Stone pelted during Saraswati idol immersion procession
Ranchi, Jharkhand, India 
15 February, 2024
Case Summary
On Friday, February 16, violence erupted in Ranchi's Nagri area, Jharkhand, during a Hindu procession for Saraswati idol immersion. Stones were hurled near a religious place, escalating into clashes between the two communities. Although there were claims of shots fired, the police denied them and imposed Section 144 of the CrPC. Over half a dozen people from both sides sustained injuries. The procession reached near a religious place around 8 PM, sparking a heated argument with locals, leading to stone pelting and clashes. Police intervened, but initial efforts failed. After reinforcements arrived, police regained control and dispersed the crowd. Prohibitory orders were enforced in the Nagri zone area by the Ranchi district administration until further notice, following directives from the Sadar Sub-Divisional Officer. Section 144 was imposed from 10 PM on Friday until further notice.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
The case has been added to the tracker under the prime category of 'Attack not resulting in death'. Under this, the first sub-category chosen is- 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. The second sub-category relevant here is- Attack 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. The third sub-category selected here is- Communal clash. Communal clash is a form of collective violence that involves clashes between groups belonging to different religious identities. For a communal clash between Hindus and non-Hindus to qualify as a religiously motivated hate crime, the trigger of the violence itself would have to be anti-Hindu in essence. For example, if there is a Hindu religious procession that comes under attack from a non-Hindu mob and after the initial attack, Hindus retaliate in self-defence, leading to a communal clash between the two religious communities. While at a later stage, both communities are involved in the clash/violence, the initial trigger of the violence was by the non-Hindu mob against the Hindus and therefore, it could safely be termed as an anti-Hindu violence. Further, the trigger would also have to be religiously motivated. In the cited example, the attack by the non-Hindu mob was against religious processions and therefore, can be concluded to be religiously motivated. In some cases, the trigger may be non-religious, however, it develops into religious violence against Hindus at a later stage. In such cases too, the foundational animosity towards Hindus becomes the motivating factor of the crime and therefore, it would be classified as a religiously motivated hate crime against Hindus 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. Stones were hurled near a 'religious place', escalating into clashes between the two communities. 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. 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. It is important to highlight that the attack on Hindu devotees was unprovoked. The incident began when members of the Muslim community attacked the religious procession taken out during Saraswati idol immersion, disregarding the religious emotions of the Hindu devotees. This act served as the initial trigger, seen as a deliberate provocation. When stones were subsequently thrown at the procession, Hindu devotees perceived it as a direct attack on their religious practices and beliefs. Only then did they respond in reprisal, leading to a larger communal clash. This sequence of events underscores that the initial aggression came from the Muslims who disrupted their religious celebration. Further, the details reveal that the procession came into attack when it crossed a 'religious place'. Such attacks reveal a disturbing sense of Islamic supremacy harboured by the attackers. In this case, the perpetrators got triggered when the procession crossed what they considered an exclusive zone where non-Muslims, particularly Hindus were unwelcome. This sense of entitlement and superiority not only reflects deep-seated prejudice but also highlights an attempt to assert religious dominance over public spaces. The assault on the couple was motivated by this supremacist ideology, where Islamists in the area looked down upon Hindus, believing that they had the right to dictate who could move freely through their community. The act of pelting stones at the devotees for crossing through this 'religious space' illustrates a dangerous mindset rooted in exclusion, intolerance and religious animosity, making this case an ideal example for inclusion in the tracker.
Case Status
Complaint registered
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Muslim Extremists
Perpetrators Range
Unknown
Perpetrators Gender
unknown
Sources 
