Hindus protesting incidents of 'Love Jihad' and atrocities and assaults on the Hindu community attacked by Islamists

Case ID : ca1c6b5 | Location : Ahmadnagar, Maharashtra, India | Date of Incident : Tue, 6 June, 2023

Case ID : ca1c6b5

Ahmadnagar, Maharashtra, India

6 June, 2023

Hindus protesting incidents of 'Love Jihad' and atrocities and assaults on the Hindu community attacked by Islamists

Attack not resulting in death

Attacked for opposing radicals or trying to save victim

Case Summary

On June 7, the Ahmednagar Police in Maharashtra arrested 17 persons after massive violence erupted in the Samnapur village of Sangamner amid a rally organized by Sakal Hindu Samaj, an umbrella organization of several Hindutva outfits. However, it has been said that no stone pelters have been arrested, and the 17 arrested are Hindu youths. The Hindu organizations had organized a peaceful march in Sangamner protesting against several recent incidents of Love Jihad and atrocities and assaults on the Hindu community. The march was concluded peacefully but while on their return, the members of the Hindu organization were attacked by people from another community who pelted stones and also damaged vehicles. In the violence, several vehicles were damaged and two people were injured. It was reported that people from another community attacked the Hindus first after which a fight broke out between the two communities.

Why it is Hate Crime ?

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. In this instance, the Hindus were protesting against incidents of Love Jihad and atrocities and assaults on the Hindu community, which became the trigger for the attack on them by Islamists. It's crucial to keep in mind that while the police detained the Hindus for the violence, members of the Muslim community were the ones who initiated the attack by hurling stones and damaging cars. The Hindus only launched an attack later in reprisal for the attack against them; the Muslims had started the initial assault. Hindus were the target of the attack because they disapproved of crimes against their own people that were motivated by their religion. Due to the perpetrator's obvious contempt for the victim's faith, this case qualifies for documentation under this hate tracker.