Three Hindu devotees on their way to Govardhan Puja attacked by Muslim youth angered by 'Jai Mata Di' sticker on their car
Palwal, Haryana, India 
2 November, 2024
Case Summary
In Haryana's Palwal, three Hindu youths going for Govardhan Puja were attacked by a Muslim youth named Aslam. The accused stopped the victim's car and pelted stones at it. The driver Rajesh and one of his friends Bablu were injured in the attack. Rajesh, a resident of Sikri village in Faridabad, filed a complaint stating that on the day of the incident, he was on his way for the Govardhan puja with two of his friends- Bablu and Umesh. As they reached the elephant's jubilee turn, a Muslim youth threw stones at their car and started abusing them. Rajesh stopped the car and attempted to intervene, but nearby shopkeepers sided with the attacker and began fighting with them. Rajesh reported that a 'Jai Mata Di' sticker on his car's windscreen angered a Muslim youth, who then abused him and threw stones, shattering the windscreen. Around 10-12, local Muslim shopkeepers joined the youth, surrounding the car. Feeling threatened, Rajesh dialled 112 for police assistance. Upon the police's arrival, the attackers fled after issuing threats. Based on Rajesh's complaint, the police filed a case against 12 individuals under various sections and arrested the main accused Aslam.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
This case has been added to the tracker under the prime category of- Attack not resulting in death. Under this, the first sub-category selected is- Attack against Hindu devotees. Hindu devotees are a few of the easiest targets of religiously motivated hate crimes because during the festival/procession/puja etc, for non-Hindus it is easy to profile their victims on the basis of religion. Hindu devotees come under attack on several occasions by individual non-Hindus or mobs of non-Hindus owing to their animosity against Hinduism, its symbols and tradition/practices. There are several instances of Hindu devotees being attacked while they worship in temples or temporary religious structures, during religious processions, doing bhajan/kirtan/puja in their own homes, in the residential society etc. These attacks are perpetrated by non-Hindus primarily because of their animosity towards Hindus and their faith. In some cases, the trigger for the violence may be non-religious, however, there are two elements that make these hate crimes. First, the Hindus who come under attack are attacked violently while indulging in religious activity. Whether they are in a place of worship or not is immaterial to the crime. When individuals are attacked while indulging in religious practices, the attack in itself is a hindrance to their freedom to practice religion and therefore constitutes a hate crime. Secondly, religious supremacist doctrines and ideologies deem religious practices of Hindus to be offensive ab initio since they are considered “sinful” by these ideologies, worthy to be annihilated by force or coercion. Driven by these religious supremacist ideologies and doctrines, the attacks against Hindu devotees stem from intrinsic animosity towards Hinduism. In some cases, the trigger for the violence may be non-religious, however, it develops into a religiously motivated crime during the course of the violence. Since these attacks stem from animosity towards Hindus and Hinduism, they are considered religiously motivated hate crimes under this category. The other sub-category under which this case has been placed 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 instance, Rajesh and his friends were attacked while travelling to participate in Govardhan Puja, a Hindu religious event. The provocation stemmed from a 'Jai Mata Di' sticker on their car, symbolising their Hindu faith. The involvement of local shopkeepers who supported the attacker highlights a collective hostility against the victims' religious identity. Such attacks are a form of symbolic aggression against the Hindu community that stems from an innate hatred for Hinduism. Given that the fundamental motivation behind the act was contempt for Hindus and their religion, this instance has been added to the tracker under the following category.
Victim Details
Total Victim
3
Deceased
0
Gender
- Male 3
- Female 0
- Third Gender 0
- Unknown 0
Caste
- SC/ST 0
- OBC 0
- General 3
- Unknown 0
Age Group
- Minor 0
- Adult 3
- Senior Citizen 0
- Unknown 0
Case Status
Case sub-judice
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Muslim Extremists
Perpetrators Range
From 10 to 100
Perpetrators Gender
male
Sources 
