How to read the database

The Hindupobia Tracker database has been designed keeping in mind the complexities and variables of different kinds of religiously motivated crimes against Hindus. One of the greatest challenges while creating the database was to craft categories, sub-categories, tertiary categories and parameters which could adequately be defined to encompass the thousands of cases, some of which we have already documented and others – past, present and future – that we are going to document moving forward. 

As such, the database is complex to ensure the accurate representation and documentation of the various cases of religiously motivated hate crimes.

Here are some points to keep in mind while searching, reading and interpreting the database. 

Search parameters 

On the search page, there are multiple options and variations that can help users search the website. One can enter keywords and/or key phrases to search the database. One can also search the database on the basis of the 8 categories that we have crafted. Filtering the database on the basis of category will give the users a list of all cases listed under that category. The date range in the search parameter is the ‘incident date’ – which is to say – you can filter cases on the basis of when the hate crime occurred. 

There is also an advanced search option which can help you navigate the database more effectively. 

The advanced search filters can help one search the database on the basis of the following parameters. 

1. Secondary and tertiary category. 
2. Location of the case 
3. Perpetrator identity and gender 
4. Victim profile 

Somethings to bear in mind while searching the database

1. The keyword search is designed to search the entire text of each case. For example, if you search for the keyword ‘Delhi’, the database will filter every case that mentions the word ‘Delhi’ and not just the cases which have occurred in the city ‘Delhi’. This could taint your search. If you are looking for a specific parameter, it is better to use the set parameters in the search function. The keyword search has been designed in this fashion so that nuanced searches can be affected. For example, if one searches for ‘beef’, all cases that mention that word ‘beef’ will be filtered. 
2. The secondary and tertiary category fields will not populate unless you select a primary category from the search parameters. 
3. The case status is based on the information available on the day a case was reported and recorded. Hinduphobia Tracker does not follow each case’s legal trajectory and therefore, this field must be viewed with that lens. 

Total cases and victims

The total cases as reflected on the homepage is the number of hate crimes which have been recorded in the database. However, there are some things to bear in mind while interpreting the total victims recorded in the Hinduphobia Tracker. 

1. There are several cases in which the victim count is ‘unknown’. These victims are not reflected in the total victim count. For example, if a religious procession comes under attack after a mob pelts stones at it, it is obvious that devotees in the procession would have been injured. In some reports, it is even indicated that participants were injured. However, while recording the case, there was no information on how many devotees were injured in the stone pelting. In such a scenario, the Hinduphobia Tracker records the victim count as ‘unknown’. The direct implication of that is that the total victim count is extremely conservative. The actual victim count of the recorded cases in the database is much higher. 
2. Victimless crimes: There are several ‘victimless crimes’ recorded in the Hinduphobia Tracker. For example, if a temple is attacked and the idol in the temple is desecrated, it is a community crime – which is to say that an attack on a place of worship is a crime against the entire Hindu community and not a specific individual. These victimless crimes or community crimes are not reflected in the total victim count. 
3. The victims from each category cannot be added to get the total number of victims. Most cases in the database have been added to multiple categories. For example, if a Hindu devotee is attacked inside a temple, it would be added to ‘attack not resulting in death’ and ‘attack on Hindu religious representations’ under the sub-category ‘attack on temples’. As another example – if a religious procession comes under attack where 10 devotees were hurt and the idol was desecrated by the mob, the case would reflect in two separate categories – ‘attack not resulting in death’ and ‘attack on Hindu religious representations’. The 10 victims recorded in this case would reflect in both categories respectively. For this reason, victims one each category or the cases under each category cannot be added to arrive at the total number of victims or hate crimes. 

Caste break up of victims 

The Hinduphobia Tracker records the caste of victims and that search parameter is also provided to end users. However, there are certain things to bear in mind while analysing the caste break-up of victims. 

The database would show that the proportion of ‘caste unknown’ is far greater than any other caste group. SC/STs are the second largest victim pool and ‘general caste’ is a nominal number. 

This is not to be interpreted as absolute. This is to say, that one should not assume that SC/STs are more targeted compared to general categories. 

The Hinduphobia Tracker only records caste when the micro identity of the victim is confirmed. In most cases of religiously motivated crimes against Hindus, the caste of the victim is not specified at all. Such cases and victims are recorded as ‘unknown’ in the caste parameter. 

SC/ST victims are easier to record in terms of their micro identity because the media, as a matter of policy, mentions the caste of SC/ST victims. It follows no such practice when it comes to general caste victims. Also, the application of the SC/ST act in specific cases also makes it easier to discern if the victims belonged to the SC/ST castes. 

Essentially, it is access to information because of which the micro identity of SC/ST victims is recorded far more than the micro identity of general caste victims – not because of vulnerability, necessarily.