Muslim mob attack Ganesh pandal, raise “Allah Hu Akbar” slogans, pelt stones at idol and kalash, threaten to kill Hindu family
Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India 
9 September, 2024
Case Summary
Muslim extremists in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, threw stones at a Ganesh Puja pandal and broke the urn (kalash) placed near the idol while chanting “Allah Hu Akbar.” The incident sparked protests by Hindu organisations at the local police station, leading to the arrest of two suspected minors. The case originated in the Chinhat police station area, following a complaint from Kiran Chaurasia, who had installed a Ganesh idol at her home on September 7 as part of religious traditions. She lives near the mosque in Ganga Vihar Colony. Chaurasia reported that from the very next day, she and her family faced harassment from a group of 20 to 25 Muslim youths and minors. During her daily aarti at around 7:30 PM, the group attempted to disrupt the ceremony, chanting provocative slogans and threatening the Hindus present. When the aggressors threw stones, they damaged the idol and created chaos, threatening to kill the family if they continued their rituals. After the attack, Chaurasia filed a complaint, stating her religious sentiments had been violated.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
This case has been added as a religiously motivated hate crime under three prime categories of the tracker. The first is- Attack not resulting in death and under this, the sub-category selected is- Attack against Hindu devotees- Hindu devotees are a few of the easiest targets of religiously motivated hate crimes because during the festival/procession/puja etc, for non-Hindus it is easy to profile their victims on the basis of religion. Hindu devotees come under attack on several occasions by individual non-Hindus or mobs of non-Hindus owing to their animosity against Hinduism, its symbols and tradition/practices. There are several instances of Hindu devotees being attacked while they worship in temples or temporary religious structures, during religious processions, doing bhajan/kirtan/puja in their own homes, in the residential society etc. These attacks are perpetrated by non-Hindus primarily because of their animosity towards Hindus and their faith. In some cases, the trigger for the violence may be non-religious, however, there are two elements that make these hate crimes. First, the Hindus who come under attack are attacked violently while indulging in religious activity. Whether they are in a place of worship or not is immaterial to the crime. When individuals are attacked while indulging in religious practices, the attack in itself is a hindrance to their freedom to practice religion and therefore constitutes a hate crime. Secondly, religious supremacist doctrines and ideologies deem religious practices of Hindus to be offensive ab initio since they are considered “sinful” by these ideologies, worthy to be annihilated by force or coercion. Driven by these religious supremacist ideologies and doctrines, the attacks against Hindu devotees stem from intrinsic animosity towards Hinduism. In some cases, the trigger for the violence may be non-religious, however, it develops into a religiously motivated crime during the course of the violence. Since these attacks stem from animosity towards Hindus and Hinduism, they are considered religiously motivated hate crimes under this category. The second category under which this case has been placed is- Attack on Hindu religious symbols. Within this, three sub-categories have been selected. The first is- Desecration of Hindu religious symbol- Icons and symbols or a religious representation of a spiritual ideal are widely revered in Hinduism. Iconography is of vital significance in the Hindu milieu. It helps connect people’s spiritual beliefs with the real world. Iconography within the Hindu faith takes several shapes and forms. Murtis are of most significance to Hindus, to which daily rituals, prayers and offerings are done. Besides the murtis, there are several other symbols which have deep significance in the Hindu faith – the Om and Swastika for example. Since these Hindu religious symbols hold paramount importance in Hinduism, any desecration of symbols, icons, murtis, religious representations and manifestations, is driven by animosity towards the faith itself which manifests itself through these murtis, icons and symbols. Therefore, any desecration of these Hindu religious symbols and representations is considered religiously motivated hate crimes under this category. The second sub-category selected under the above-mentioned prime category is- Violence against religious structures or centres- In Hinduism, a religious structure is also considered divine. Hindus believe that not just the Deity but the religious structure itself is sacred. In this sub-category, we would document attacks against religious structures which are not consecrated temple spaces. Such religious spaces could be temporary in nature – for example – the religious spaces erected specifically for festivals like Durga Puja etc. This category would also document cases of attacks against religious centres. These spaces in their own right may not be ‘sacred’ per se, however, are often spaces where religious gurus live, religious teaching is imparted, or belong to religious institutions. Any attack against religious structures is a result of animosity towards the religion itself, which manifests itself through the religious spaces and therefore, such attacks are considered religiously motivated hate crimes. Religious centres are also manifestations of the religion, its teachings or gurus and therefore, attacks against such centres would be considered religiously motivated hate crimes. The third sub-category chosen here is- Abrahamic religion chanting outside Hindu place of worship- In Hinduism, a temple is the abode of the Deity. The Deity in the Temple is consecrated, thereby, making it a real, breathing entity. Hindus believe that not just the Deity but the temple premises itself are sacred to Hindus since Hindus hold the faith that the entire Temple space is an amalgamation of the divine energy of the deity. Given the central significance of Temples in Hindu Dharma, any aggressive Abrahamic chanting outside Temples negates the divinity of the temple space because the chanting