Hindu engineer held hostage and beaten by former Muslim minister's nephew; says was targeted for his Hindu identity

Case ID : f664704 | Location : Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh, India | Date of Incident : Sun, 23 February, 2025

Case ID : f664704

Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh, India

23 February, 2025

Hindu engineer held hostage and beaten by former Muslim minister's nephew; says was targeted for his Hindu identity

Attack not resulting in death

Attacked for Hindu identity

Attacked for opposing radicals or trying to save victim

Case Summary

In Aligarh, a Hindu mobile tower engineer was held hostage and assaulted by the nephew of former Samajwadi Party minister Khwaja Halim. The attack was reportedly motivated by the victim’s Hindu identity like wearing a tilak on his forehead. After filing a case against the accused, the victim received death threats. A video of him recounting his ordeal was shared by the X handle ‘AngrySaffron.’ In the video, the victim revealed that Khwaja Halim’s nephew had been extorting bribes from the company he worked for. When he refused to pay more, he was brutally beaten. The victim further stated that the accused harbored hatred towards him for being a Hindu and made anti-Hindu remarks, saying, "Don’t act so dharmic by wearing a tilak. I will kill you." Following the attack, the victim lodged a police complaint and called for strict action against the perpetrator.

Why it is Hate Crime ?

This case has been added to the tracker under the prime category of Attack not resulting in death. Within 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. The second sub-category selected is- Attacked for opposing radicals or trying to save victims. In several cases, Hindus are attacked for opposing religiously motivated crimes being committed against a fellow Hindu or simply for voicing an opinion opposing radical elements, who either have in the past or continue to persecute Hindus. In such cases, the initial attack against the victim, against which the Hindu was trying to defend the victim, would also need to be classified as a religiously motivated hate crime. Since the initial crime itself was religiously motivated and the subsequent crime of attempting to save the victim or speaking against the radical elements ends up inviting a violent attack, it would also be classified as a religiously motivated hate crime under this category. Here, firstly, the victim was specifically targeted for his refusal to comply with the accused’s extortion demands further provoked the attack, demonstrating a pattern of violent retaliation against those who resist radical elements. Additionally, what makes the religious motive more apparent is that he was assaulted and threatened with life for his visible Hindu identity, as evident from the assailant’s remarks about his tilak. The accused threatened the victim by saying, “Don't act so dharmic by wearing a tilak. I will kill you.” This direct reference to the tilak, a sacred Hindu symbol, underscores the religiously motivated nature of the attack. The tilak is not merely an ornament but a deeply significant mark in Hindu culture, symbolizing devotion, spirituality, and religious identity. By mocking the victim for wearing it and associating it with perceived defiance, the assailant revealed a clear bias against Hindu religious expressions. Furthermore, such incidents are not isolated but part of a broader pattern of hostility towards Hindus displaying their faith publicly. Across various instances, Hindus have faced harassment, threats, and even violence for wearing religious symbols like tilaks, rudrakshas, or saffron attire. The accused’s statement in this case reflects an ingrained animosity where Hindu identity markers become a trigger for aggression. Given the explicit targeting based on religious appearance, this case has been rightly classified under the tracker’s category of "Attacked for Hindu Identity." The assault was not just about a financial dispute but was deeply rooted in an attempt to demean and suppress Hindu religious expression.