Dalit youth abused with caste-slurs and beaten with iron rod by Saddam, Raqib and Farman

Case ID : a03778e | Location : Saharanpur, Uttar Pradesh, India | Date of Incident : Sun, 27 October, 2024

Case ID : a03778e

Saharanpur, Uttar Pradesh, India

27 October, 2024

Dalit youth abused with caste-slurs and beaten with iron rod by Saddam, Raqib and Farman

Attack not resulting in death

Attacked for Hindu identity

Case Summary

In Saharanpur, Uttar Pradesh, a Dalit youth named Monty was assaulted by Farman, Saddam, Raqib, and others in a violent attack. The incident occurred on October 28 in the Mirzapur area when Monty was waiting at a crossroads. Farman, from the same village, approached Monty, hurled abusive caste slurs, and soon gathered a group armed with sticks and iron rods. The group, including Raqib and Saddam, beat Monty severely. When Monty's relatives and villagers tried to intervene, they were also attacked and injured. Monty reported the incident to the police, describing it as a conspiracy against him and calling for strict action against the perpetrators. Based on Monty’s complaint, police registered an FIR against Farman, Saddam, and Raqib under relevant sections, including the SC/ST Act, for assault and harassment. On October 31, the police apprehended Saddam, who was found hiding near the Kasampur police station while trying to flee. Authorities continued their search for the remaining attackers to ensure justice for Monty and his family, as tensions over the incident grew in the area.

Why it is Hate Crime ?

This case has been documented as a religious hate crime because the details clearly show that the offender had a bias against the Hindu faith and that the offence was performed in conjunction with that bias. Based on the case details, it has been added under one prime category of the tracker, which is- Attack not resulting in death. Under this, the sub-category- Attacked for Hindu identity has been selected. 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. In this case, the Hindu-Dalit man, Monty was assaulted by the Muslim youths. Given that there was no provocation from Monty, the assault by Farman, Saddam, Raqib, and their associates appears to be unprovoked and likely motivated by Monty’s Hindu identity. The deliberate gathering of individuals armed with sticks and iron rods to inflict harm, coupled with abusive caste slurs, reinforces the likelihood that this was an intentional act of hostility rooted in religious animosity. It can be argued that a caste-specific slur is aimed at her micro identity of belonging to the Dalit section of the Hindu community and not her Hindu identity itself. However, as far as Abrahamic religions are concerned, the micro identities of caste, region, and language are secondary. It is the religious identity that drives the animosity of the perpetrator against the Hindu victim.