Ram Navami procession targeted and stone-pelted near dargah by Muslims in Ahmednagar, Maharashtra

Case ID : 30a76b7 | Location : Ahmadnagar, Maharashtra, India | Date of Incident : Wed, 25 March, 2026

Case ID : 30a76b7

Ahmadnagar, Maharashtra, India

25 March, 2026

Ram Navami procession targeted and stone-pelted near dargah by Muslims in Ahmednagar, Maharashtra

Attack not resulting in death

Attack on religious procession

Attack against Hindu devotees

Attacked for crossing 'Muslim area'

Attacked for Hindu identity

Case Summary

In Shrirampur town of Ahmednagar, Maharashtra, a Ram Navami procession was disrupted and stone-pelted near a dargah by members of the Muslim community. The incident occurred on 26 March 2026 on the occasion of Ram Navami. The Hindu religious procession, which had commenced from the Gondhavani area and was proceeding towards the Shri Ram temple as part of Ram Navami celebrations, came under attack when it reached near the dargah (shrine) at the Syed Baba Chowk. Stones were suddenly thrown at the procession from the dargah, causing panic and a stampede-like situation among the Hindu devotees participating in the religious procession. As a result of the violence, three Hindu individuals sustained injuries, with one person requiring hospitalisation due to the serious nature of the injuries. The sudden escalation of violence on the occasion of Ram Navami by the members of the Muslim community created communal tensions in the locality. The police promptly arrived at the scene, dispersed the crowd, and brought the situation under control. Following the incident, a formal complaint was lodged at the Shrirampur police station by Suyog Jirange, on the basis of which a case was registered against the Maulana of the mosque in the area, along with 10 to 12 other unidentified individuals. The police initiated an investigation into the matter, including examination of CCTV footage to identify those involved in the stone pelting. Heavy police deployment, including State Reserve Force units, was carried out in sensitive areas of Shrirampur to prevent any further escalation, and senior police officials remained stationed in the town to monitor the situation. Authorities also issued an appeal to the public to maintain peace and refrain from spreading rumours or objectionable content on social media, stating that the situation had been stabilised and brought under control.

Why it is Hate Crime ?

