Case Summary

A Rashtriya Swayam Sevak (RSS) procession came under attack in Baran, Rajasthan, on August 31, 2025, after Muslims attempted to block its route near a Muslim religious site. The incident triggered stone-pelting, a tense standoff between the two sides, and heavy police deployment to restore order. The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) march- Path Sanchalan, began at around 11:30 am from the Pyare Ramji Temple. The procession was scheduled to pass through Kausar Colony, Mangrol Gate, and Dol Mela Ground before returning to the temple. Within minutes of setting off, the march was stopped near a Muslim religious site in front of Anjuman when objections were raised to its passage by Muslims. As news of the confrontation spread, people from both communities, along with Hindu activists, gathered at the site. Tensions escalated quickly, leading to a heated face-off between the groups. Soon after, some Muslim individuals began pelting stones at the Hindu participants and police officers. The situation grew so volatile that additional police forces were rushed to the scene to contain the violence. Police carried out baton charges to disperse the violent crowd, clearing obstructions on the route of the march. Collector Rohitashwa Singh Tomar and Superintendent of Police (SP) Abhishek Andasu arrived at the spot to mediate between the groups and oversee security arrangements. Later that night, Kota Range Inspector General (IG) Rajendra Goyal also visited Baran to assess the situation. He inspected the scene of the confrontation, held a high-level meeting with local officers, and issued strict directives to maintain law and order. What began as a peaceful march turned into a flashpoint of religious tension, underscoring the growing hostility faced by Hindu-led processions.

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Why it is Hate Crime ?

The primary category in this case is: Attack not resulting in death. The subcategory under this is: Attacked for supporting/being part of perceived Hindu party/org or working for Hindu community. In several cases, Hindus are attacked specifically or tangentially for their association with parties or organisations perceived to be pro-Hindu and/or for working in favour of the Hindu community. One of the classic cases was the attack against a Bharatiya Janata Party Yuva Morcha (BJYM) worker, Praveen Nettaru. Nettaru was attacked and hacked to death for his association with Hindu organisations and his work for the Hindu community. He was murdered by PFI, a terror organisation which aimed to commit a genocide of Hindus, target Hindu leaders specifically and turn India into an Islamic Nation. In such cases, it is possible that the immediate trigger for the violence is non-religious – either according to the perpetrator or the police. However, there are surrounding circumstances from which the conclusion can be reached that the victim was attacked for his association with a Hindu organisation. In a similar case, Rinku Sharma was attacked by radicals. He was a member of Bajrang Dal and regularly worked for the Hindu community. While the police cited a different non-religious trigger for the attack, it is true that he was associated to a Hindu organisation and the family of Rinku Sharma specifically attributed his gruesome murder to him working for Bajrang Dal and raising Jai Shree Ram slogans. Such cases are intrinsically driven by religious hate and would therefore be documented as a hate crime under this category. Another subcategory under this is: Attacked for crossing 'Muslim area'. One of the reasons that Hindus get attacked unprovoked specifically by Islamists is for crossing ‘Muslim areas’. Essentially, Muslim mobs often attack Hindus crossing or present in certain areas which have a majority Muslim population. It has often been cited as one of the reasons to blame Hindus for attacks against themselves, signalling that Hindus displaying religious symbols, taking our religious processions or crossing any area which is dominated by Muslim residents is a provocation in and of itself. These areas are mostly ghettoized areas where mobs mobilize quickly to attack Hindus for a variety of reasons like playing music during a religious procession, crossing a mosque, wearing a tilak or any other religious symbol in a Muslim-dominated area, praying at a local temple in that area etc. There have been cases where the few local Hindus of that area have been attacked on their way to the Temple for prayers as well, simply because the area is considered a Muslim-dominated area. Several times, it is entirely possible that the immediate trigger for the violence against Hindus was non-religious in nature, however, the violence became religiously motivated in nature because the area was Muslim dominated and the residents on the whole harboured animosity towards Hindus, evidenced from the actions of the mob, the slogans, and the nature of the attack. Such crimes are motivated by the religious identity of the victims and are therefore classified as hate crimes under this category. This case has been added to the tracker because a peaceful procession organised by the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) was deliberately obstructed and attacked by Muslims in Baran, Rajasthan. The attack was not a random incident but a targeted act of religious animosity, motivated by hostility toward Hindu religious practices and organisations. This incident in Baran can be classified as a hate crime under the category of religiously motivated violence and obstruction of Hindu practices. The RSS procession, which was a peaceful and lawful Path Sanchalan beginning from a Hindu temple, was deliberately obstructed near a Muslim religious site. Such obstruction was not a mere coincidence but a targeted attempt to assert dominance over Hindu religious expression in public spaces. The subsequent stone-pelting by Muslim individuals on Hindu participants and police officers demonstrates the use of violence to intimidate and suppress a Hindu gathering. This pattern reflects a broader trend where Hindu religious processions are often opposed, blocked, or attacked when passing near Muslim-dominated areas. By resorting to aggression, the perpetrators turned a peaceful march into a flashpoint of communal tension. Notably, this was not just a dispute about a route, but a premeditated act of hostility directed at the Hindu community. By objecting to the march near a Muslim religious site and escalating it into stone-pelting, the perpetrators used a superficial excuse to mask their deeper motive, which was targeting Hindus because of their religious identity. Such attacks amount to symbolic aggression, where the assault is not only on the individuals present but on the very right of Hindus to publicly express their faith. These actions reflect an entrenched animosity toward Hinduism itself, where even a peaceful and lawful march becomes intolerable to those driven by sectarian hatred. By attempting to disrupt and intimidate, the perpetrators were sending a broader message of dominance: that Hindu practices can be restricted or attacked whenever they come into the public sphere. This makes the incident a clear case of a hate crime rooted in anti-Hindu sentiment, rather than a mere altercation over procession routes.