Christian principal thrashes students for raising "Bharat Mata ki Jai" and "Jai Hind" slogans
Diu, Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu, India 
4 September, 2024
Case Summary
On September 5, 2024, during a Teachers’ Day celebration at Mata Nirmala School in Diu, principal Father Edmund Mascarenhas assaulted students for raising patriotic slogans like "Bharat Mata Ki Jai" and "Jai Hind" after the national anthem. Enraged by the slogans, Mascarenhas singled out three students and viciously beat them, even though they claimed innocence. The incident left students and parents fearful, as they refrained from intervening, worried about repercussions on their children's future. The incident caught the attention of Hindu organisations like Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and Bajrang Dal, who filed a complaint with the District Collector. Bharatbhai Solanki, district coordinator of VHP, confirmed that the matter was taken seriously and a case was registered against Mascarenhas under section 115(2) of the BNS and section 82(1) of the Juvenile Justice Act. Local residents, many of whom are poor and uneducated, feared raising their voices against the principal, believing their children could be expelled. Diu police registered a non-cognisable (NC) complaint.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
This case has been classified as a religiously motivated crime and included in the tracker under the prime category- Attack not resulting in death. Under this, the sub-category selected is- Attack 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. Beating children for raising slogans like "Bharat Mata ki Jai" and "Jai Hind" is indeed an attack on their Hindu identity, as these slogans are closely associated with Hindu nationalist sentiments. "Bharat Mata" is often revered as a mother goddess, symbolizing India as a sacred land, a concept deeply rooted in Hindu cultural and spiritual traditions. By targeting children for chanting these slogans, the perpetrators are not just attacking a patriotic expression but are also assaulting the cultural and religious heritage tied to Hindu identity. Such violence reflects intolerance toward the public expression of Hindu beliefs and national pride, especially when these expressions are seen as inherently tied to Hinduism. This kind of targeted aggression goes beyond mere physical violence—it is symbolic of a deeper religious animosity aimed at undermining and demeaning Hindu cultural expressions. Therefore, this act can be seen as a religiously motivated hate crime against Hindus, aimed at suppressing and invalidating their cultural and religious identity through intimidation and violence.
Victim Details
Total Victim
3
Deceased
0
Gender
- Male 0
- Female 0
- Third Gender 0
- Unknown 3
Caste
- SC/ST 0
- OBC 0
- General 0
- Unknown 3
Age Group
- Minor 3
- Adult 0
- Senior Citizen 0
- Unknown 0
Case Status
Complaint registered
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Christian Extremists
Perpetrators Range
One Person
Perpetrators Gender
male
Sources 
