Communal clashes erupt after Muslim youths, during Eid Milad procession, make objectionable comments and obscene gestures at Hindu youths distributing prasad at the Ambaji temple
Vadodara, Gujarat, India 
28 September, 2023
Case Summary
On Saturday (30 September), the Vadodara Police arrested 20 individuals for hurting the religious sentiments of the Hindu community while taking out a procession on the occasion of Eid Milad un Nabi in Padra in Gujarat’s Vadodara. Superintendent of Police (Vadodara Rural) Rohan Anand stated that some members of the procession made obscene gestures and uttered words hurting religious sentiments when it was passing by a temple on Friday night (29 September). He added that following the incident, a group of people from the Hindu community gathered outside Padra police station demanding strict action against the culprits. According to the SP, the crowd was dispersed, and based on the complaint of one Ajay Parmar, an FIR was lodged against 13 identified and other unknown accused who were part of the procession. The accused have been booked under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) including sections 143 (unlawful assembly), 153A (promoting enmity between different groups), 294B (obscene acts and songs), 298 (uttering words, etc., with deliberate intent to wound religious feelings) and 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), the SP noted. He added that further investigation into the incident was underway. According to media reports, on Friday (29 September), clashes broke out between Hindu and Muslim communities during an Eid Milad procession organised in Padra, Vadodara. It is said that when the procession reached the Ambaji temple, some Muslim youths from the crowd clashed with Hindu youths and uttered offensive words that hurt the religious sentiments of the Hindu community. Following the incident, Hindus reached the police station in large numbers and lodged a complaint. Notably, the Muslim community was taking out a procession in Padra on the occasion of Eid-e-Milad-Un-Nabi, the birth anniversary of Prophet Muhammad. At around 10 PM, the procession reached the Ambaji temple located in the city where some Hindu youths were distributing prasad in the temple. According to the complaint of Hindu organisations, the individuals who were part of the procession engaged in brawls with them. They added that Muslim youths used obscene gestures and verbal abuse at them which vitiated the atmosphere. However, when things started to escalate, youths from the Hindu community reached the Padra police station in large numbers and gave a petition demanding strict action against the Muslim youths who were making inciting remarks. Subsequently, the police reached the spot and dispersed the crowd to bring the situation under control. The police officials retrieved the CCTV footage. According to SP Rohan Anand, the presence of some of the youths who were making inciting remarks had been established at the place of inquiry regarding their whereabouts at the time of the incident. He stated that the preliminary investigation revealed an altercation between the people who were part of the procession and those sitting in the temple, which hurt the religious sentiments of the latter. It was also said that the Muslim youths were carrying swords and sticks in Eid processions.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
Communal clash is a form of collective violence that involves clashes between groups belonging to different religious identities. For a communal clash between Hindus and non-Hindus to qualify as a religiously motivated hate crime, the trigger of the violence itself would have to be anti-Hindu in essence. For example, if there is a Hindu religious procession that comes under attack from a non-Hindu mob and after the initial attack, Hindus retaliate in self-defence, leading to a communal clash between the two religious communities. While at a later stage, both communities are involved in the clash/violence, the initial trigger of the violence was by the non-Hindu mob against the Hindus and therefore, it could safely be termed as an anti-Hindu violence. Further, the trigger would also have to be religiously motivated. In the cited example, the attack by the non-Hindu mob was against religious processions and therefore, can be concluded to be religiously motivated. In some cases, the trigger may be non-religious, however, it develops into religious violence against Hindus at a later stage. In such cases too, the foundational animosity towards Hindus becomes the motivating factor of the crime and therefore, it would be classified as a religiously motivated hate crime against Hindus under this category. The other sub-category relevant in this case is 'attack against Hindu devotees'. Hindu devotees are a few of the easiest targets of religiously motivated hate crimes because during the festival/procession/puja etc, for non-Hindus it is easy to profile their victims on the basis of religion. Hindu devotees come under attack on several occasions by individual non-Hindus or mobs of non-Hindus owing to their animosity against Hinduism, its symbols and tradition/practices. There are several instances of Hindu devotees being attacked while they worship in temples or temporary religious structures, during religious processions, doing bhajan/kirtan/puja in their own homes, in the residential society etc. These attacks are perpetrated by non-Hindus primarily