Hindu student harassed and threatened in Bengaluru for sitting with Muslim classmate
Bangalore Urban, Karnataka, India 
4 April, 2025
Case Summary
In Bengaluru, a Hindu boy and his Muslim classmate faced harassment in Bengaluru. The incident occurred when the two classmates were sitting together on a motorbike. A group of five Muslim youths confronted the girl, who was wearing a burqa, and questioned her presence with a Hindu boy. They demanded her family’s contact details and tried to shame her for associating with someone outside her faith. When the girl refused to comply and clarified that the boy was her classmate, the group intimidated and physically assaulted the Hindu boy. In addition to the verbal abuse, the group filmed the interaction and circulated the footage on social media without consent, further violating the privacy of the two students. The girl later approached the police and lodged a complaint against the perpetrators. Following the complaint, the Bengaluru police detained four young men—identified as Mahim, Afridi, Wasim, and Anjum—along with a minor. The case was registered at Chandra Layout police station, and all five individuals were taken into custody for questioning. Deputy Commissioner of Police confirmed that an investigation had been launched and further legal action would follow based on the findings.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
This case has been added as a religiously motivated hate crime under two prime categories. the first is- Men attacked for being associated with non-Hindu women. Under this, the sub-category selected is- Attacked/killed for being associated or suspicion of being associated with Muslim woman. There have been several cases documented of Hindu men/boys being attacked specifically by Muslim groups/mobs for merely being associated or suspicion of being associated or being seen with a Muslim woman in public. In most of such cases, the Hindu man is not in a relationship with the Muslim woman, however, the mob proceeds to threaten and/or assault the Hindu man for merely being associated with the Muslim woman in any capacity. The rise of such crimes stems from a particularly sinister campaign run by several Muslim ideologues and activists. The campaign claims that Hindu men are attempting to ‘lure’ Muslim women into relationships to ensure that Muslim women leave their faith and follow Hinduism. The propaganda has been spearheaded with the help of WhatsApp groups and the extensive use of social media, sans evidence of the same. In many cases, pamphlets were fabricated to lend credence to this campaign. The root of this campaign lies in the fact that several cases of sectarian crimes against Hindu women in relationships with Muslim men have been documented. In such cases, Hindu women have often been forced/pressured to convert to Islam, assaulted, threatened and even murdered owing specifically to their religious identity and their refusal to give up that religious identity to adopt Islam. To delegitimize the suffering of Hindu women when such sectarian crimes are committed against them, the theory of ‘Bhagwa Love Trap’ was floated by sections of the Muslim community. As this theory gained traction, Muslim mobs started targeting Hindu men who were seen with Muslim women. In several such cases, the Hindu man was assaulted merely for offering to drop a Muslim woman in his vehicle or being friends. The differentiating factor between such cases and legitimate cases of Hindu women being targeted while in a relationship with Muslim men is that there is no sectarian violence, and force/pressure to convert. The nature of sectarian violence against Hindu women is not about two adults in a consensual relationship, working together, studying together, or even marrying each other where religious considerations are declared. In this category of crimes, it is pertinent to remember that in none of the cases, there is an element of the Hindu man masking his identity or forced religious conversion. Such cases are driven by specific religious motivations and against the religious identity of the victim and are therefore qualified as hate crimes. The second is- Attack not resulting in death and under this, the 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 incident is classified as a religiously motivated hate crime because the Hindu boy was specifically targeted for being seen in public with a Muslim girl. The confrontation was not based on any inappropriate behaviour or public misconduct, but solely on the religious identities of the individuals involved. The aggressors expressed outrage that a Muslim girl, wearing a burqa, was sitting with a Hindu boy and demanded to know why she was associating with someone outside her faith. This reaction was not motivated by concern for the girl’s safety or consent, but rather by an ingrained religious bias and a desire to enforce sectarian boundaries through intimidation. The act of filming the incident and sharing it online further aimed to shame the individuals and send a broader message of religious control within public spaces. This act underscores a discriminatory mindset that seeks to target individuals based solely on their religious affiliation, irrespective of the situation. Such incidents highlight the systematic and deliberate nature of religious intolerance, deeply rooted in hatred for Hindus and their faith. Considering these factors, the case has been categorized as a religiously motivated hate crime, driven by the perpetrators' hostility toward the Hindu community and its beliefs.
Victim Details
Total Victim
1
Deceased
0
Gender
- Male 1
- Female 0
- Third Gender 0
- Unknown 0
Caste
- SC/ST 0
- OBC 0
- General 0
- Unknown 1
Age Group
- Minor 0
- Adult 1
- Senior Citizen 0
- Unknown 0
Case Status
Arrested
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Muslim Extremists
Perpetrators Range
From 2 To 5
Perpetrators Gender
male
Sources 
