Hindu man chased and attacked by CJP protesters for wearing saffron; crowd heard shouting "maro, maro"

Case ID : 30a9881 | Location : Delhi, Delhi, India | Date of Incident : Thu, 23 July, 2026

Case ID : 30a9881

Delhi, Delhi, India

23 July, 2026

Hindu man chased and attacked by CJP protesters for wearing saffron; crowd heard shouting "maro, maro"

Attack not resulting in death

Attacked for Hindu identity

Case Summary

At the protest organised by the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) at Jantar Mantar in Delhi, a Hindu man was chased and attacked by a group of protesters for wearing saffron-coloured clothing. During this time, members of the crowd were heard shouting "maro, maro" (Attack! Attack!). The incident came to light after a video of the episode went viral on social media. In the viral video, the Hindu man was seen attempting to move away as a group of protesters pursued him through the protest site. Several individuals in the crowd were heard shouting "maro, maro" (Attack him, Attack him) while chasing him. According to Tajinder Bagga, the spokesperson of the Delhi unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Hindu man was targeted and attacked because he was wearing saffron-coloured attire, a colour closely associated with Hinduism and widely regarded as a symbol of sacrifice, spirituality, and devotion in the Hindu faith. The footage showed the man trying to distance himself from the pursuing crowd as the protesters continued to follow him. The video quickly spread across social media, with many users stating that the man had been singled out merely because he was visibly displaying a colour deeply associated with Hindu religious identity. Critics argued that targeting an individual over saffron clothing had no connection with the protest's stated objective of seeking educational reforms and instead reflected hostility towards a visible expression of Hindu identity. The incident reflected the broader ideological trajectory of the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP), whose public campaigns had increasingly shifted from education-related demands towards rhetoric perceived by many as hostile to Hindu symbols, traditions, and religious identity. Critics argued that chasing a man for wearing saffron attire bore no relation to the movement's stated demands and instead amounted to intimidation directed at a person displaying a symbol closely associated with the Hindu faith. Notably, the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) emerged in mid-May 2026 as a satirical, youth-led online movement that rapidly transformed into a mass mobilisation platform for students and unemployed graduates through social media engagement. It was founded by Abhijeet Dipke, a member of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), who repurposed a controversial public remark comparing unemployed youth to "cockroaches" as a symbol of collective identity and protest. While Dipke initially portrayed the CJP movement as a genuine, non-partisan, and constitutionally aligned initiative demanding educational reforms, accountability for the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) examination paper leak, and the resignation of officials, including the Union Education Minister, the movement soon diverged from its stated objectives. Rather than remaining focused on systemic reforms, it evolved into an ideologically driven campaign characterised by anti-Hindu rhetoric. Its co-founders and participants made derogatory remarks about Hindu deities and religious slogans such as "Jai Shri Ram", abused the Hindu community, raised overtly pro-Islamic slogans such as "Naam rahega Allah ka", "Naara-e-Taqbeer, Allahu Akbar", and increasingly directed their hostility towards Hindu organisations, activists, and the government, which they described as a "Hindutva-led government". By the time it culminated in its first major street-level protest at Jantar Mantar on 6 June 2026, the movement had shifted from a purported students' rights campaign into an overtly anti-Hindu platform. On 6 June 2026, Dipke flew in from the United States to lead the movement's first major street-level protest at Jantar Mantar. AAP-aligned figures attended the event under the guise of being neutral, anti-establishment voices. However, contrary to its stated claim of being a student advocacy movement focused on systemic failures, the CJP's conduct at Jantar Mantar told a starkly different story.

Why it is Hate Crime ?

This case has been added to the tracker under the primary category: Attack not resulting in death. Within this, the subcategory 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 the 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 case was included in the Hinduphobia Tracker because the religious trigger was the targeting of a man solely for wearing a colour that is closely associated with the Hindu faith. The hostility arose not from any unlawful or provocative conduct, but from his wearing saffron-coloured clothing, which holds deep religious significance in Hinduism. The incident therefore centred on the victim's Hindu identity rather than any legitimate reason for confrontation. Saffron holds profound religious, cultural, and spiritual significance in Hinduism and is widely regarded as a sacred colour symbolising sacrifice, purity, renunciation, courage, and devotion. It is prominently associated with Hindu saints, ascetics, temples, religious flags, and various spiritual traditions, making it a visible marker of Hindu identity. Consequently, targeting an individual for wearing saffron amounted to targeting a recognised symbol of the Hindu faith rather than merely objecting to a choice of clothing. The act was therefore directed at a manifestation of Hindu religious identity itself. Furthermore, Hinduism places profound importance on religious symbols and visible expressions of faith. Icons, colours and other religious representations help devotees connect their spiritual beliefs with everyday life and openly practise their religion. Such symbols are not merely decorative but carry deep religious meaning. Consequently, hostility directed towards these visible manifestations reflected contempt not only for the symbol itself but also for the faith it represented. The surrounding circumstances further reinforced the religious nature of the incident. The victim was singled out because he visibly displayed a symbol closely associated with Hinduism and was subsequently pursued, abused and attacked by the crowd. There was no indication that he had provoked the confrontation through any unlawful or disruptive conduct. This demonstrates that the aggression was motivated by hostility towards an identifiable marker of his religious identity rather than by his conduct. Thus, the actions were rooted in religious hostility towards Hinduism and its symbols. Taken together, the perpetrators' conduct demonstrated hostility towards the public expression of Hindu identity. By pursuing and intimidating a person because he wore a colour that symbolised the Hindu faith, they sought to discourage and suppress the open display of Hindu religious identity in a public space. The motive, as reflected by their conduct and the surrounding circumstances, was to target an individual because he visibly represented the Hindu faith, making the incident a religiously motivated act against a Hindu devotee. Disclaimer: The Hinduphobia Tracker has recorded 23 July 2026 as the date of the victim's ordeal because the exact date on which the victim was threatened is not available in the public domain. Accordingly, the date of the first media report has been used.