because of their animosity towards Hindus and their faith. In some cases, the trigger for the violence may be non-religious, however, there are two elements that make these hate crimes. First, the Hindus who come under attack are attacked violently while indulging in religious activity. Whether they are in a place of worship or not is immaterial to the crime. When individuals are attacked while indulging in religious practices, the attack in itself is a hindrance to their freedom to practice religion and therefore constitutes a hate crime. Secondly, religious supremacist doctrines and ideologies deem religious practices of Hindus to be offensive ab initio since they are considered “sinful” by these ideologies, worthy to be annihilated by force or coercion. Driven by these religious supremacist ideologies and doctrines, the attacks against Hindu devotees stem from intrinsic animosity towards Hinduism. In some cases, the trigger for the violence may be non-religious, however, it develops into a religiously motivated crime during the course of the violence. Since these attacks stem from animosity towards Hindus and Hinduism, they are considered religiously motivated hate crimes under this category. This case is also being added to the primary category of hate speech under the secondary category 'Anti-Hindu slurs and mocking Hindu faith' since the Hindu victims attested that offensive words and slurs were also hurled at the devotees. 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. The other primary category that this case is being added to is 'attack on Hindu religious representations' under two sub-categories. The first is 'attack on temples'. In Hinduism, a temple is the abode of the Deity. The Deity in the Temple is consecrated, thereby, making it a real, breathing entity. Hindus believe that not just the Deity but the temple premises itself are sacred to Hindus since Hindus hold the faith that the entire Temple space is an amalgamation of the divine energy of the deity. Given the central significance of Temples in Hindu Dharma, any attack against a Hindu Temple or its peripheral premises is an attack on the faith itself and is born out of animosity towards the faith, of which, the Temple is a central tenet. Any manner of attack against a Temple and/or its premises would therefore be considered a religiously motivated hate crime. The second sub-category is 'Abrahamic religious chanting outside Hindu religious places'. In Hinduism, a temple is the abode of the Deity. The Deity in the Temple is consecrated, thereby, making it a real, breathing entity. Hindus believe that not just the Deity but the temple premises itself are sacred to Hindus since Hindus hold the faith that the entire Temple space is an amalgamation of the divine energy of the deity. Similarly, religious activities hold deep significance for Hindus, as they are intricately connected to their spiritual, cultural, and social lives. These practices encompass rituals, festivals, prayers, and pilgrimages that celebrate and honour various deities, fostering a sense of spiritual connection, community, and cultural continuity. Given the central significance of Temples and religious activities in Hindu Dharma, any aggressive Abrahamic chanting outside Temples or during religious activities negates the divinity of the religious space because the chanting itself negates the existence of any other God other than the God of the Abrahamic faith. Such chanting is specifically done to negate the faith of Hindus, establish religious supremacy, intimidate the devotees and mock the faith. Besides temples, such Abrahamic chanting outside any Hindu place of worship or religious structure or during any religious activity has the same effect. Since such acts are rooted in an inherent religious supremacist mentality driven by religious animosity, such crimes would be considered religiously motivated hate crimes under this category. In this instance, when the Eid procession reached the Ambaji temple, some Muslim youths from the crowd clashed with Hindu youths and uttered offensive words that hurt the religious sentiments of the Hindu community. The trigger for the clash was the objectionable comments and obscene gestures made by Muslim youths towards the Hindu youths when the latter were distributing prasad in the temple. It is important to note that there was no provocation from the Hindu side. The Muslims provoked the Hindus by uttering offensive words that hurt the religious sentiments of Hindus, after which the individuals of the two communities clashed with each other. Moreover, the report suggests that the Muslims were carrying swords and iron rods, which implies that the attack was pre-decided. Pertinently, the intent of the Muslim mob to desecrate the Hindu sacred space and attack Hindu devotees is evident from the fact that the Muslim mob waited to reach the Temple to attack Hindus, make obscene gestures and use offensive words against the Hindu devotees. This was not only an attack on the devotees, but also a desecration of the sacred temple space in a planned and coordinated manner, revealing the animosity that was harboured by the Muslim mob against the Hindu faith, its representations and devotees. For that reason, this case is being added to the hate crime database.
Case Status
Complaint registered
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Muslim Extremists
Perpetrators Range
From 10 to 100
Perpetrators Gender
unknown
Sources 
