7 Muslims pelt stone at Dalit Hindus taking out a procession
Dhule, Maharashtra, India 
13 April, 2024
Case Summary
On April 14, 2024, the Maharashtra Police arrested seven Muslim individuals and booked 21 others for targeting a local procession commemorating the birth anniversary of Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar. The accused reportedly threw stones at the participants as the procession passed by a local Jama Masjid. Among those arrested were Sahil Lala Bagwan, Samir Lala Bagwan, Isak Mistri, Kallu Pathan, Vihaan Bagwan, Kausaar Mussa Khatik, and Ajya Khatik. Several injuries were reported when stones were pelted, prompting some participants to call the police. SP Shrikant Dhivare intervened and filed an FIR based on a complaint by Govinda Gulab Nagrale, who detailed the incident and identified some of the assailants. Police downplayed the incident, describing it as minor and urging against rumours.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
This case has been included in the tracker under the prime category 'attack not resulting in death' and since the Islamists attacked the procession when it was passing by a local Jama Masjid, the sub-category- 'attacked for crossing 'Muslim area' has been selected. 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 second secondary category this case has been added to is 'attacked for Hindu identity'. 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, it is important to understand that the Dalit Hindus were taking out a rally to commemorate the birth of Dr BR Ambedkar. This, in no way, is a religious procession. However, they were attacked by the Muslim mob, who claimed that they could not take out this procession from a Muslim dominated area. The procession came under attack when it was crossing a mosque. The Dalit Hindus were attacked by the Muslim mob because the Muslim mob, their identity as Hindus was the paramount characteristic which made them targets of the attack. In attack driven by the Hindu religious identity of the victim, it is important that the perpetrators identify the victims as Hindus and their attack is driven by their religious identity. In this case, it is not the caste identity of the victims which drove the attack, but the primary religious identity which irked the Muslim mob. This case is therefore being added to the hate crime database.
Case Status
Arrested
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Muslim Extremists
Perpetrators Range
From 5 to 10
Perpetrators Gender
male
Sources 
