Hindus of Valmiki community brutally attacked by armed Muslim mob in Ajmer, Rajasthan
Ajmer, Rajasthan, India 
17 February, 2025
Case Summary
In Longiya area, in Ajmer, in Rajasthan, a fight between children escalated to a communal conflict between the Hindus of the Valmiki community and the Muslims. A minor fight between some children playing marbles turned into a violent communal confrontation between the Hindus and Muslims. The Hindus were attacked by a Muslim group with stones and sticks. The Hindus retaliated in self-defence, and this led to a situation of communal clash between the Hindus and the Muslims. A Hindu woman named Bharati, of the Valmiki community, said that several members of her family were attacked using swords, sticks and stones by Muslims. She further said that Muslim illegal immigrants were living in that area and were involved in several similar incidents. The injured people were admitted to a nearby hospital. People from the Valmiki community surrounded the police station and demanded action against the culprits. The Hindu community were out on the streets and protested against this attack on the Hindus. They demanded strict actions against the accused. Sunil Dutt Jain, Coordinator of Sakal Hindu Samaj, alleged that the Bangladeshi Rohingyas were living in the hilly area of Longiya. He further reported that stones were pelted by the Bangladeshi Rohingya at the houses of Hindus, and people from the Hindu community confronted them; they were attacked with weapons.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
This case has been added to the tracker under the prime category- Attack not resulting in death. The sub-category relevant in this case is- Communal clash/ attack. Communal clash is a form of collective violence that involves clashes between groups belonging to different religious identities. For a communal clash between Hindus and non-Hindus to qualify as a religiously motivated hate crime, the trigger of the violence itself would have to be anti-Hindu in essence. For example, if there is a Hindu religious procession that comes under attack from a non-Hindu mob and after the initial attack, Hindus retaliate in self-defence, leading to a communal clash between the two religious communities. While at a later stage, both communities are involved in the clash/violence, the initial trigger of the violence was by the non-Hindu mob against the Hindus and therefore, it could safely be termed as an anti-Hindu violence. Further, the trigger would also have to be religiously motivated. In the cited example, the attack by the non-Hindu mob was against religious processions and therefore, can be concluded to be religiously motivated. In some cases, the trigger may be non-religious, however, it develops into religious violence against Hindus at a later stage. In such cases too, the foundational animosity towards Hindus becomes the motivating factor of the crime and therefore, it would be classified as a religiously motivated hate crime against Hindus under this category. The other 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. In this case, the attack was not random but directed specifically at Hindus from the Valmiki community. The choice of victims was rooted in their religious identity, with the aggressors being from another religious group. The escalation from a children’s quarrel to armed assault using swords, sticks, and stones shows an underlying animosity that went beyond the initial incident. This was not just interpersonal violence—it was an organised targeting of a vulnerable Hindu group, making their religious identity central to the offence. Such selective targeting based on religion is a textbook example of a hate crime. While the initial spark was a children’s disagreement over marbles, the escalation into an armed mob attack on Hindus indicates that underlying religious tensions were the real driver. The scale of violence, choice of weapons, and coordinated assault on Hindu homes suggest pre-existing hostility waiting for a trigger. Such communal clashes, where one community is attacked en masse due to its religious identity, are categorised as hate crimes because they aim to intimidate and harm a group based on their faith.
Case Status
Unknown
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Muslim Extremists
Perpetrators Range
Unknown
Perpetrators Gender
male
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