Hindu man threatened and assaulted in Muslim-majority locality for organising Hindu religious events

Case ID : ea34800 | Location : Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh, India | Date of Incident : Tue, 8 April, 2025

Case ID : ea34800

Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh, India

8 April, 2025

Hindu man threatened and assaulted in Muslim-majority locality for organising Hindu religious events

Attack not resulting in death

Attacked for Hindu identity

Case Summary

Anil Kumar, a Hindu man, was assaulted and threatened by local Muslim extremists in Iqbal Colony in Ghaziabad. Iqbal Colony is a Muslim-majority locality with only around 18 Hindu families residing there. Anil Kumar is known in the neighbourhood for organising Hindu religious events such as Mata ki Chowki, Hanuman Chalisa chanting sessions, and bhandaras, which have become a source of spiritual cohesion and cultural affirmation for the minority Hindu community. On the day of the incident, Anil Kumar dropped his children at school and was on his way back when he was stopped by a group of Muslim men. They confronted him regarding his religious activities in the area and expressed hostility towards the gatherings he had been organising. During the altercation, he was slapped over his helmet and threatened that he would be targeted before 7 PM. Following the incident, attempts were made to reach out to the police, but there was no immediate response from the authorities.

Why it is Hate Crime ?

This case has been added to the tracker under the prime category of- Attack not resulting in death. Under this, the first sub-category 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. This case qualifies as a hate crime because the Hindu victim, Anil Kumar, was targeted solely for his religious identity and peaceful religious activities. He was known for organising events like Mata ki Chowki, Hanuman Chalisa chanting, and bhandaras, which served as communal and spiritual gatherings for the minority Hindu population in a predominantly Muslim locality. The fact that he was confronted, slapped, and threatened with violence simply for conducting these religious gatherings indicates that the attack stemmed not from any personal dispute or provocation, but from animosity towards his visible and active Hindu identity. This places the case firmly within the category of being attacked for Hindu identity. Further, Anil Kumar’s religious involvement was not merely personal but also community-oriented. His efforts to preserve and express the Hindu community’s traditions in the area reflect a public role akin to supporting or working for the Hindu community. The threat he received suggests an attempt to intimidate and suppress Hindu religious expression. Based on the statement of the victim himself, this case is classified as a hate crime where the victim was targeted specifically because of his religious identity.