Hindu man attacked for celebrating Diwali by bursting firecrackers in front of his home by Muslim mob

Case ID : a0377ab | Location : Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh, India | Date of Incident : Fri, 1 November, 2024

Case ID : a0377ab

Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh, India

1 November, 2024

Hindu man attacked for celebrating Diwali by bursting firecrackers in front of his home by Muslim mob

Attack not resulting in death

Attacked for Hindu identity

Attack against Hindu devotees

Case Summary

In Bareilly’s Hafizganj area, a Muslim mob threw stones at the house of a Hindu youth, Sachin, while he was celebrating Diwali by bursting firecrackers. Sachin filed a complaint on October 31, stating that his neighbours, Nasir, Imran Ansari, and Anas, initially told him to stop the fireworks. When Sachin asserted his right to celebrate in front of his own house, the men reportedly grew hostile, threatened him, and said they would burn him and others celebrating with him. According to Sachin, the trio then assaulted him. As the incident escalated, Sachin called for help, and news quickly spread through the village, leading to protests from locals who saw it as an attempt to disrupt Diwali celebrations. Sachin also mentioned ongoing harassment from the same individuals. Police arrived promptly after receiving reports of stone-pelting, bringing the situation under control and initiating an investigation.

Why it is Hate Crime ?

The sub-category relevant in this case is 'Attacked for Hindu identity' under the prime category, 'Attack not resulting in death' of the hate tracker. 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. The second sub-category being selected is 'attack against Hindu devotees'. Hindu devotees are a few of the easiest targets of religiously motivated hate crimes because during the festival/procession/puja etc, for non-Hindus it is easy to profile their victims on the basis of religion. Hindu devotees come under attack on several occasions by individual non-Hindus or mobs of non-Hindus owing to their animosity against Hinduism, its symbols and tradition/practices. There are several instances of Hindu devotees being attacked while they worship in temples or temporary religious structures, during religious processions, doing bhajan/kirtan/puja in their own homes, in the residential society etc. These attacks are perpetrated by non-Hindus primarily because of their animosity towards Hindus and their faith. In some cases, the trigger for the violence may be non-religious, however, there are two elements that make these hate crimes. First, the Hindus who come under attack are attacked violently while indulging in religious activity. Whether they are in a place of worship or not is immaterial to the crime. When individuals are attacked while indulging in religious practices, the attack in itself is a hindrance to their freedom to practice religion and therefore constitutes a hate crime. Secondly, religious supremacist doctrines and ideologies deem religious practices of Hindus to be offensive ab initio since they are considered “sinful” by these ideologies, worthy to be annihilated by force or coercion. Driven by these religious supremacist ideologies and doctrines, the attacks against Hindu devotees stem from intrinsic animosity towards Hinduism. In some cases, the trigger for the violence may be non-religious, however, it develops into a religiously motivated crime during the course of the violence. Since these attacks stem from animosity towards Hindus and Hinduism, they are considered religiously motivated hate crimes under this category. This incident involved a Muslim mob's attempt to disrupt Diwali celebrations, which are a significant expression of Hindu identity. The actions of Nasir, Imran Ansari, and Anas—by threatening Sachin for celebrating Diwali with firecrackers and ultimately assaulting him—directly targeted his right to practice his religion and express his Hindu identity freely. The threat of violence and harassment based on his religious activities underscores the hate-driven nature of this attack, which was rooted in animosity against his Hindu identity. Therefore, the attack and subsequent harassment reflect an effort to stifle the victim's right to religious expression, making this a clear example of a religiously motivated hate crime.