Muslim men hurl casteist abuses; threaten Dalit family to leave village after they are stopped from cutting a tree
Bulandshahr, Uttar Pradesh, India 
27 January, 2024
Case Summary
On Saturday, March 16, a Dalit family in Uttar Pradesh's Bulandshahr district filed an FIR against several Muslim men for threatening and pressuring them to leave their village. The accused brandished weapons, hurled casteist abuses, and threatened dire consequences if their demands were not met. The victim, Netrapal Jatav, filed the complaint against Naseem, Tapis, Haris, Mushtaq, and Yasin, as well as other unidentified individuals. The incident occurred in the Kotwali Dehat police station area. According to the FIR, the accused forcibly cut down a 50-year-old Sheesham tree planted in Netrapal's field on January 5. When his wife intervened, she received death threats. Despite filing a complaint with the police, no action was taken, and the victim was allegedly placed on bond. Later, on January 28, the accused attacked Netrapal and threatened him, demanding that he leave the village. An FIR was filed after an order from the court on March 16.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
This case has been added to the database under the prime category- Hate speech against Hindus. Under this, the sub-category chosen is- Anti-Hindu slurs, mocking faith. The Hindu-Dalit family was abused with caste slurs by some Muslim men and threatened with death when the former objected to them cutting a tree. It can be argued that a caste-specific slur is aimed at her micro identity of belonging to the Dalit section of the Hindu community and not her Hindu identity itself. However, as far as Abrahamic religions are concerned, the micro identities of caste, region, and language are secondary. It is the religious identity that drives the animosity of the perpetrator against the Hindu victim. In this case, while Qadir hurled caste abuses at the victim, the animosity was driven by his animosity towards Hinduism and Hindus. While the immediate trigger of the violence could be the objection to the cutting of a tree, as mentioned in reports, the fact that caste slurs were hurled at the victim by the perpetrators makes it a religiously motivated hate crime against the victim.
Case Status
Complaint registered
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Muslim Extremists
Perpetrators Range
From 2 To 5
Perpetrators Gender
male
Sources 