itself negates the existence of any other God other than the God of the Abrahamic faith. Such chanting is specifically done to negate the faith of Hindus, establish religious supremacy, intimidate the devotees and mock the faith. Besides temples, such Abrahamic chanting outside any Hindu place of worship or religious structure has the same effect. Since such acts are rooted in inherent religious supremacist mentality driven by religious animosity, such crimes would be considered religiously motivated hate crimes under this category. Finally, the third prime category under which this case has been placed is- Hate speech against Hindus, within which the sub-category selected is- Violent threats- Violent threats, explicit, implicit or implied, is the most dangerous form of hate speech since it goes beyond discriminatory and prejudicial language to express the intent of causing harm to an individual or a group of people based on their religious identity and faith. There could be several different kinds of threats that are issued to Hindus based on religious animosity. An explicit threat would mean the direct threat of violence towards an individual Hindu, a group of Hindus or Hindus at large. Physical violence, death threats, threats of destruction of property belonging to Hindus and threats of genocide would mean explicit threats against Hindus for their religious identity. Implicit threats may not be a direct threat but implied through the use of symbols of actions – for example – in the Nupur Sharma case, other than explicit threats, there were also implicit threats when Islamists took to the streets to burn and beat her effigies. It implies that they want to do the same to Nupur Sharma – thereby is considered an implicit threat. Violent threats can be delivered in person, through letters, phone calls, graffiti, or increasingly through social media and other online platforms. It would be important to understand that a threat – explicit or implicit, online or offline – to an individual who happens to be a Hindu does not qualify as a religiously motivated threat. Such a threat, while vile and dangerous, could be owing to non-religious reasons and/or personal animosity. To qualify as a religiously motivated threat, it would need to exhibit an indication that the individual is being targeted for religious reasons and/or owing to his/her religious identity as a Hindu. The incident is a clear example of a religiously motivated hate crime. It can be categorized under several key aspects. Firstly, the radical Islamists specifically targeted Hindu devotees who were engaged in their religious practices. The group of around 20 to 25 Muslim youths and minors deliberately disrupted a Ganesh Puja, a deeply significant ritual for Hindus, by chanting provocative slogans and threatening the devotees. The threat of physical harm, including the statement that the family would be killed if they continued their rituals, underscores the hostility directed at individuals solely for practising their faith. The fact that the attack occurred during the daily aarti, a key religious moment, highlights the specific targeting of Hindus in their act of devotion. Secondly, the destruction of the kalash (urn) placed near the idol and the damage to the Ganesh idol itself constitute the desecration of sacred Hindu religious symbols. The kalash is a revered object in Hindu rituals, symbolizing purity, prosperity, and spiritual growth. Ganesh, one of the most widely worshipped deities in Hinduism, holds immense religious significance, especially during the annual Ganesh Puja. The deliberate smashing of the urn and damage to the idol demonstrate not just physical violence, but also an assault on Hindu beliefs and religious sentiments. This act was meant to denigrate and desecrate symbols held sacred by the Hindu community. Further, this incident is also an act of violence against a Hindu religious structure, since the pandal (temporary structure) housing the Ganesh idol serves as a sacred space for worship during the festival. Attacking the pandal, where prayers and rituals are performed, is akin to an attack on a place of worship. Such violence creates an atmosphere of fear and intimidation among the Hindu community, making them feel unsafe even in their religious spaces. Further, the extremists chanted "Allah Hu Akbar," a phrase from the Islamic faith, outside the Hindu place of worship, which adds a clear religious dimension to the attack. While the phrase itself is a declaration of faith in Islam, chanting it aggressively outside a Hindu worship area during a Hindu religious ceremony can be interpreted as an attempt to assert religious dominance and suppress the religious practices of another faith. This juxtaposition of an Abrahamic chant in a Hindu setting during worship turns the incident into an act of religious imposition and intolerance, with the aggressors using their faith to intimidate and harass another religious community. In addition to the physical violence, the group issued violent threats to the Hindu family, explicitly stating that they would be killed if they continued their religious practices. This combination of physical and verbal intimidation is a hallmark of hate crimes, where the intention is to not only harm the victim but also to instil fear and force them to abandon their religious practices. The threats were aimed at silencing the family’s religious expressions and forcing them into submission through fear and intimidation, clearly motivated by religious animosity. Another disconcerting aspect of this case is that the perpetrators included minors. Children's minds are indeed highly impressionable, and they often internalise the attitudes and beliefs of those around them. When exposed to hatred and prejudice against a particular religion, they are likely to adopt these views, which can lead to a cycle of intolerance and bigotry. The fact that the Muslim children in this instance attacked Hindu devotees highlights the intolerance and bias that has been ingrained in them since childhood, which, in this case, catalysed the crime they committed. Since disrespect for the Hindu religion is the primary purpose behind this incident, this case has been added to the hate tracker.
Case Status
Arrested
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Muslim Extremists
Perpetrators Range
From 10 to 100
Perpetrators Gender
male
Sources 
