Students hands broken for wearing Kalava, forcibly made to shout slogans of "Pakistan Zindabad", pictures of Gods and Goddesses torn

Case ID : e97a436 | Location : Jhansi, Uttar Pradesh, India | Date of Incident : Wed, 27 September, 2023

Case ID : e97a436

Jhansi, Uttar Pradesh, India

27 September, 2023

Students hands broken for wearing Kalava, forcibly made to shout slogans of "Pakistan Zindabad", pictures of Gods and Goddesses torn

Attack on Hindu religious representations

Desecration of Hindu religious symbol

Case Summary

On September 28, 2023, the exchange of students between Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas (JNVs) of Uttar Pradesh’s Jhansi and Jammu and Kashmir’s Rajouri as part of an integration programme came to an abrupt end months ahead of schedule when they were sent back to their parent schools after the visiting pupils were assaulted by residents of the host institute in the Union Territory. The students from Jhansi, 20 in number, said that their counterparts at JNV, Kotranka, in Rajouri district assaulted some of them following a heated exchange. They revealed how the hand of a student was broken just because he was wearing Kalava in his hand. The students of Rajouri forcibly made the students of Jhansi school raise slogans of 'Pakistan Zindabad' and beat them up if they protested. Deepak Kumar, a resident of Nunar Khair in Gursarai, said that Kashmiri students forcefully made him chant 'Pakistan Zindabad' slogans. When he refused, they beat him and made him clean their dirty utensils. Another student named Vipul said that the photos of the Hindu God and goodness he had put up were also torn.

Why it is Hate Crime ?

Icons and symbols or a religious representation of a spiritual ideal are widely revered in Hinduism. Iconography is of vital significance in the Hindu milieu. It helps connect people’s spiritual beliefs with the real world. Iconography within the Hindu faith takes several shapes and forms. Murtis are of most significance to Hindus, to which daily rituals, prayers and offerings are done. Besides the murtis, there are several other symbols which have deep significance in the Hindu faith – the Om and Swastika for example. Since these Hindu religious symbols hold paramount importance in Hinduism, any desecration of symbols, icons, murtis, religious representations and manifestations, is driven by animosity towards the faith itself which manifests itself through these murtis, icons and symbols. Therefore, any desecration of these Hindu religious symbols and representations is considered religiously motivated hate crimes under this category. In this case, some Kashmiri students forced a Hindu student to remove the sacred thread (Kalava) from his wrists. In fact, the Hindu student was assaulted and his hand was broken for wearing a Kalava. In Hinduism, the Kalava holds 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 trying to force Hindus to remove wearing Kalava's, the Kashmiri students basically displayed their deep disdain for the Hindu faith. Furthermore, the Hindu students were forced to chant 'Pakistan Zindabad' slogan and posters of Hindu god and goddess were desecrated. All these actions stem from hatred towards the Hindu faith, which is why this case has been categorised as a religiously motivated hate crime.