AMU's Muslim mob assault Hindu students, refer to Goddess Sita as ‘prostitute’, ask Hindus to pay ‘jizya’ to play Holi
Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh, India 
20 March, 2024
Case Summary
On March 21, a major uproar erupted as Muslim students attacked Hindu students during Holi celebrations at Aligarh Muslim University (AMU). A viral video showed Hindu students running to save themselves while Islamists rampaged against them. An FIR was lodged under various sections of the Indian Penal Code, with students demanding strict punishment for the culprits. Aditya Pratap Singh, a final-year M.A. student, filed the official complaint, stating that on March 24, at around 2:30 pm, they gathered at the Zakir Hussain College of Engineering and Technology Park for Holi celebrations, when suddenly, a large group of Muslim students, armed with pistols and sticks, arrived and started demanding money for permission to play Holi. Upon objection, they brutally assaulted the Hindu students. They hurled abuses at Hindu Gods and Goddesses and announced, “Today, let us teach a lesson to the children of prostitute Sita.” Despite paying Rs 750, the Islamists still attacked the Hindu students. The victims narrowly escaped death and notified the authorities.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
This particular case has been classified as a religiously motivated hate crime under two prime categories of the tracker because of the various distinct components that demonstrate the perpetrator's bias against the Hindu faith. The first prime category selected, as per case specifics, is 'Attack not resulting in death' and within that, the sub-category selected 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. The second primary category this case has been added to is 'hate speech against Hindus' under the sub-category 'anti-Hindu slurs, mocking faith'. Anti-Hindu slurs and the deliberate mocking of the Hindu faith owing to religious animosity involve the usage of derogatory terms, stereotypes, or offensive references to religious practices, symbols, or figures. One of the common anti-Hindu slurs used against Hindus is “cow-worshipper” and “cow piss drinker”. The intention of using this term is to demean and mock Hindus as a group and their religious beliefs since Hindus consider the cow holy. Additionally, some symbols and the slurs attached to them have a historical context that exacerbates the insult, hate, stereotyping, dehumanisation and oppression against Hindus. Cow worship has been used for centuries to denigrate Hindus, insult their faith and oppress Hindus specifically as a religious group. There has been overwhelming documentation about how cow slaughter has been used to persecute Hindus with cow meat being thrown in temples and places of worship. There has also been overwhelming documentation where cow meat (beef) has been force-fed to Hindus to either forcefully convert them to Islam or denigrate their faith. Apart from cow worship, the Swastika – which holds deep religious significance for the Hindus – has also been misinterpreted and distorted to use as a slur against Hindus. Similarly, the worship of the Shivling has been used by supremacist ideologies and religions to denigrate Hindus owing to religious animosity. Such slurs and denigration stem out of inherent animosity and hate towards Hindus and their faith, therefore, it is categorised as hate speech targeted at Hindus specifically owing to their religious identity. In this instance, the Islamists attacked Hindus for celebrating Holi, one of the most significant festivals in Hinduism. As per case details, a large group of Muslim students, armed with pistols and sticks, attacked the Hindu students as they demanded money from the Hindu students to celebrate their festival. Asking Hindus to pay 'jizya', a discriminatory tax levied on Hindus during the Mughal rule, to play Holi constitutes a hate crime as it involves discrimination, coercion, and religious intolerance. Such actions are aimed at suppressing the religious practices of the Hindus. Furthermore, the Islamists hurled insults at Goddess Sita. Goddess Sita is one of the most revered goddesses in Hinduism. She is considered an incarnation of Goddess Lakshmi, the consort of Lord Vishnu. Using derogatory language against a revered figure like Mata Sita is considered blasphemous and deeply offensive to the religious sentiments of Hindus. Such acts are motivated by an underlying animosity for Hindus and their religion, which is why this case has been documented here in the hate tracker.
Case Status
Complaint registered
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Muslim Extremists
Perpetrators Range
Unknown
Perpetrators Gender
unknown
Sources 
