Hyderabad Hate Crime: Horrific And Obnoxious
Linus tackles things head-on. He takes sides in his analysis and it fits excellently with our editorial policy. No 'maybe's' and 'allegedly' for him, only things in black and white.
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By Linus Garg
First publised on 2022-05-07 08:04:07
About the Author
Linus tackles things head-on. He takes sides in his analysis and it fits excellently with our editorial policy. No 'maybe's' and 'allegedly' for him, only things in black and white.
View all posts by this Author
What happened in Hyderabad on the evening of May 4 at a busy street crossing was horrific. A Hindu man, B Nagaraju, was brutally attacked and stabbed to death for marrying a Muslim girl, Sulthana. The killers were led by the brother of the girl. The girl valiantly tried to prevent them from attacking Nagaraju and appealed to bystanders to intervene but no one came forward to help the couple. The ferocity of the attack can be gauged from the fact that Nagaraju's face was reduced to a pulp as it was smashed with iron rods. The couple was in a relationship for many years and the girlâs brother had repeatedly warned her from going around with him. But they ignored the warnings, eloped and married in an Arya Samaj temple.
Nagaraju's sister Ramadevi alleged that after they received threats from the girl's family, they had complained to the police but no action was taken. Sulthana, who had changed her name to Pallavi after the marriage, said that she identified her brother as one of the attackers. She also bemoaned the fact that despite a huge crowd collecting at the scene of the crime, no one came forward to stop the attackers. Hyderabad police have arrested two persons involved in the crime.
While a communal colour is sought to be given to the hate crime, it is a fact that in India many families unfortunately take 'revenge' for inter-caste and inter-faith marriages although many other families have grudgingly started accepting the choice of their children. It is an obnoxious hate crime and it should be treated as such. The attempts to raise the communal fever and paint it as an act 'designed' to prevent Hindu boys from marrying Muslim girls or thinking of it as a crime committed by "fanatical forces" or "organizations" is wrong. There is no 'conspiracy' behind the crime. It is just an act committed by one family (helped obviously by their friends and relatives) which could not digest that their daughter/sister married a man from a different religion.
