Communal clashes break out outside a Ram temple where a Ram Navami celebration was to take place in Maharashtra, stones pelted and police vehicles set on fire
Maharashtra, India 
28 March, 2023
Case Summary
On March 29, Wednesday night, two groups clashed in the Kiradpura area of Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, hurling stones and setting vehicles on fire. The conflict in Kiradpura started on the night between March 29 and 30. The clashes started after a fight broke out between two people outside a Ram Temple where a Ram Navami celebration was to take place. The situation worsened when more people arrived at the scene and started throwing stones at one another. The crowd also set several police and public vehicles on fire outside the temple. Speaking to ANI Nikhil Gupta, CP Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar said, “Stones were pelted, and some private & police vehicles were set on fire. Police used force to disperse the people and now the situation is peaceful. Police will take strict action against the miscreants.” CP Nikhil Gupta also informed that a mob of around 500 to 600 people was involved in the incident adding that the efforts to nab them are on. He also assured that the said Ram Temple where a Ram Navami celebration was to take place is also safe.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
This case has been added to the hate tracker under the prime category- Attack not resulting in death. Under this category, three sub-categories have been chosen. The first sub-category selected here 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 sub-category chosen here is- Communal clash- Communal clash is a form of collective violence that involves clashes between groups belonging to different religious identities. For a communal clash between Hindus and non-Hindus to qualify as a religiously motivated hate crime, the trigger of the violence itself would have to be anti-Hindu in essence. For example, if there is a Hindu religious procession that comes under attack from a non-Hindu mob and after the initial attack, Hindus retaliate in self-defence, leading to a communal clash between the two religious communities. While at a later stage, both communities are involved in the clash/violence, the initial trigger of the violence was by the non-Hindu mob against the Hindus and therefore, it could safely be termed as an anti-Hindu violence. Further, the trigger would also have to be religiously motivated. In the cited example, the attack by the non-Hindu mob was against religious processions and therefore, can be concluded to be religiously motivated. In some cases, the trigger may be non-religious, however, it develops into religious violence against Hindus at a later stage. In such cases too, the foundational animosity towards Hindus becomes the motivating factor of the crime and therefore, it would be classified as a religiously motivated hate crime against Hindus under this category. In this instance, the Islamist mob launched a vicious attack on a religious procession taken out by Hindu devotees on the occasion of Ram Navami, a significant Hindu festival that celebrates the birth of Lord Ram, one of the most revered Gods in Hinduism. Notably, there was no provocation from the Hindu side. It can be said that the initial trigger of the violence was not religiously motivated since it started with a fight that broke out between two men- which need not necessarily point towards a religious motive for the crime. However, within no time, more people arrived at the scene and started throwing stones at one another. The violence broke out outside a Ram temple where a Ram Navami celebration was to take place. Vehicles were set fire outside the temple premises. While the initial trigger of the violence can be argued to be non-religious in nature, it is evident that the violence later turned into specific targeting of Hindu devotees who had gathered to celebrate Ram Navami. This sort of attack specifically targeting Hindus stems from a deep-seated animosity Islamists harbour towards the Hindu faith, which is why this case has been categorised as a religiously motivated hate crime.
Case Status
Complaint filed
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Muslim Extremists
Perpetrators Range
Unknown
Perpetrators Gender
male
Sources 
