Mohammed Shabbir sets Hindu man on fire by pouring petrol for applying Holi colours on him

Case ID : 725746f | Location : Medak, Telangana, India | Date of Incident : Mon, 6 March, 2023

Case ID : 725746f

Medak, Telangana, India

6 March, 2023

Mohammed Shabbir sets Hindu man on fire by pouring petrol for applying Holi colours on him

Attack not resulting in death

Attack against Hindu devotees

Case Summary

In Marpalli village, Regode Mandal, Medak district, Telangana, one Mohammed Shabbir set another man identified as Anjaiah on fire just because he applied colour on him on Holi despite Shabbir's objection. The victim was immediately shifted to the Sangareddy government hospital where his condition was stated to be critical. Anjaiah was playing Holi with other villagers and wanted to apply colour on Shabbir as well. Shabbir asked him not to do it but Anjaiah ignored his objection and approached him with colours in his hand. Shabbir threatened that he would burn him by pouring petrol if he applied the colour. Perhaps taking the threat as a joke as the two were friends, Anjaiah proceeded to smear colour nonetheless. Enraged Shabbir returned with a bottle of petrol, poured fuel on Anjaiah and set him on fire. Shocked villagers doused the flames. The Regode Police took cognizance of the incident and registered a case under Section 307 of the IPC.

Why it is Hate Crime ?

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. Here, the Muslim man set fire to a Hindu youth after the latter applied colour to the former during the Hindu festival of Holi. The disconcerting aspect of this case is that the Hindu was fatally attacked by the Muslim man for merely celebrating his festival. Holi is a Hindu festival that is celebrated across India during spring with dancing, singing, and throwing coloured water and powdered paint. Holi brings people together from diverse backgrounds and communities, however, here, the joyous festival turned brutal when the Muslim perpetrator displayed his religious intolerance leading to a violent reaction. This extreme act of violence highlights the underlying prejudice and hate the perpetrator harbours against Hindus and their festivals, leading to such violent reactions. Due to the perpetrator's obvious contempt for the victim's faith, this case qualifies for documentation under this hate tracker.