Hindu Dalit family harassed, abused with identity based slurs by local Muslim henchman; forced to flee the village
Lakhimpur, Uttar Pradesh, India 
15 January, 2025
Case Summary
A Hindu Dalit family has lodged a complaint with the Lakhimpur Kheri police station in Uttar Pradesh against a local Muslim goon, Mohammad Yunus, accusing him of persistent harassment. The family stated that if they do not receive any assistance from the authorities, they will have no choice but to flee the village. According to the complainants, Yunus is an influential local criminal, and due to his clout, the police have been unwilling to take action against him. In their letter addressed to the station in charge, the distressed family stated that Yunus had been targeting their property for a long time, subjecting them to repeated harassment as a result. Citing a specific incident from January 16, 2025, Mannu Devi, one of the complainants, stated that around 6 PM, they were sitting outside their house by the fire when the incident took place. At that time, Yunus, son of Sabir, a resident of Harsihampur, was riding his bicycle carrying a bundle of dried sugarcane on the paved road in front of her house. Meanwhile, Dev Kumari, wife of Bijendra, a resident of our village, was coming from the opposite direction with her child in her arms. Yunus hit her with his bicycle, causing the child to fall into the fire and burn his hand. MMannu Devi's daughter, Julie, immediately picked up the child, but by then, Yunus deliberately ran his bicycle over Julie. When Mannu Devi and her family members protested, Yunus started hurling caste-based abuses at them. When her husband objected, Yunus and his accomplice, Sahban (son of Shaheed), who also arrived at the spot, started assaulting Mannu Devi, her husband and her daughter. The complainant stated that every time she went to the Jhanda police post to report the issue, her complaints were ignored. She mentioned that whenever she submitted a written complaint, she would be assaulted again the next day. According to her, the accused intended to forcefully drive her out of the village and illegally seize her land. She further alleged that because the village head and influential individuals were associated with him, her grievances were not being heard. She informed that she had already met with the CO of Nidhasan, but no action had been taken on her complaint. Expressing her distress, she stated that she was being compelled to sell her home and leave, as she feared that she could be murdered at any time. She accused Yunus of being a highly influential and criminal-minded individual, whose interest in her land had led to repeated assaults on her family. She claimed that whenever she lodged a complaint, the police not only threatened her but also dismissed her concerns. She also alleged that her medical examination was never conducted despite repeated attacks. The complainant further stated that Yunus had close connections with the in-charge of the police post, due to which no action was taken against him. She urged that her case should be investigated by another officer, as she was in extreme distress and had approached the authorities as a last resort.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
This case has been added to the tracker under two prime categories. The first is- Attack not resulting in death and within 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. The second category which has been chosen here is- Hate speech against Hindus and within this, the sub-category selected is- Anti-Hindu slurs, mocking faith. Anti-Hindu slurs and the deliberate mocking of the Hindu faith owing to religious animosity involve the usage of derogatory terms, stereotypes, or offensive references to religious practices, symbols, or figures. One of the common anti-Hindu slurs used against Hindus is “cow-worshipper” and “cow piss drinker”. The intention of using this term is to demean and mock Hindus as a group and their religious beliefs since Hindus consider the cow holy. Additionally, some symbols and the slurs attached to them have a historical context that exacerbates the insult, hate, stereotyping, dehumanisation and oppression against Hindus. Cow worship has been used for centuries to denigrate Hindus, insult their faith and oppress Hindus specifically as a religious group. There has been overwhelming documentation about how cow slaughter has been used to persecute Hindus with cow meat being thrown in temples and places of worship. There has also been overwhelming documentation where cow meat (beef) has been force-fed to Hindus to either forcefully convert them to Islam or denigrate their faith. Apart from cow worship, the Swastika – which holds deep religious significance for the Hindus – has also been misinterpreted and distorted to use as a slur against Hindus. Similarly, the worship of the Shivling has been used by supremacist ideologies and religions to denigrate Hindus owing to religious animosity. Such slurs and denigration stem out of inherent animosity and hate towards Hindus and their faith, therefore, it is categorised as hate speech targeted at Hindus specifically owing to their religious identity. Here, the Hindu Dalit family was systematically targeted, harassed, and threatened by a local Muslim goon, Mohammad Yunus, who had been attempting to seize their property. The complaint highlighted how they are being subjected to repeated acts of violence and intimidation. While it can be said that the initial trigger for the violence may have been non-religious, the incident escalated into a religiously motivated hate crime as Mohammad Yunus, the Muslim perpetrator, proceeded to hurl caste-based and anti-Hindu slurs while assaulting the Hindu Dalit family. At this point, it can be argued that a caste-specific slur is aimed at her micro identity of belonging to the Dalit section of the Hindu community and not her Hindu identity itself. However, as far as Abrahamic religions are concerned, the micro identities of caste, region, and language are secondary. It is the religious identity that drives the animosity of the perpetrator against the Hindu victim. In this case, while Mohammad Yunus hurled caste abuses at the victim, the animosity was driven by his animosity towards Hinduism and Hindus. While the immediate trigger of the violence could be the Hindu family's property as mentioned in reports, the fact that caste slurs were hurled at the victim by the perpetrator makes it a religiously motivated hate crime against the victim.
Case Status
Complaint filed
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Muslim Extremists
Perpetrators Range
One Person
Perpetrators Gender
male
Sources 
