Hindu delivery boy receives death threats by Muslim customer for having ‘Kattar Hindu’ sticker on his bike

Case ID : e979fd6 | Location : Surat, Gujarat, India | Date of Incident : Sun, 11 June, 2023

Case ID : e979fd6

Surat, Gujarat, India

11 June, 2023

Hindu delivery boy receives death threats by Muslim customer for having ‘Kattar Hindu’ sticker on his bike

Hate speech against Hindus

Violent threats

Attack not resulting in death

Attacked for Hindu identity

Case Summary

In Surat, a delivery boy named Manish Prahaldbhai Chaudhari faced death threats for having 'Kattar Hindu' (staunch Hindu) written on his bike while delivering a parcel to a Muslim girl's house near Farooqui Masjid. The incident happened on June 12, 2023. The girl's father became enraged upon seeing the sticker and threatened Manish, forbidding him from delivering parcels to any Muslim households in the area. Manish, a devout follower of Sanatan Dharma, was shocked by the threats. He described the incident, where the girl's father confronted him aggressively, leading to a verbal altercation and physical assault. “He did not stop at this but also rushed to hit me. For once I thought to myself that if I cannot manage to escape from here, I am sure to meet Kishan Bharwad’s fate,” he said. Despite calling his manager for help, the situation escalated, with the father threatening to kill Manish if he returned. Manish, recalling past incidents of religious violence, expressed fear for his safety and lamented the potential consequences of such encounters while travelling for work.

Why it is Hate Crime ?

This case has been placed in the hate tracker the category- Attack not resulting in death. Under this, 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. This incident in Surat, where a delivery boy named Manish Prahaldbhai Chaudhari faced death threats for having "Kattar Hindu" written on his bike, is a clear example of religiously motivated hate. Manish, a devout follower of Sanatan Dharma, was targeted solely based on the expression of his Hindu identity. The violent reaction from the Muslim girl's father, who not only verbally assaulted but also physically threatened him, underscores a deep intolerance for Hindu symbolism. By forbidding Manish from delivering to Muslim households and issuing death threats, the perpetrator displayed extreme hostility toward the Hindu faith. Manish's reference to Kishan Bharwad, a Hindu youth who was mercilessly killed by Islamists on 25th January 2022 over alleged 'blasphemy', reveals the fear instilled by such threats and the dangerous atmosphere created by religious animosity. This event further highlights how seemingly trivial expressions of religious identity, like a sticker, can provoke aggressive reactions from individuals harbouring religious hatred. This is not just an isolated altercation but a hate crime rooted in intolerance, where a person's religious identity becomes the cause for violent threats and intimidation.