CSW has learned that on 21 July a Muslim man was attacked by a group of Hindu pilgrims in Muzaffarnagar, Uttar Pradesh. 

The victim, identified only as Aaqib, was travelling from Dehradun in Uttarakhand to Meerut in Uttar Pradesh when his car was stopped by a crowd of approximately 15 pilgrims on the Haridwar-Meerut highway in Muzaffarnagar. The pilgrims accused him of damaging their kanwar (a pot used to carry holy water) and proceeded to drag him out of the car, tear his clothes, climb on top of the vehicle and smash all the windows while shouting Hindu chants. 

The victim fled to a roadside restaurant, but the crowd pursued him and instructed the restaurant owner to stay away. Police were called to the scene and initially met with violence as the mob threw chairs at them before eventually being pacified. 

A First Information Report (FIR) required for the police to open an investigation was filed against unidentified persons at the Chhapar Police Station in Muzaffarnagar on 22 July. The FIR stated that there was no evidence of damage to the kanwar. While police claim that some of the attackers have been identified, no arrests have been made yet. 

Following the incident, Aaqib released a video in which he recounted his ordeal, said that the accusation that he had damaged the kanwar was false, and demanded compensation for his losses. 

The Kanwar Yatra is an annual Hindu pilgrimage in which devotees of Shiva carry sacred water primarily from the Ganges River to various Shiva temples. The pilgrimage caused significant controversy this year after the Uttar Pradesh government ordered that all eateries along the route must display the names of owners. The order was widely criticised as being a means of identifying and economically boycotting Muslim business owners, and was eventually stayed by the Supreme Court.

CSW’s Founder President Mervyn Thomas said: ‘It is alarming that this man was assaulted and his property was damaged following an accusation that increasingly appears to have been fabricated.  That these pilgrims felt emboldened to do this is emblematic of the religious intolerance and impunity which have become far too prominent in India. We call on authorities in Uttar Pradesh to conduct a swift investigation into this attack, ensuring all who are responsible are held to account, and that Aaqib is duly compensated for the damage to his vehicle, as well as for any physical injuries he may have sustained. We also continue to call on the Indian government at all levels to do far more to counter the dangerous spread of extreme religious nationalism throughout the country, ensuring that government officials do not exacerbate matters through hateful rhetoric.’