Valmiki community seeks permission to migrate after Muslim youths attack them in Gujarat's Mandal

Case ID : ac55ddc | Location : Mandal, Gujarat, India | Date of Incident : Mon, 1 May, 2023

Case ID : ac55ddc

Mandal, Gujarat, India

1 May, 2023

Valmiki community seeks permission to migrate after Muslim youths attack them in Gujarat's Mandal

Attack not resulting in death

Attacked to induce migration from non-Hindu dominated area

Case Summary

In Mandal, Gujarat, recent tensions between the Valmiki and Muslim communities have prompted the Valmiki community to contemplate migration. On May 2, 2023, witnesses reported that a 10-year-old boy was subjected to ridicule by Sameer Salimbhai Adi and a minor companion near the entrance of the Valmiki colony. Upon witnessing this, two Dalit youths intervened to defend the child, urging the Muslim youths to cease their mockery. However, the situation quickly escalated, with the Muslim youths becoming agitated and resorting to physical violence against the Valmiki youths. One of the victims, Rahul, sustained grave head injuries from a large stone wielded by the minor offender, while Haresh was severely harmed by Sameer Salim Adi using a wooden stick. The attackers fled the scene amidst the commotion. The Mandal police initiated action, filing a case against the minor accused and Sameer Salim Adi. In response to the distressing situation, the Valmiki community penned a letter to the Taluka Development Officer, stating their grievances and expressing their desire to migrate. The Valmiki Samaj, in their letter, cited the growing influence of anti-social elements within the local Muslim society as the primary reason behind their decision. Furthermore, they highlighted concerns about the potential threat to their lives.

Why it is Hate Crime ?

There have been cases where the Hindus living in an area, often with a majority dwelling belonging to non-Hindus or those harbouring animosity towards the Hindu faith, the Hindu residents experience threats and violence. The violence is employed with the aim of making the Hindus leave the area and relocate, so the area could be turned into an exclusive ghetto for adherents of the non-Hindu faith or those who harbor animosity towards the Hindu faith. In several cases, the aim of exodus is explicit. However, in several cases, the demand for exodus of Hindu residents is not explicit, however, violence by non-Hindu residents leaves the Hindu residents no option but to leave the area, thereby, turning the area into an exclusive ghetto of non-Hindu residents. In such cases, there are instances of violence against the Hindu residents explicitly. For example, in the Hauz Qazi case of 2019, the Muslim residents claimed that mob violence against the Hindu residents had been triggered by a parking dispute. However, the violence did turn religious with a temple being desecrated and was directed specifically against the Hindu residents. The Hindu residents of the area were clear that the violence was religiously motivated and one of the motives was to affect an exodus of the Hindu residents. In such cases, even though the perpetrators have not explicitly expressed the aim of affecting exodus, the given circumstances and violence and precedent point to the intention of exodus and therefore would be categorized under this sub-category. Such crimes are religiously motivated and therefore are hate crimes.