Left organisation SFI assault and lock up Hindu woman in a Kerala college room for wearing a rakhi, distributing ABVP pamphlets

Case ID : e97a3b0 | Location : Kannur, Kerala, India | Date of Incident : Sun, 15 October, 2023

Case ID : e97a3b0

Kannur, Kerala, India

15 October, 2023

Left organisation SFI assault and lock up Hindu woman in a Kerala college room for wearing a rakhi, distributing ABVP pamphlets

Attack not resulting in death

Attacked for Hindu identity

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

Case Summary

K Aradhana, a female member of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), was locked up in a dimly lit room for several hours by Students’ Federation of India (SFI) goons at Government Polytechnic College in Kannur, Kerala. The incident took place after she was assaulted by SFI members, an act prompted by her distribution of ABVP membership forms and wearing a rakhi on her wrist. During this confinement, she was also denied access to the restroom. The SFI goons subjected her to verbal abuse and demanded that she remove the rakhi from her wrist. When she inquired about the reason for this demand, they argued that it shouldn’t be worn within the college premises. They proceeded to inspect her bag and subsequently locked her up in a room. Aradhana’s father had to visit the campus to secure her release from captivity. In the absence of the principal on the campus, law enforcement had to intervene to resolve the situation.

Why it is Hate Crime ?

This case is being added to the primary category 'attack not resulting in death'. The first subcategory being 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 other sub-category this case is being added to is attacked for supporting/being part of perceived Hindu party/org or working for Hindu community. In several cases, Hindus are attacked specifically or tangentially for their association with parties or organisations perceived to be pro-Hindu and/or for working in favour 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 which 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 and would therefore be documented as a hate crime under this category. Here, the goons belonging to SFI, linked to the Communist Party of India (Marxist), harassed an ABVP student, an organisation affiliated to Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and known for its right-wing Hindu nationalist ideology, for wearing a Rakhi or a Kalawa around her wrist. In may be noted that Rakhi or Kalawa, in Hinduism, holds a deep religious, cultural, and spiritual significance. It symbolizes protection, blessings, unity, and commitment to spiritual and ethical principles. Its use across various rituals and ceremonies underscores its importance in the Hindu way of life and by targeting the Hindu student because of the religious symbol (rakhi) she was wearing, the SFI goons not only infringed on the religious rights of the Hindu student but also displayed their animosity and prejudice against Hindu beliefs. Since the act was prejudicial to the rights of Hindus and stems from hatred against Hinduism, this case is being categorised as a religiously motivated hate crime.