Hindu family assaulted for opposing harassment of Hindu women; Muslim youths shouting 'Allah hu Akbar' launch vicious attack
Tapi, Gujarat, India 
17 May, 2025
Case Summary
In Thuti village, located in the Uchchhal area of Tapi district, Gujarat, a Dalit Hindu family was assaulted with the chanting of 'Allahu Akbar'. Some Hindu women were bathing along the banks of the Ukai dam reservoir and were changing their clothes. At that time, some Muslim youths started recording their video. When the family objected to filming and asked to respect the privacy of the women, they were assaulted. Furthermore, a group of 15 Muslims subsequently attacked them in the hospital and on the road. OpIndia reported the incident based on a copy of the FIR and the victim's testimony. Pratap Singh Chauhan, a Dalit Hindu man employed as a driver in the emergency ward of Kiran Hospital in Surat, along with his family and neighbours, travelled to the Ukai dam reservoir in Thuti village of Uchhal taluka. They were accompanied by women and children. They went to bathe in a reservoir in the afternoon. After bathing, one of the women was changing her clothes behind a bedsheet. The woman narrated her experience and stated that as she was changing her clothes, two Muslim men and a Muslim woman began to record her from above. When the family questioned them, the youth came down and started to argue. Once the incident came to light, all members of the Dalit family came together and requested the Muslim youth to refrain from making the video. However, the accused attacked the family members. Moreover, when the latter checked the mobile phone of one of the offenders, they found no video present, but the other one did not allow them to examine his device. Soon, the confrontation ended, and the Muslim men exited the area. However, shortly after, at approximately 4 pm, the Muslims, accompanied by a group of 15 to 20 other members of their community, returned armed and initiated a direct assault. A member of a Hindu family sustained serious injuries during the attack and was subsequently transported to Songadh Hospital. On their way to Songadh, two other members of the Muslim mob came onto the road and began to target the vehicle. Following this incident, the Dalit family members made their way to the Hospital, where the wounded were given first aid and subsequently admitted to Kiran Hospital. However, a Muslim mob gathered at the hospital and created a scene. A video of the victim's family went viral on social media. A young man revealed that when he visited the Songadh police, they responded, “It’s a good thing you survived, otherwise, the Muslims of Songadh would have killed you.” Furthermore, in the video, someone likened this incident to the Pahalgam terror attack. In an interview with OpIndia, Pratap Singh Chauhan reported that a Muslim mob assaulted his family while shouting “Allahu Akbar.” The attack also resulted in injuries to women and children. Additionally, a group of Muslims congregated at Songadh Hospital and issued threats. He further mentioned that the Songadh police earlier accepted a complaint filed by the perpetrators in the matter. A local Hindu organisation official, Chandan Singh Gohil, informed OpIndia that one of the accused is a Muslim individual who serves as a local councillor. He also mentioned that the latter has previously been involved in several crimes, and on one occasion, the police even organised his public procession. He informed that the Muslim mob filed a false complaint against the family, and the police even accepted the same. Gohil mentioned that for the majority of the time, this instance went unnoticed. However, after a day or two, a Hindu individual filmed the victim’s family and shared it on social media, leading to the incident gaining attention in Gujarat. The person who captured the video hailed from Surat. Gohil stated that the Police Inspector of the relevant area in Surat began to exert pressure on him, ultimately resulting in the deletion of the footage. The incident transpired on 18th May, 2025. Sections 115(2), 117(2), 189(2), 190, 191(2), and 191(3) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and Section 135 of the Gujarat Police (GP) Act were invoked against 15 unidentified individuals of the Muslim community. At the time of writing this report, six individuals were apprehended for rioting, and two complaints were lodged against them.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
