Case Summary

In Jharkhand, six minor tribal Hindu girls and one woman were harassed and molested by a group of Muslim youths, one of whom has been identified as Sarfaroz, while they were bathing in the Damodar River. Due to a water shortage in their village, many girls and women had gone to the river to bathe. On June 4, while the girls were bathing, a group of Muslim youths arrived at the river and began harassing and molesting the tribal girls and the woman present. When the victims protested, the youths physically assaulted them. As of the time of writing this report, a complaint was filed with the police by the victims' relatives, but no action has been taken so far.

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Why it is Hate Crime ?

This case raises serious questions as to whether the minor Hindu girls and a Hindu woman were religiously profiled and targeted by the Muslim perpetrators. In many instances, Muslim perpetrators have targeted Hindu women for sexual exploitation, often due to underlying religious animosity towards Hindus and Hinduism. However, it is also possible that the crime was opportunistic, with the Muslim perpetrators finding the Hindu girls accessible. Some might argue that Muslim perpetrators would have easier access to Muslim girls compared to Hindu girls, so the specific targeting of a Hindu girl could be an indication of a religious motivation behind the crime. Nevertheless, such conclusions remain speculative, as the current details of this case do not provide clear evidence of religious motivations. Since there is no conclusive evidence of religious motivation, this case is being added to the Undecided database. If further information emerges that indicates that this case was motivated by religious animosity, then it would be categorised under the hate crime database.