Hindu youth in Anand, Gujarat, attacked by a Muslim mob for waving a saffron flag in Tiranga Yatra on Independence Day

Case ID : b7c3eba | Location : Anand, Gujarat, India | Date of Incident : Thu, 17 August, 2023

Case ID : b7c3eba

Anand, Gujarat, India

17 August, 2023

Hindu youth in Anand, Gujarat, attacked by a Muslim mob for waving a saffron flag in Tiranga Yatra on Independence Day

Attack not resulting in death

Attacked for Hindu identity

Case Summary

In Samarkha, Anand, an incident involving an attack on a Hindu youth by Muslim youths was reported. On August 18, 2023, at 8 pm, 21-year-old Kalpesh Chauhan was assaulted by Muslim youths while returning home from Gorakhpur to Samarkha. He was beaten with a bat. The Muslim youth beat the victim keeping in mind the flag hoisting during the Tiranga Yatra on 15th August. Nearby residents quickly gathered at the scene, prompting authorities, including the Superintendent of Police and representatives from various units, to arrive swiftly to investigate the incident. Speaking to the local media channel ‘Charotar Ka Awaaz’, the victim said, “I was beaten up for waving the saffron flag at the Tiranga rally held on August 15. I had gone to Samarkha at 5 p.m. and was returning at around 7.30-8 p.m. when five to six Muslims came with two bikes from the back and started dashing the bike and saying ‘Why do you wave the saffron flag?’ Then I fell down, and even then they hit me with the bat all over my body.” He said, “I had a saffron-coloured flag and I used to climb onto the DJ and hoist the flag over which I have been beaten up.”

Why it is Hate Crime ?

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. Here the trigger of the attack was the Hindu youth carrying a saffron flag. Because of their spiritual, cultural, and historical importance in Hinduism, saffron flags are powerful emblems of Hindu identity and the perpetrators were triggered because the Hindu youth was carrying a saffron flag. Without any provocation from the victim's side, the Muslim perpetrators attacked the victim only because of his Hindu identity. Such acts of violence are driven by intolerance and a desire to intimidate or harm individuals based on their religious identity and qualify as a hate crime.