'Blasphemy' protest turns violent, Muslim mob pelts stone
Saharanpur, Uttar Pradesh, India 
4 October, 2024
Case Summary
In another violent protest over the remarks made by Yati Narsinghanand Saraswati which have caused Muslims to claim 'blasphemy', on October 5, 2024, a Muslim mob attacked the Sheikhpura police station in Saharanpur, Uttar Pradesh by pelting stones during a rally. This incident occurred as part of a larger protest against Narsinghanand, who had been detained by Ghaziabad Police at the time. The procession, which included thousands chanting slogans, aimed to submit a memorandum regarding their demands. However, some individuals in the crowd began throwing stones at the police station, forcing officers to flee for safety. A large police presence later arrived to restore order, and a case was registered against the attackers. Saharanpur SP Abhimanyu Manglik reported that after filing a complaint against Narsinghanand's comments, chaos erupted when some protestors instigated stone-pelting. While the initial complaint was handled peacefully, subsequent disturbances led to the police using mild force to disperse the crowd.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
This case has been added to the tracker under the category- Attack not resulting in death. Under this, the sub-category selected here is- Attacked over 'Blasphemy'. Blasphemy essentially refers to the desecration of anything which is held sacred/holy to a group of people. However, for religious supremacist groups, the elements of ‘blasphemy’ are ever-changing, shifting and expanding – leading to infringement on the rights of other religious groups, freedom of speech and expression, threats and even physical violence. There are instances where blasphemy is also used as a dog whistle to target Hindus owing to intrinsic animosity towards Hinduism. There are several instances where stating truths as mentioned in the non-Hindu doctrine itself has led to unmitigated violence against Hindus. There have also been instances where non-Hindus have themselves created a ‘blasphemous’ situation, like placing a Quran in a temple, to use it as an excuse to attack Hindus. Essentially, Blasphemy charges are often made up and/or are used to shut down any form of criticism of non-Hindu faiths and as a tool to target Hindus. Any physical violence over Blasphemy charges against Hindus are foundationally based on animosity for Hindus and their faith owing to religious supremacist ideologies, therefore, such attacks would be documented as religious motivated hate crimes under this category. Here, the Muslim mob resorted to violence, chanting religious slogans and throwing stones at the police station to protest against a remark perceived as 'blasphemy'. As seen in several cases, the blasphemy law is often used as a tool of oppression and violence, leading to false accusations, mob justice, and social ostracization of Hindus. This law, which is liberally used in Muslim-majority countries like Pakistan and Bangladesh to attack minority Hindus residing there, has become increasingly common in India too, where bloodthirsty mobs often twist and use this law to target Hindus. The misuse of blasphemy laws against Hindus is often motivated by religious prejudice and need to shut criticism of tenets that demonise Hindus. In this case, despite legal processes being underway, Islamists took to the streets to create mayhem. The violence seen in incidents like the protest in Saharanpur often stems from a broader hatred against Hindus. Given that the fundamental motivation behind these actions is contempt for Hindus and their religion, this instance has been added to the tracker under the following category.
Case Status
Unknown
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Muslim Extremists
Perpetrators Range
Unknown
Perpetrators Gender
unknown
Sources 
