Hindu devotee observing Ayyappa Deeksha attacked by Muslim youth, Ayyappa mala torn

Case Summary
In Andhra Pradesh's Annamayya district, communal tensions erupted after a Muslim man launched an unprovoked attack on an Ayyappa devotee. A Muslim youth, identified as Ziaul Huq, assaulted Venkatesh, the Hindu devotee. Locals said that the devotee Venkatesh was attacked for wearing an Ayyappa mala. The incident took place near the RTC bus stand, when Venkatesh asked Ziaul Huq to move his two-wheeler as it was blocking the road. Angered by this, the Muslim youth attacked the Hindu youth. Ziaul tore the Ayyappa mala Venkatesh was wearing and also tore his shirt. As he continued the assault, locals assembled at the spot and intervened. People started chanting slogans condemning the attack on the symbol of Lord Venkatesh. The Hindu groups demanded strict action against the Muslim youth from Bidar for disrespecting Lord Ayyappa. The police nabbed Ziaul and made him apologise by touching the feet of the Ayyappa devotee.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
This case has been added to the database under the prime category of- Attack not resulting in death. Under this, the first sub-category selected is- Attacked 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. The second 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. In this case, a Hindu devotee was assaulted by a Muslim man for donning an Ayyappa mala. An Ayyappa devotee typically dons a "mala" (prayer beads) when he observes Ayyappa Deeksha - a deeply religious affair for those who profess faith in Lord Ayyappa. In such cases, it is easier to recognise Hindu devotees due to their attire and the ritualistic symbols they wear. Here, the Hindu devotee made an innocuous request to the perpetrator, who, in turn, irked by the religious attire the Hindu was donning, tore Venkatesh's religious attire and physically attacked him. This act reflects clear animosity towards Hinduism and its practices, where a devotee was subjected to brutal assault only because of his religious identity. Given that the fundamental motivation behind the perpetrator's action is contempt for Hindus and their religion, this instance has been added to the tracker under the following category.
Victim Details
Total Victim
1
Deceased
0
Gender
- Male 1
- Female 0
- Third Gender 0
- Unknown 0
Caste
- SC/ST 0
- OBC 0
- General 0
- Unknown 1
Age Group
- Minor 0
- Adult 1
- Senior Citizen 0
- Unknown 0

Case Status
Arrested

Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Muslim Extremists
Perpetrators Range
One Person
Perpetrators Gender
male