This case has been added to the tracker under the primary category of - Attack not resulting in death. Within it, the sub-category selected is - Attack on religious procession. The outward celebration and display of religious symbols is an intrinsic part of Hinduism. Religious processions on various festivals are age-old traditions and a way to manifest faith and form a part of the religious practices of Hindus. On several occasions, such religious processions come under attack by non-Hindu mobs, in a manifestation of their animosity towards Hinduism and its practices. The reasons cited for such violent attacks are many and range from crossing a non-Hindu resident-dominated area to playing loud music, crossing from an area where there is a religious structure of another faith, etc. The violent attacks are triggered by the outward display of religiosity by Hindus. The attacks are mainly a manifestation of religious supremacist doctrine, which believes that idolatry, essentially the Hindu faith, deserves to be annihilated since the very tenets of Hinduism, its practices and traditions, are considered a sin in those doctrines. Since these attacks emanate from intrinsic and doctrinal animosity towards Hindus and Hinduism, it is considered a religiously motivated hate crime under this category. The other sub-category selected is - Attack against Hindu devotees. Hindu devotees are a few of the easiest targets of religiously motivated hate crimes because, during the festival/procession/puja, etc., for non-Hindus, it is easy to profile their victims based on religion. Hindu devotees come under attack on several occasions by individual non-Hindus or mobs of non-Hindus owing to their animosity against Hinduism, its symbols and tradition/practices. There are several instances of Hindu devotees being attacked while they worship in temples or temporary religious structures, during religious processions, doing bhajan/kirtan/puja in their own homes, in the residential society, etc. These attacks are perpetrated by non-Hindus primarily because of their animosity towards Hindus and their faith. In some cases, the trigger for the violence may be non-religious; however, two elements make these hate crimes. First, the Hindus who come under attack are attacked violently while indulging in religious activity. Whether they are in a place of worship or not is immaterial to the crime. When individuals are attacked while indulging in religious practices, the attack in itself is a hindrance to their freedom to practice religion and therefore constitutes a hate crime. Secondly, religious supremacist doctrines and ideologies deem religious practices of Hindus to be offensive ab initio since they are considered “sinful” by these ideologies, worthy to be annihilated by force or coercion. Driven by these religious supremacist ideologies and doctrines, the attacks against Hindu devotees stem from intrinsic animosity towards Hinduism. In some cases, the trigger for the violence may be non-religious; however, it develops into a religiously motivated crime during the course of the violence. Since these attacks stem from animosity towards Hindus and Hinduism, they are considered religiously motivated hate crimes under this category. The other sub-category selected is - Attacked for crossing 'Muslim area'. One of the reasons that Hindus get attacked unprovoked specifically by Islamists is for crossing ‘Muslim areas’. Essentially, Muslim mobs often attack Hindus crossing or present in certain areas which have a majority Muslim population. It has often been cited as one of the reasons to blame Hindus for attacks against themselves, signalling that Hindus displaying religious symbols, taking our religious processions or crossing any area which is dominated by Muslim residents is a provocation in and of itself. These areas are mostly ghettoized areas where mobs mobilize quickly to attack Hindus for a variety of reasons like playing music during a religious procession, crossing a mosque, wearing a tilak or any other religious symbol in a Muslim-dominated area, praying at a local temple in that area etc. There have been cases where the few local Hindus of that area have been attacked on their way to the Temple for prayers as well, simply because the area is considered a Muslim-dominated area. Several times, it is entirely possible that the immediate trigger for the violence against Hindus was non-religious in nature, however, the violence became religiously motivated in nature because the area was Muslim dominated and the residents on the whole harboured animosity towards Hindus, evidenced from the actions of the mob, the slogans, and the nature of the attack. Such crimes are motivated by the religious identity of the victims and are therefore classified as hate crimes under this category. The other sub-category selected here 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. This case constitutes a clear instance of a religiously motivated hate crime, as a Hindu religious procession marking the occasion of Ram Navami was attacked and stone-pelted by Muslims while the procession was passing near a dargah in Shrirampur, in Ahilyanagar. The attack occurred when the procession, which was peacefully proceeding along its traditional route towards the Shri Ram temple, reached the Syed Baba Chowk area, where stones were hurled at the devotees. The timing, location, and nature of the attack demonstrate that the violence was directed at Hindu individuals solely because they were participating in a Hindu religious celebration, thereby establishing a clear religious motive behind the incident. Ram Navami holds deep religious significance for Hindus as it commemorates the birth of Lord Ram, a central deity revered as a symbol of righteousness, dharma, and ideal kingship. Processions conducted on this occasion are not merely public gatherings but sacred expressions of collective devotion, involving chants, devotional songs, and symbolic displays of faith. The act of targeting such a procession, particularly at a moment when devotees were engaged in religious observance, amounts to a direct assault on the community’s right to practise and express its faith freely. The disruption of the procession transformed a sacred religious event into a site of violence, causing both physical harm and emotional distress to the participants. The manner in which stones were thrown at the procession, leading to injuries among the devotees and creating panic, reflects an intent to intimidate and disrupt the religious procession. The victims were identifiable as Hindus due to their participation in the Ram Navami procession, making their religious identity the central factor in their targeting. Therefore, the Hindu devotees were attacked not for any personal actions but because they were Hindus and were visibly expressing their Hindu identity in public. It is also important to note that the devotees were attacked when they were passing through the vicinity of a mosque. Muslims consider areas near mosques or dargahs as 'Muslim areas,' meaning zones exclusive to Muslims. This particularly meant that Hindus were unwelcome. This sense of entitlement and superiority not only reflected deep-seated prejudice but also highlighted an attempt to assert religious dominance over public spaces. The assault on the Hindu devotees was motivated by this supremacist ideology, where Muslims in the area looked down upon Hindus, believing they had the right to dictate who could move freely through their area. This illustrated a dangerous mindset rooted in exclusion, intolerance, and religious animosity, making this case an ideal example of a religiously motivated crime. It was not merely an act of physical aggression; it was an attempt to disrupt a deeply revered ritual and instil fear among the participants. The timing and context of the incident are significant. Such processions are public affirmations of Hindu identity and collective devotion, and attacks on them strike at the core of religious freedom. The use of stone pelting as a means of assault indicates a deliberate attempt to cause harm and disrupt the procession rather than resolve any perceived grievance through lawful or peaceful means. Such actions are not spontaneous but reflect a willingness to use violence to assert dominance and suppress the religious practices of another community. Moreover, the location, near a mosque, adds a communal dimension that cannot be overlooked, given the consistent pattern in which religious violence tends to erupt around Hindu festivals, particularly during processions. It represents an assertion of dominance through religious intimidation and must be recognised as part of a continuing pattern of Hinduphobic aggression witnessed in various parts of India during the Hindu festival. Taken together, the deliberate targeting of a Hindu religious procession, the infliction of physical harm on devotees, the disruption of a sacred festival, and the communal context in which the incident occurred collectively establish this as a religiously motivated hate crime. The violence was directed at a group defined by its religious identity and aimed at curtailing its ability to celebrate and express its faith in public. Such acts go beyond ordinary law and order issues and represent a form of group-based hostility intended to intimidate and marginalise an entire community. For these reasons, the incident meets the criteria to be classified and documented as a hate crime against Hindus. Disclaimer: The Hinduphobia Tracker recognises that multiple Hindu individuals were attacked during the stone-pelting; however, only three victims were explicitly reported as injured in available sources. Accordingly, the victim count has been recorded as 3. Similarly, a case was registered against one Maulana along with 12 other individuals; therefore, the perpetrator count has been documented as 13.