members of the Hindu community intervened, resulting in a clash where stones were thrown, and vehicles were damaged. Police from multiple stations, along with additional reinforcements, arrived to control the situation. Section 144 was imposed in the area, with a ban on gatherings. Local BJP leaders and Hindu activists demanded strong action against the perpetrators, suspecting a pre-planned attack and suggesting police investigations into the matter.

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 intimidate and assault specifically Hindus. The first sub-category under 'Attack not resulting in death' relevant in this case is 'Attack against Hindu devotees' Hindu devotees are a few of the easiest targets of religiously motivated hate crimes because during the festival/procession/puja etc, for non-Hindus it is easy to profile their victims on the basis of religion. Hindu devotees come under attack on several occasions by individual non-Hindus or mobs of non-Hindus owing to their animosity against Hinduism, its symbols and tradition/practices. There are several instances of Hindu devotees being attacked while they worship in temples or temporary religious structures, during religious processions, doing bhajan/kirtan/puja in their own homes, in the residential society etc. These attacks are perpetrated by non-Hindus primarily because of their animosity towards Hindus and their faith. In some cases, the trigger for the violence may be non-religious, however, there are two elements that make these hate crimes. First, the Hindus who come under attack are attacked violently while indulging in religious activity. Whether they are in a place of worship or not is immaterial to the crime. When individuals are attacked while indulging in religious practices, the attack in itself is a hindrance to their freedom to practice religion and therefore constitutes a hate crime. Secondly, religious supremacist doctrines and ideologies deem the religious practices of Hindus to be offensive ab initio since they are considered “sinful” by these ideologies, worthy to be annihilated by force or coercion. Driven by these religious supremacist ideologies and doctrines, the attacks against Hindu devotees stem from intrinsic animosity towards Hinduism. In some cases, the trigger for the violence may be non-religious, however, it develops into a religiously motivated crime during the course of the violence. Since these attacks stem from animosity towards Hindus and Hinduism, they are considered religiously motivated hate crimes under this category. The second sub-category under which this case has been listed is, 'communal clash' Communal clash is a form of collective violence that involves clashes between groups belonging to different religious identities. For a communal clash between Hindus and non-Hindus to qualify as a religiously motivated hate crime, the trigger of the violence itself would have to be anti-Hindu in essence. For example, if there is a Hindu religious procession that comes under attack from a non-Hindu mob and after the initial attack, Hindus retaliate in self-defence, leading to a communal clash between the two religious communities. While at a later stage, both communities are involved in the clash/violence, the initial trigger of the violence was by the non-Hindu mob against the Hindus and therefore, it could safely be termed as an anti-Hindu violence. Further, the trigger would also have to be religiously motivated. In the cited example, the attack by the non-Hindu mob was against religious processions and therefore, can be concluded to be religiously motivated. In some cases, the trigger may be non-religious, however, it develops into religious violence against Hindus at a later stage. In such cases too, the foundational animosity towards Hindus becomes the motivating factor of the crime and therefore, it would be classified as a religiously motivated hate crime against Hindus under this category. In this case, the Hindu was attacked for merely listening to Hindu devotional songs on the festive occasion. He was doing so in his own space without causing any disturbance or hindrance to others, yet, the Islamists took offence and launched an unbridled attack against the Hindu rickshaw driver. Thereafter, the Hindu side acted in self defence, leading to a communal conflict. Such an unprovoked attack on a Hindu, for simply indulging in their religious activity, stems from the deep-seated hatred the Muslim perpetrator harboured for the victim's religious identity and the expression of his religious identity. Such acts of violence are driven by intolerance and a desire to intimidate or harm individuals based on their religious identity and qualify as a hate crime.