Muslim mob pelts stones as Saraswati puja procession, goddess idol desecrated, houses ransacked
Darbhanga, Bihar, India 
14 February, 2024
Case Summary
On Thursday, February 15, a Hindu procession carrying a Saraswati idol for immersion in Bihar's Darbhanga district was attacked while passing through Kasai Mohalla (Butchers’ Colony) in Muriya. The mob, comprised of Islamists, pelted stones, looted nearby houses, and vandalized the area, including breaking the Saraswati idol. The procession was part of the Basant Panchami festival celebrations on February 14. The clash erupted when stones were thrown at the procession as it passed through the Muslim-dominated area. Several houses were ransacked during the chaos. The incident led to the vandalization of many houses and the destruction of the Saraswati idol. An FIR was filed detailing the attack on a procession to immerse Saraswati idols. Senior officials intervened to control the violence, detaining several individuals, including Mohammad Faizan. Investigation into a WhatsApp group named 'Islam Zindabad' revealed the planning of the event by Islamists.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
Distinct elements in this particular case demonstrate that the crime was committed while harbouring a bias against the Hindu faith. As per case details, there are two prime categories under which this case has been placed in the hate tracker, namely, 'attack not resulting in death' and 'attack on Hindu religious symbols'. To break down the case further, the sub-category 'attack on religious procession' has been selected under the first prime category while the sub-category 'desecration of Hindu religious symbol' has been chosen under the second prime category. Attack on religious procession: The outward celebration and display of religious symbols in an intrinsic part of Hinduism. Religious processions on various festivals are age-old traditions and a way to manifest faith and form a part of the religious practices of Hindus. On several occasions, such religious processions come under attack by non-Hindu mobs, in a manifestation of their animosity towards Hinduism and their practices. The reasons cited for such violent attacks are many and range from crossing a non-Hindu resident-dominated area to playing loud music, crossing from an area where there is a religious structure of another faith etc. The violent attacks are triggered by the outward display of religiosity by Hindus. The attacks are mainly a manifestation of religious supremacist doctrine which believes that idolatry, essentially the Hindu faith, is one that deserves to be annihilated since the very tenets of Hinduism, its practices and traditions are considered a sin in those doctrines. Since these attacks emanate from intrinsic and doctrinal animosity towards Hindus and Hinduism, it is considered a religiously motivated hate crime under this category. Desecration of Hindu religious symbols: Icons and symbols or a religious representation of a spiritual ideal are widely revered in Hinduism. Iconography is of vital significance in the Hindu milieu. It helps connect people’s spiritual beliefs with the real world. Iconography within the Hindu faith takes several shapes and forms. Murtis are of most significance to Hindus, to which daily rituals, prayers and offerings are done. Besides the murtis, there are several other symbols which have deep significance in the Hindu faith – the Om and Swastika for example. Since these Hindu religious symbols hold paramount importance in Hinduism, any desecration of symbols, icons, murtis, religious representations and manifestations, is driven by animosity towards the faith itself which manifests itself through these murtis, icons and symbols. Therefore, any desecration of these Hindu religious symbols and representations is considered religiously motivated hate crimes under this category. Another sub-category that this case is being added to 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. In this instance, the Hindus participating in a religious procession being taken out on the festival of Basant Panchami, a major Hindu festival dedicated to the worship of the goddess Saraswati, were brutally attacked by a group of Muslims who took offence by the procession passing through an area which they consider to be a Muslim area as people of their community predominantly occupy it. The Islamists, in their animosity against the Hindu faith, did not even think before desecrating the idol of the Hindu deity. In Hinduism, idols (murtis) of deities are not just symbolic representations but are considered embodiments of the divine. They are objects of profound veneration and are integral to religious practices and rituals. Desecrating the idol of a Hindu deity is considered a hate crime as it is considered a profound offence against religious sentiments. It is important to note here that in this instance, there was no initial provocation from the Hindu side. In fact, it was the Islamists who were offended by the Hindus celebrating their festival. Moreover, the details of the case prove that the attack on the Hindu procession was pre-planned. The Islamists had created a WhatsApp group to plan the attack on the Hindus. Given that the fundamental motivation behind these actions is contempt for the Hindu religion, this instance has been added to the tracker under the following category.
Case Status
Complaint registered
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Muslim Extremists
Perpetrators Range
Unknown
Perpetrators Gender
both
Sources 
