Hindu man who had escaped the Kashmiri Hindu genocide, killed by his Muslim neighbour

Case Summary
On 15th January 2025, in Bareilly, an elderly Hindu man named Harbans Lal was killed after an assault by his Muslim neighbours. According to media reports he had a conflict with his Muslim neighbour over the cooking of meat and wanted to put fibre sheets on the wall to keep the smell of meat out. Sagir Ahmed, the Muslim neighbour of Harbans had objected to the wall being covered up with fibre sheets and had fought with Harbans. According to the complaint filed by Harbans Lal’s son Hemant, Sagir and his wife fought with Harbans and their fight escalated and Sagir and his wife allegedly pushed Harbans Lal and hit him. Harbans Lal fell and was injured. He was rushed to the hospital where he was declared dead. According to Hemant Lal, his family was a victim of the Kashmiri Pandit exodus and they had eventually settled in Bareilly after escaping from Kashmir decades ago. In the colony, there were around 32 Hindu families and Sagir’s family was the only Muslim family in the neighbourhood. He added that they never had any fight with other neighbours except Sagir’s family. In-charge Inspector of Baradari police station Dhananjay Pandey registered a case of unintentional murder against Sagir and his wife.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
This case has been added to the tracker under the prime category of- Attack resulting in death and 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, cases where the attack led to the death of the Hindu victim/s would be documented. The second sub-category selected here is- Attacked for opposing radicals or trying to save victim. In several cases, Hindus are attacked for opposing religiously motivated crimes being committed against a fellow Hindu or simply for voicing an opinion opposing radical elements, who either have in the past or continue to persecute Hindus. In such cases, the initial attack against the victim, against which the Hindu was trying to defend the victim, would also need to be classified as a religiously motivated hate crime. Since the initial crime itself was religiously motivated and the subsequent crime of attempting to save the victim or speaking against the radical elements ends up inviting a violent attack, it would also be classified as a religiously motivated hate crime. Under this category, cases where the attack led to the death of the Hindu victim/s would be documented. The religious marker in this case is the conflict over the cooking of meat, which directly ties into Hindu religious sensitivities. Harbans Lal, a Hindu man, sought to install fibre sheets to shield his home from the smell of meat, a step he took in accordance with his religious and personal beliefs. However, his Muslim neighbour, Sagir Ahmed, not only objected to this but also engaged in a violent altercation that ultimately led to Harbans Lal’s death. The act of forcefully preventing a Hindu man from mitigating the impact of something that is religiously offensive to him—and resorting to physical violence over it—demonstrates an attack on his religious identity. Furthermore, the broader context of Harbans Lal’s background as a Kashmiri Hindu refugee, who had already faced religious persecution in the past, adds to the pattern of targeting based on faith. The fact that the conflict did not arise from a general neighbourhood dispute but was instead rooted in a religiously sensitive issue—his attempt to shield himself from the smell of meat—marks this as a hate crime with clear religious motivation. The attack was not merely about a difference in lifestyle; it was an assertion of dominance by denying Harbans Lal his right to practice his religious preferences in his own home, escalating into fatal violence.
Victim Details
Total Victim
1
Deceased
1
Gender
- Male 1
- Female 0
- Third Gender 0
- Unknown 0
Caste
- SC/ST 0
- OBC 0
- General 1
- Unknown 0
Age Group
- Minor 0
- Adult 0
- Senior Citizen 1
- Unknown 0

Case Status
Complaint filed

Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Muslim Extremists
Perpetrators Range
From 2 To 5
Perpetrators Gender
both