Members of Muslim community clash with Hindu groups claiming Hindu religious site as ‘Dargah’

Case ID : b5073a6 | Location : Burhanpur, Madhya Pradesh, India | Date of Incident : Tue, 19 November, 2024

Case ID : b5073a6

Burhanpur, Madhya Pradesh, India

19 November, 2024

Members of Muslim community clash with Hindu groups claiming Hindu religious site as ‘Dargah’

Attack on Hindu religious representations

Encroachment or illicit takeover of temple land/land near temple

Attack not resulting in death

Communal clash/attack

Case Summary

On November 20th, people from the Muslim community clashed with the Hindu groups claiming that the Hindu saint Navnath Baba’s grave was an Islamic religious site. Muslims claimed the site was an Islamic 'Dargah' and protested after the grave was recently painted saffron. Tensions, which had been simmering for a week, escalated during a mediation meeting chaired by the Naib Tehsildar, where Muslim protesters pelted stones, resulting in four injuries. The Hindus are also believed to have retaliated against the attack. The police intervened to control the situation. The injured, including a woman, were hospitalized.

Why it is Hate Crime ?

This case has been added to the Hinduphobia tracker under two prime categories. The first is- Attack on Hindu religious representations. Under this, the sub-category chosen is- Encroachment or illicit takeover of temple land/ land near temple. In Hinduism, a temple is the abode of the Deity. The Deity in the Temple is consecrated, thereby, making it a real, breathing entity. Hindus believe that not just the Deity but the temple premises itself are sacred to Hindus since Hindus hold the faith that the entire Temple space is an amalgamation of the divine energy of the deity. Not only the Temple but the Temple premises in its entirety are considered sacred by Hindus. In several cases, the premises of the Temple and/or religious centre are illicitly taken over by institutions belonging to other faiths – like the Waqf board or the Church. Other times, the temple property, land or the property of religious centres are illicitly encroached by non-Hindu groups. Any illicit take over or encroachment is a crime an initio, however, when non-Hindu groups illicitly take over or encroach the sacred land of Hindus, it is an affront to the Hindu community and is therefore classified as a religiously motivated hate crime under this category. The second prime category under which this case has been placed is- Attack not resulting in death. Under this, the sub-category selected 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. The incident in Biroda village, Burhanpur district, reflects a religiously motivated hate crime against Hindus, stemming from the illicit claiming of a Hindu religious site by the Muslim community. The grave of Hindu saint Navnath Baba, a sacred site for Hindus, was falsely declared a 'Dargah' by members of the Muslim community, leading to tensions and protests. This claim was not only an attack on the sanctity of a Hindu religious site but also an attempt to undermine Hindu beliefs and cultural heritage. The situation escalated into a communal clash, with Muslims turning violent and pelting stones at the Hindus during a mediation meeting. It may be noted here that the attack was initiated by the Muslim side, only after which the Hindus acted in reprisal. This sequence of events underscores that the initial aggression came from the Muslims. Such an act of appropriating a Hindu religious site and provoking violent clashes is indicative of an underlying animosity towards Hindu religious identity, making this a clear case of religiously motivated hate crime against Hindus.