Hindu van driver assaulted by Muslim youths after they notice a kalava on driver's wrist, accused raise Azadi slogans and harass other Hindu passengers

Case ID : 30ab460 | Location : Kerala, India | Date of Incident : Sat, 7 November, 2026

Case ID : 30ab460

Kerala, India

7 November, 2026

Hindu van driver assaulted by Muslim youths after they notice a kalava on driver's wrist, accused raise Azadi slogans and harass other Hindu passengers

Attack not resulting in death

Attacked for Hindu identity

Case Summary

In Kochi, Kerala, a Hindu driver of a tourist van was attacked during the Muslim Youth League’s state conference procession that was held on Sunday, November 8, 2026. The driver of the van was assaulted after the accused noticed a kalava (rakhi) on his wrist. “He has a rakhi in his hand; attack him,” the attackers said before launching a brutal attack on the van driver and the Hindu families sitting inside. Videos circulating on X also showed “Azadi” slogans being raised during the rally. The incident occurred during the concluding procession of the Muslim Youth League’s three-day state conference, held from November 6 to 8 in Kochi. On Sunday, the organisation conducted a large procession from Bolgatty Goshree Junction to Marine Drive, involving approximately 2,000–2,500 cadres, including participants who had travelled from other districts such as Vypin. The procession occupied the full width of major roads, including Goshree Bridge and Shanmukham Road, and continued for approximately one and a half hours. Although police had granted permission for the procession with instructions not to disrupt traffic, the march caused major congestion and blocked arterial routes connecting central Kochi with Vypin, leaving thousands of motorists, residents and travellers stranded for hours. As motorists grew frustrated with the blockade, several drivers honked and protested the traffic disruption. Muslim Youth League workers then confronted and assaulted some motorists, bus drivers and other travellers. The tourist van driver also honked. The driver was wearing a rakshasutra or kalava on his wrist, which the attackers noticed. The attackers shouted, “He has a rakhi in his hand, attack him,” as they entered the van and began assaulting the driver. Hindu women travelling inside the van were also beaten and harassed, while the attackers climbed onto the vehicle and attempted to drag the occupants out. Several people sustained injuries. The Muslim Youth League members passed rude remarks and threatened those who questioned the road blockade, forcing many stranded passengers to withdraw from protesting. Complaints further stated that senior Muslim Youth League leaders present at the scene did not intervene, nor did they attempt to stop the violence. Media personnel covering the event were also harassed. The incident subsequently drew widespread criticism on social media. The procession was held as part of the Muslim Youth League’s state conference, whose concluding public meeting took place at Marine Drive. Videos circulating on X also showed “Azadi” slogans being raised during the rally. The slogans were presented in the material as an additional point of controversy surrounding the procession. On Monday, November 9, 2026, Ernakulam Central Police registered a case against approximately 2,000 identifiable participants in connection with the procession, including 12 senior Muslim Youth League leaders. Those named included State President Sayyid Munavvar Ali Shihab Thangal, MLA Fathima Thahiliya, State General Secretary and MLA P.K. Firoz, Treasurer P. Ismayil, Vice-Presidents Mujeeb Kaderi, Faisal Bafaqui Thangal, Ashraf Edaneer and K.A. Mahin, and Secretaries C.K. Muhammadali, Naseer Karyara, Gafoor Kolkkalathil and T.P.M. Jishan. The case was registered under relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, including Sections 189 and 191, and the Kerala Public Ways (Restriction of Assemblies and Procession) Act, 2011. The FIR cited unlawful assembly, obstruction of public ways and related offences arising from the procession and stated that the organisers had disregarded police conditions, causing serious public inconvenience. Police subsequently arrested two people in connection with the case.

Why it is Hate Crime ?

The primary category selected for this case is: Attack not resulting in death. 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 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. The attack on the Hindu van driver in Kochi was not simply an instance of violence arising from a traffic dispute. The attackers explicitly identified his Hindu religious identity through the kalava (rakshasutra) on his wrist and made it the reason for targeting him. Their words, “He has a rakhi in his hand; attack him,” leave little room for doubt about the religious motivation behind the assault. The kalava is a sacred thread worn by Hindus as a mark of religious faith and devotion. By singling out the driver because he wore this symbol, the attackers turned an otherwise ordinary confrontation over a road blockade into a targeted attack on a Hindu man. The violence extended beyond the driver to the Hindu families travelling inside the van. The attackers entered the vehicle, assaulted the occupants, harassed the women and attempted to drag people out. The driver had been singled out because of his Hindu religious symbol, and the accompanying passengers were also subjected to violence. What began as a confrontation over traffic obstruction thus escalated into an attack on people identified with the Hindu man. The slogans raised during the procession also provide broader context for the incident. Videos circulating from the rally showed participants shouting “Azadi” slogans. This expression has featured in several student and political protests where it has been accompanied by rhetoric targeting Hindu beliefs and symbols. At JNU in 2024, for instance, slogans included “Hawa mein ud gaye Jai Shree Ram, Brahmanwad se Azadi”, directly invoking the rejection of Jai Shri Ram and calling for freedom from Brahmanism. This is an example of how the language of “Azadi” has been used alongside slogans expressing hostility towards Hindu religious identity. Its presence during the Kochi procession is particularly significant given that, during the same event, a Hindu man was explicitly marked for assault because he wore a sacred Hindu thread. The fundamental motivation behind the attack on the van driver was hostility towards his Hindu identity. The attackers noticed his kalava, called for him to be assaulted because of it, and then attacked him and the Hindu families travelling with him. The slogans raised during the procession add to the wider context of hostility towards Hindu religious identity and symbols. This was therefore not merely a clash over traffic or a disagreement between motorists and procession participants. It was an attack in which a Hindu religious symbol became the basis for identifying and targeting a victim. The incident is therefore being included in the Hinduphobia Tracker.