Muslims threaten Hindu boy for being friends with Muslim girl

Case ID : f1936cf | Location : Muzaffarnagar, Uttar Pradesh, India | Date of Incident : Sun, 14 May, 2023

Case ID : f1936cf

Muzaffarnagar, Uttar Pradesh, India

14 May, 2023

Muslims threaten Hindu boy for being friends with Muslim girl

Men attacked for being associated with non-Hindu women

Attacked/killed for being associated or suspicion of being associated with Muslim woman

Case Summary

Uttar Pradesh Police lodged an FIR against some Muslim individuals in Muzaffarnagar for harassing a Hindu boy from the Jatt community, and a Muslim girl. The Muslim men objected to the girl's friendship with the Hindu boy, and their joint outings on his motorcycle. A video of the incident circulated widely on social media platforms, depicting the accused harassing and threatening the Hindu man. The men interrogated the man about his identity and warned him against associating with a Muslim girl. The accused forcibly removed the girl's hijab and demanded that she reveal her face on camera. Initially shared by a Twitter account called 'The Jatt Association,' the video showed that the boy received death threats from the accused, and the police had not taken any action. Muzaffarnagar Police confirmed on May 15, 2023, that an FIR had been registered in the case, and the accused individuals had been charged under applicable laws. Police teams were formed to apprehend the accused, and proactive legal measures were being pursued by local law enforcement.

Why it is Hate Crime ?

There have been several cases documented of Hindu men/boys being attacked specifically by Muslim groups/mobs for merely 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.