Case Summary

A Hindu boy named Prashant Rathi, a Class 11 student of Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) City School, was brutally attacked by fellow students inside the university campus after he refused to recite the Kalma, the Islamic declaration of faith. The assault left him bleeding and seriously injured. He was later admitted to JN Medical College for treatment. The incident took place when Prashant, a resident of Purani Chungi, Aligarh, had gone to Allama Iqbal Hall hostel on 26 October 2025 to meet his friend Uzaif Zaheer. During the visit, three other students approached him and demanded that he recite the Kalma. When he refused, they began to beat him mercilessly, dragged him out of the hostel, kicked and punched him, and hit him on the head with a pistol butt, causing a deep wound. Prashant was rescued by other students who rushed to the spot after hearing the commotion. The attackers fled, threatening to kill him if he reported the incident. The victim said he recognised some assailants, who were from Pratapgarh, Ghazipur, and Aligarh. After receiving medical attention, Prashant filed a complaint with the university proctor, and police from Civil Lines Station arrived to investigate. The AMU administration stated that disciplinary action would be taken if the attackers were confirmed to be students of the university. However, the police described it as a personal dispute between students, denying that the assault was motivated by religious coercion. The investigation was ongoing, and CCTV footage from the area was being reviewed. An FIR was registered against 5 Muslims.

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Why it is Hate Crime ?

This case has been placed in the Undecided Database due to conflicting accounts and the absence of explicit recognition of religious motivation in the official records. The victim, Prashant Rathi, was reportedly assaulted after refusing to recite the Kalma, the Islamic declaration of faith, which is a clear marker of religious coercion and aggression. The details shared by the victim indicate an attempt to impose an Islamic ritual upon a Hindu student within an educational institution, an act that symbolically challenges his religious identity. However, the First Information Report (FIR) filed in the case does not mention any element of forced recitation or communal provocation. The Civil Lines Police described the incident as a “personal dispute” among students, denying any communal or religious dimension to the assault. Given this official stance and the absence of corroborative evidence in the initial investigation, the case currently lacks the documentary confirmation required for inclusion in the Hate Crime Database. If subsequent investigation, official statements, or credible testimony from the victim or witnesses establish that the assault was indeed linked to religious coercion or refusal to convert, the case will be promptly reclassified and moved to the Hate Crime Database.