BJP worker shot dead by Maoists in front of his family for worshipping Durga

Case ID : e97a3ab | Location : Ambagarh Chauki, Chhattisgarh, India | Date of Incident : Fri, 20 October, 2023

Case ID : e97a3ab

Ambagarh Chauki, Chhattisgarh, India

20 October, 2023

BJP worker shot dead by Maoists in front of his family for worshipping Durga

Attack resulting in death

Attacked for supporting/being part of perceived Hindu party/org or working for Hindu community

Attack against Hindu devotees

Case Summary

On October 21, 2023, unidentified assailants shot and killed a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) worker in the Maoist-affected town of Ambagarh Chowki, situated in the Mohla-Manpur district of Chhattisgarh. The deceased was identified as Birju Taram, the former Manpur division general secretary and currently the deputy president of the BJP’s farmers unit. Speaking about the murder, Ravindra Singh, the secretary of BJP’s Rajnandgaon district, mentioned, “Sarkheda is a village plagued by Naxal activity. Sarju Tekam, a tribal leader, openly threatened to harm BJP leaders during a public speech in the presence of a Congress MLA. Several months ago, unidentified individuals desecrated a Durga idol in Sarkheda. We suspect that our party worker Taram was murdered due to his association with the worship of the Durga idol.” Raman Singh, the former three-time Chief Minister and a vice president of the BJP, opined that Birju Taram was murdered only because he was associated with the party and was a Maa Durga devotee. “Today, near Aundhi, our senior party worker, Birjhu Taram, who warmly welcomed me on stage and was part of our rally, was brutally murdered. His only ‘crime’ is being a BJP worker who supports the worship of the Durga idol. Some individuals had issued threats, and it appears that this incident is a result of those threats. The government has failed to provide security to BJP workers. I hold the government and local administration responsible for this incident because they failed to take action against the individual who made the threat. Timely action could have prevented this tragedy,” he said. More details of the case emerged later. The BJP leader was hacked by Maoists in front of his family members and the murderers left the house after hanging a Maoist banner. The armed cadres broke down Pancham’s door with axes, barged in and hacked him to death in front of his family. The Maoist west Bastar division committee claimed responsibility for the murder and said Pancham didn’t heed repeated warnings, “which is why he was killed in front of his family members”.

Why it is Hate Crime ?

This case has been included in the hate tracker under the prime category 'attack resulting in death'. Further, per case details, two sub-categories have been chosen under the abovementioned category. The first sub-category relevant here 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 traditions/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 the 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, cases where the attack led to the death of the Hindu victim/s would be documented. The second sub-category under which this case has been placed is- In several cases, Hindus are attacked specifically or tangentially for their association with parties or organizations perceived to be pro-Hindu and/or for working in favor of the Hindu community. One of the classic cases was the attack against a Bharatiya Janata Party Yuva Morcha (BJYM) worker Praveen Nettaru. Nettaru was attacked and hacked to death for his association with Hindu organizations and his work for the Hindu community. He was murdered by PFI, a terror organization that aimed to commit a genocide of Hindus, target Hindu leaders specifically, and turn India into an Islamic Nation. In such cases, it is possible that the immediate trigger for the violence is non-religious – either according to the perpetrator or the police. However, there are surrounding circumstances from which the conclusion can be reached that the victim was attacked for his association with a Hindu organization. In a similar case, Rinku Sharma was attacked by radicals. He was a member of Bajrang Dal and regularly worked for the Hindu community. While the police cited a different non-religious trigger for the attack, it is true that he was associated to a Hindu organization and the family of Rinku Sharma specifically attributed his gruesome murder to him working for Bajrang Dal and raising Jai Shree Ram slogans. Such cases are intrinsically driven by religious hate. Under this category, cases where the attack led to the death of the Hindu victim/s would be documented. Here, a BJP worker was tragically shot dead in a Naxal-affected area, and the party has alleged that he was targeted not only for his political affiliation but also for worshipping Goddess Durga. This incident is a stark example of religiously motivated hate. The killing, which appears to be driven by animosity towards the victim's association with the BJP and his devotion to a Hindu deity, highlights the intersection of political and religious intolerance. In regions affected by Naxal insurgency, where ideological conflicts often turn violent, the victim's religious practices and political identity likely made him a target for those opposing both. The party's allegation points to a deeper issue of intolerance where religious worship, particularly of Hindu deities, is seen as a threat by those with opposing beliefs. The act of violence against this BJP worker serves as a brutal attempt to suppress not just political opposition but also religious expression, reinforcing the dangerous blend of ideological and religious hatred in such regions. It is important to mention here that though the last update was that the miscreants were unknown, regardless, the action stemmed out of hatred against Hinduism and resulted in the killing of a Hindu devotee and would therefore be considered a religiously motivated hate crime.