A shocking incident of Hindu hatred has come to the fore in Hyderabad. A Christian family swiped the rangoli and kicked the diyas placed by a Hindu family on the occasion of Deepavali. A video of the Christian family hurling abuse at the Hindu woman and trying to beat her with slippers has gone viral on social media. Police have booked a case on the Christian family, but they claim that there is no religious angle in the incident.

Recently a video of a family ‘objecting’ to rangoli and diyas in an apartment went viral on social media. Later it came to be known that the incident happened in Archana Apartments, located in the Chikkadpally area of Hyderabad. the video showed a woman and two men abusing another woman and trying to attack her using slippers. They demanded that the rangoli and diyas placed on it should be removed.

At one point, the woman can be seen wiping the rangoli and kicking the diyas. After the video went viral Hindu organisations took it up, and several social media handles tagged the police seeking action. Hindu organisations came together to stage a protest in front of the apartment, condemning the Christian family’s Hindu hatred. Shalini Deva Krupa (63), G.A. Christopher (68), Rajeev Abhraham (36) and Ajith Ebenezer were arrested after the incident gained attention.

The Christian family has now been booked under sections 295 (injuring or defiling a place of worship with intent to insult the religion of any class), 295A (Deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage religious feelings of any class by insulting its religion or religious beliefs), 509 (word, gesture or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman), 355 (Assault or criminal force with intent for dishonouring person), and 506 (criminal intimidation) with section 34 (acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention) of the Indian Penal Code.

Despite the video clearly showing the woman kicking diyas, police claim it is not a religious issue and tries to dismiss it as personal rivalry with past history. Both media and police have tried to play it down saying the Hindu family used the ‘common area’ to draw rangoli and light diyas. But it appears that it is the entrance of the Hindu house where the rangoli was drawn. In constricted spaces like apartments, neighbours share entrances and corridors.

Hindu custom is to put rangoli in front of the entrance. Calling it as a ‘common area’ and trying to blame Hindus for using it to practice their faith and tradition is nothing but one more attempt at shrinking the spaces where Hindus can freely practice their religion.