Karnataka: Headmistress breaks hand of Hindu student for worshipping Lord Ganesh idol

Case ID : e97a0b5 | Location : Kolar, Karnataka, India | Date of Incident : Wed, 20 September, 2023

Case ID : e97a0b5

Kolar, Karnataka, India

20 September, 2023

Karnataka: Headmistress breaks hand of Hindu student for worshipping Lord Ganesh idol

Attack not resulting in death

Attacked for Hindu identity

Attack against Hindu devotees

Case Summary

A 7th-grade student was severely beaten and abused by the headmistress of Allikalli Village Primary School in KGF (Kolar Gold Fields) Taluk in Karnataka for worshipping Lord Ganesh. Bhavyashree’s left hand was fractured as a result of the severity of the punishment. The accused, Hemalatha was suspended on 20 September after the girl’s family members lodged a complaint with the block education officer. Hemlatha was also directed to take care of the medical expenses of the student. The action was taken on the directive of Kolar Deputy Director of Public Instruction, Krishna Murthy. She was ordered to cover the student’s medical expenses. Furthermore, villagers have also spoken up in opposition to the teacher’s behaviour. According to the police, the perpetrator punished the minor for worshipping a Ganesh statue in school last week. The headmistress assaulted the student with such force that he suffered a fracture on her left hand. The BEO, Munivenkataramachari, visited the injured student and submitted a report against the government teacher.

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. In this case, the Hindu student was punished for worshipping Lord Ganesh. This is a direct violation of the right to religious freedom and a clear instance of religious intolerance and discrimination. The attack was completely unprovoked and motivated by hostility or prejudice against Hindus and their religious practices. Such acts are driven by intolerance and a desire to intimidate or harm individuals based on their religious identity and qualify as a hate crime. This case is also being added to the sub-cagetory 'attack against Hindu devotees' since the attack was directed at the boy specifically for him being a devotee.