Muslims attack Rajput wedding procession in Alwar with stones and sticks for playing DJ before a mosque

Case ID : 4137a8a | Location : Alwar, Rajasthan, India | Date of Incident : Sun, 21 April, 2024

Case ID : 4137a8a

Alwar, Rajasthan, India

21 April, 2024

Muslims attack Rajput wedding procession in Alwar with stones and sticks for playing DJ before a mosque

Attack not resulting in death

Attacked for crossing 'Muslim area'

Case Summary

In Alwar, Rajasthan, a wedding procession of the Rajput community was attacked by miscreants from the Muslim community with lathis and stones. Around 8 people were injured and taken to Naugaon Government Hospital for treatment. Police arrested five individuals, including a woman, identified as Nazakat, Musharraf, Anwar, Munasif, and Zahida, to bring the situation under control. The incident occurred when the procession passed through a Muslim-dominated area in Naugaonwa village. The clash ensued after an argument over stopping the DJ, escalating into violence. More than 100 people were part of the procession, engaging in celebratory rituals. The clash intensified when locals joined with sticks and rods, resulting in injuries to eight individuals. Police intervened, and the injured were discharged after receiving medical aid. A written complaint was filed by the victim’s family, alleging a planned attack by Javed, Mustak, and others, leading to a case being filed against 12 individuals under various IPC sections. The police are interrogating the arrested suspects and searching for others involved.

Why it is Hate Crime ?

According to the case details, 'Attacked for crossing 'Muslim area'' is the sub-category under the prime category 'Attack not resulting in death' that has been selected here. One of the reasons that Hindus get attacked unprovoked specifically by Islamists is for crossing ‘Muslim areas’. Essentially, Muslim mobs often attack Hindus crossing or present in certain areas which have a majority Muslim population. It has often been cited as one of the reasons to blame Hindus for attacks against themselves, signalling that Hindus displaying religious symbols, taking our religious processions or crossing any area which is dominated by Muslim residents is a provocation in and of itself. These areas are mostly ghettoized areas where mobs mobilize quickly to attack Hindus for a variety of reasons like playing music during a religious procession, crossing a mosque, wearing a tilak or any other religious symbol in a Muslim-dominated area, praying at a local temple in that area etc. There have been cases where the few local Hindus of that area have been attacked on their way to the Temple for prayers as well, simply because the area is considered a Muslim-dominated area. Several times, it is entirely possible that the immediate trigger for the violence against Hindus was non-religious in nature, however, the violence became religiously motivated in nature because the area was Muslim dominated and the residents on the whole harboured animosity towards Hindus, evidenced from the actions of the mob, the slogans, and the nature of the attack. Such crimes are motivated by the religious identity of the victims and are therefore classified as hate crimes under this category. In this case, the Hindus participating in a wedding procession were attacked with stones, rods and sticks for merely playing music while the procession passed through a mosque built in an area that the Muslims considered to be theirs as it is predominantly occupied by people of their community. The Muslim mob quickly gathered with stones, sticks and rods and launched an attack on the Hindus. It is important to note here that there was no provocation from the Hindu side. The DJ was playing music as part of a wedding procession, which is a common and traditional practice. The attack was prompted by the location of the mosque, indicating an underlying tension or intolerance towards the public expression of Hindu religious and cultural practices. This also reveals a disturbing sense of Islamic supremacy harboured by the attackers. In this case, the perpetrators viewed the predominantly Muslim-occupied region as an exclusive zone where non-Muslims, particularly Hindus were unwelcome. This sense of entitlement and superiority not only reflects deep-seated prejudice but also highlights an attempt to assert religious dominance over public spaces. Also, the intent behind such violence is rooted in religious animosity against Hindus and their practices. For this reason, this case has been included in the tracker.