Hindus not allowed to perform Holika Dahan by Muslims in Uttar Pradesh
Kasganj, Uttar Pradesh, India 
10 February, 2025
Case Summary
In Junnardar village in Kasganj, Uttar Pradesh, Hindu Villagers were warned against celebrating Holi by the Muslims. Hindus wanted to celebrate Holika at a designated place within the village. This place was near a mosque, and Muslims opposed this demand. Hindus demonstrated against this. This village had a majority Muslim population, and Hindus were in the minority. During the SP government, Muslims built a mosque near the place where Holika was burnt. After the mosque was built, Holika Dahan was shifted outside the village. Hindus were asked to burn Holika near a school outside the village. This situation continued for a few years. However, an Anganwad was built at this new place as well. The dispute over the place of Holika Dahan had begun again. Hindus said that they could not change the place of Holika Dahan again, and they demanded that they should be allowed to burn Holika again at the place near the mosque within the village. They protested this demand and asked the administration to resolve the issue, or else they would not celebrate Holi and leave the village forever. They even put out posters saying 'House For Sale'. At the same time, Muslims refused to allow Holika to be burnt at the place in front of the mosque. The administration tried to resolve the issue between Hindus and Muslims. The Hindu side agreed to burn Holika on the land of the Gram Panchayat.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
This case has been added as a religiously motivated crime under two prime categories of the tracker. The first is- Restriction/ban on Hindu practices. Under this, the sub-category selected is- Restriction on expression of Hindu identity. An example of the state-affected prejudicial and targeted orders against the Hindu community would be a government denying the right of a Hindu or a group of Hindus to hold a religious procession owing to the animosity of non-Hindu groups. Denial of the religious right of the Hindus to assuage the non-Hindu group which harbours animosity to a point where it could lead to violence against Hindus is not only a failure of law and order but is a prejudicial order against Hindus, denying them their fundamental rights to express their religious identity. An example of a hate crime against Hindus by a non-Hindu would be a non-Hindu institution forcing its Hindu employees to abandon religious symbols that a Hindu would wear as an expression of faith owing to inherent prejudice against the faith professed by the victim or a non-Hindu group of people restricting a Hindu group from constructing a place of worship simply because the demography of the area in which the temple is being built is dominated by non-Hindus. Such actions are driven by religious animosity and/or prejudice against Hindus and their faith and would therefore be categorized as a hate crime. The second category selected here is- Attack not resulting in death and within this, the sub-category selected is- Attacked to induce migration from non-Hindu dominated areas. There have been cases where the Hindus living in an area, often with a majority dwelling belonging to non-Hindus or those harbouring animosity towards the Hindu faith, the Hindu residents experience threats and violence. The violence is employed with the aim of making the Hindus leave the area and relocate, so the area could be turned into an exclusive ghetto for adherents of the non-Hindu faith or those who harbor animosity towards the Hindu faith. In several cases, the aim of exodus is explicit. However, in several cases, the demand for exodus of Hindu residents is not explicit, however, violence by non-Hindu residents leaves the Hindu residents no option but to leave the area, thereby, turning the area into an exclusive ghetto of non-Hindu residents. In such cases, there are instances violence against the Hindu residents explicitly. For example, in the Hauz Qazi case of 2019, the Muslim residents claimed that mob violence against the Hindu residents had been triggered by a parking dispute. However, the violence did turn religious with a temple being desecrated and was directed specifically against the Hindu residents. The Hindu residents of the area were clear that the violence was religiously motivated and one of the motives was to affect an exodus of the Hindu residents. In such cases, even though the perpetrators have not explicitly expressed the aim of affecting exodus, the given circumstances and violence and precedent point to the intention of exodus and therefore would be categorized under this sub-category. Such crimes are religiously motivated and therefore are hate crimes. The religious markers in this case highlight a systematic restriction on Hindu religious practices, as the Hindu community was prevented from performing Holika Dahan at its traditional location due to the construction of a mosque. The opposition from the Muslim community and the repeated displacement of the Holika Dahan site reflect an effort to curtail the visibility and continuity of Hindu traditions in the village. Furthermore, the Hindus' ultimatum of selling their houses and leaving the village altogether underscores how such restrictions contribute to demographic shifts, where Hindu minorities feel compelled to migrate due to religious hostility. The administration’s intervention, which forced Hindus to accept an alternative site, reinforces the broader trend of institutional neglect toward the religious rights of Hindus in Muslim-majority areas. The religious markers in this case highlight a systematic restriction on Hindu religious practices, as the Hindu community was prevented from performing Holika Dahan, a significant Hindu religious event, at its traditional location due to the construction of a mosque. The opposition from the Muslim community and the repeated displacement of the Holika Dahan site reflect an effort to curtail the Hindus from celebrating their rituals and asserting religious dominance, forcing Hindus into a position where they must either compromise their faith or leave the village entirely. Such targeted restrictions are a blatant attempt to undermine Hindu religious identity and reinforce the notion that Hindus must conform to the demands of the Muslim majority in non-Hindu-dominated areas. It reflects the deep-seated animosity that Muslims harbour against Hindus and their customs, making this an apt case for inclusion in the tracker.
Case Status
Unknown
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Muslim Extremists
Perpetrators Range
Unknown
Perpetrators Gender
unknown
Sources 