This case has been added to the tracker under the primary category - Attack not resulting in death. Within it, the sub-category selected is - Attacked for opposing radicals or trying to save victim. In several cases, Hindus are attacked for opposing religiously motivated crimes being committed against a fellow Hindu or simply for voicing an opinion opposing radical elements, who either have in the past or continue to persecute Hindus. In such cases, the initial attack against the victim, against which the Hindu was trying to defend the victim, would also need to be classified as a religiously motivated hate crime. Since the initial crime itself was religiously motivated and the subsequent crime of attempting to save the victim or speaking against the radical elements ends up inviting a violent attack, it would also be classified as a religiously motivated hate crime under this category. The other sub-category selected is - Communal clash/attack. 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. The other primary category selected is - Hate Speech against Hindus. The sub-category selected is - Violent threats. Violent threats, explicit, implicit or implied, is the most dangerous form of hate speech since it goes beyond discriminatory and prejudicial language to express the intent of causing harm to an individual or a group of people based on their religious identity and faith. There could be several different kinds of threats that are issued to Hindus based on religious animosity. An explicit threat would mean the direct threat of violence towards an individual Hindu, a group of Hindus or Hindus at large. Physical violence, death threats, threats of destruction of property belonging to Hindus and threats of genocide would mean explicit threats against Hindus for their religious identity. Implicit threats may not be a direct threat but implied through the use of symbols of actions – for example – in the Nupur Sharma case, other than explicit threats, there were also implicit threats when Islamists took to the streets to burn and beat her effigies. It implies that they want to do the same to Nupur Sharma – thereby is considered an implicit threat. Violent threats can be delivered in person, through letters, phone calls, graffiti, or increasingly through social media and other online platforms. It would be important to understand that a threat – explicit or implicit, online or offline – to an individual who happens to be a Hindu does not qualify as a religiously motivated threat. Such a threat, while vile and dangerous, could be owing to non-religious reasons and/or personal animosity. To qualify as a religiously motivated threat, it would need to exhibit an indication that the individual is being targeted for religious reasons and/or owing to his/her religious identity as a Hindu. The incident in Thuti village, Gujarat, involving the assault on a Dalit Hindu family, clearly qualifies as a religiously motivated hate crime. Firstly, the trigger for the violence was the Hindu family’s objection to the illicit filming of Hindu women in a vulnerable state by Muslim individuals. This act constitutes a grave violation of privacy and dignity. The objection raised by the family was not provocative but a legitimate defence of their right to safety and decency. However, their insistence on respecting these boundaries led to an immediate and violent response, followed by a targeted attack by a larger group. This progression—from a small confrontation to a premeditated and organised assault by the Muslim youths—shows a coordinated response rooted in identity-based aggression, not just personal animosity. Secondly, this incident also meets the criteria of a communal clash wherein the attack was initiated by a Muslim group against a Hindu family, which had come together only to defend themselves. The initial violence was not a spontaneous scuffle but a return attack by an armed mob, clearly aimed at punishing the Hindu family for standing up to harassment. The fact that a large Muslim mob was mobilised in a short time to carry out the attack suggests an existing structure of communal mobilisation and hostility. The testimonies reveal that the assailants continued their intimidation even at the hospital, following the victims and issuing explicit threats. Also, the aggressive chanting of Abrahamic slogans such as "Allahu Akbar" during acts of violence underscores how religiously motivated aggression is justified in the name of Allah. This pattern is evident in numerous incidents where Muslim mobs launch attacks against ‘Kafirs’ or non-Muslims, more specifically Hindus, using religious slogans as both a battle cry and a means of legitimising their actions. The invocation of such slogans amid stone-pelting, arson, and communal riots reflects the deeply ingrained belief among radical elements that their violent actions align with divine will. By framing their aggression as a religious duty, they not only dehumanise their victims but also incite further violence, creating an atmosphere where hatred against non-Muslims is normalised. This dangerous mindset fuels unprovoked attacks, as seen in cases where Hindus are targeted for practising their faith, celebrating their festivals, or even demanding historical accountability. The deliberate and systematic nature of such attacks exposes an underlying pattern of religious intolerance, where violence is sanctified under the guise of faith-driven retaliation. Hence, this case is categorised as a hate crime.
Case Status
Complaint filed
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Muslim Extremists
Perpetrators Range
From 10 to 100
Perpetrators Gender
both
Sources 
