Hindu activist Bittu Bajrangi's brother burnt to death by Islamists, attackers led by one Armaan

Case ID : f19368c | Location : Faridabad District, Haryana, India | Date of Incident : Tue, 12 December, 2023

Case ID : f19368c

Faridabad District, Haryana, India

12 December, 2023

Hindu activist Bittu Bajrangi's brother burnt to death by Islamists, attackers led by one Armaan

Attack resulting in death

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

Case Summary

Hindu activist Bittu Bajrangi's family was targeted in Faridabad's Dabua Colony on December 13, 2023, in which Bittu Bajrangi's brother Mahesh was doused in thinner and set on fire. Mahesh later succumbed to his injuries. The attackers led by Armaan first ensured the identity of Bittu Bajrangi's brother Mahesh Panchal and as soon as they got confirmation, they poured thinner on him and set him on fire. Bittu later stated that he and his family members were on target of Islamists following the Nuh violence in Haryana. Bittu alleged that the attackers who killed his brother were all involved in the 31st July violence unleashed by Islamists in Haryana’s Nuh district.

Why it is Hate Crime ?

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. In this case, the victim was murdered for being associated with a Hindu activist who works for the protection of the rights of Hindus and against the slaughter of cows. The Hindu activist has been known to be the target of Islamists and his brother, the victim, was killed after attackers specifically ascertained his identity to be associated with the activist. Therefore, this is being classified as a religiously motivated hate crime.