Hindu politician and devotees attacked by Christian mob on Ram Navami; assaulted for expressing intent to renovate Hindu temple

Case ID : 30a7779 | Location : Akividu, Andhra Pradesh, India | Date of Incident : Thu, 26 March, 2026

Case ID : 30a7779

Akividu, Andhra Pradesh, India

26 March, 2026

Hindu politician and devotees attacked by Christian mob on Ram Navami; assaulted for expressing intent to renovate Hindu temple

Attack not resulting in death

Attacked for Hindu identity

Attack against Hindu devotees

Attack on Hindu religious representations

Defiling religious customs

Case Summary

In the Pedapetam village of West Godavari District, Andhra Pradesh, a Hindu politician, his party workers and devotees were attacked by a Christian mob after he expressed his intent to rebuild a Hindu temple in the village. The incident occurred during the Ram Navami festival on 27 March 2026, following the visit of Deputy Speaker and Undi MLA Raghurama Krishnam Raju to the Sriramalayam temple in Pedapetam. Raju, accompanied by devotees and party workers, had gone to the temple to offer prayers. During his visit, a group of Christian individuals posing as Dalit Hindus began shouting, opposing his entry into the temple. Despite the resistance, Raju insisted on visiting the temple and, under police protection, entered the premises and offered prayers. The situation escalated when the Hindu politician was leaving the temple after performing the prayers, a Christian mob attempted to attack him, the leaders of coalition parties accompanying him and the other party workers, all of whom were Hindus, were there to celebrate the Ram Navami festival. After Raju left, the Christian group also attacked the Hindu devotees present at the temple with knives and sticks embedded with nails, injuring several people. One person suffered a nail injury to the head, while another was stabbed approximately twelve times and was admitted in serious condition to a hospital in Bhimavaram. The injured were initially treated at Akividu Government Hospital. Subsequently, police registered a case against 58 individuals, all of whom were arrested and presented before a court on 28 March 2026. Serious charges were included in the FIR, such as attempt to murder under Section 109(1) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and attempt to commit culpable homicide under Section 308(2), along with other sections. The incident stemmed from earlier disputes over the temple, with Raghurama Krishnam Raju announcing his plans to renovate and rebuild it on 8 March 2026, drawing opposition from Christian groups in the village. The Christian community in the village declared that the majority in the village had converted to Christianity and that there was no need for a temple, and such actions would hurt their sentiments. Raju later clarified that the temple existed in government records since 1923 and that only cleaning work was being undertaken. Local Hindus confirmed that land records identified the site as a Ram temple spanning approximately 2.33 acres. In response to the violence, the Deputy Speaker visited the injured in the hospital and demanded strict action against those responsible. Police increased their presence in the area as tensions continued and investigations examined whether a larger plan underpinned the attack.

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 - 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. The other sub-category selected here 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 on the basis of 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, there are two elements that 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 second primary category selected here is - Attack on Hindu religious representation. Within it, the sub-category selected is - Defiling religious customs. Sanatan Dharma is not a religion of one book, which is to say that while it has religious scriptures that form the central tenets of the faith, there are several traditions followed through thousands of years, mostly passed from generation to generation orally. There are several such customs and traditions that are followed by various Hindus and Hindu sects. Defiling of these traditions and customs is a breach of an individual or group’s religious practices. Such practices can range from dietary restrictions like not eating non-vegetarian food for a certain period of the year, not eating non-vegetarian food at all, not eating beef since the cow is considered holy in Hinduism, the sanctity of religious customs followed in the house (like many ISCKON devotees), etc. Any malicious action leading to the breach of such traditions or defilement of these traditions owing to animosity towards the faith or for the sake of activism stems not only from the lack of faith in the religion itself but also from disregard for the faith of the devotees who follow the customs/traditions and implicit bias against the faith, the tradition itself. Since these specific traditions are central to the faith of the devotees of that specific sect of Hindus, any non-compliance with these traditional rules would be considered a religiously motivated hate crime. This case has been added to the tracker because during the Sri Ram Navami festival, a Hindu politician, MLA Raghurama Krishnam Raju, was attacked by a Christian mob after he visited the Sriramalayam temple to offer prayers along with party workers and Hindu devotees. During his visit, members of the Christian community in the village opposed his entry into the temple, shouted slogans, and attempted to prevent him from performing religious rituals, because he expressed his intent to renovate the Hindu temple in the village. Sri Ram Navami is one of the most important Hindu festivals, celebrated to mark the birth of Lord Ram, a central deity in Hinduism and a symbol of righteousness, dharma, and virtue. The festival is observed through temple visits, pujas, bhajans, processions, and community gatherings of devotees. For many Hindus, visiting a Ram temple and performing puja on Sri Ram Navami is an essential religious practice and an expression of their faith and religious identity. Religious festivals are not merely cultural events but deeply significant spiritual occasions where devotees gather to worship and publicly express their religious beliefs. Therefore, any attempt to disrupt it or obstruct devotees from performing puja or celebrating their festival directly interferes with their religious freedom and practices. In this case, the MLA was first opposed by members of the Christian community, posing as Dalit Hindus, who shouted slogans and attempted to prevent him from entering the temple and performing puja on the day of Ram Navami. Preventing a Hindu from entering a Hindu temple and performing religious rituals on an important religious festival demonstrates hostility towards the religious practice itself. The opposition was not directed at a political activity but at a religious act, performing puja in a temple on a sacred festival day. Attempting to stop religious worship on a major Hindu festival demonstrates that the target of the hostility was the religious identity and religious practice of the MLA, which makes the act religiously motivated rather than merely a political or local dispute. After the MLA performed the puja and left the temple, Hindu devotees and party workers present at the temple were violently attacked by the Christian community without provocation. The attack occurred during the celebration of a Hindu religious festival and targeted devotees who had gathered for religious worship. Such violence during a religious festival is significant because it sends a message of intimidation to the wider Hindu community, discouraging them from openly celebrating their religious festivals or visiting temples. Attacking devotees during a religious celebration is not just an act of violence against individuals but an act intended to instil fear among a religious community for outward expressions of their religious identity. Given that the village had a majority Christian population, such an attack was aimed at asserting dominance and simultaneously creating fear among Hindus regarding the practice of their religion, thereby curtailing and erasing Hindu cultural practices. The attack was also linked to the MLA’s intention to renovate and rebuild the Hindu temple in the village. This temple has been recorded in government records since 1923 and historically belonged to a Hindu temple, making the objection to its renovation unwarranted. The idea that the renovation of a Hindu temple would hurt religious sentiments led to violent opposition and eventually a physical attack on Hindu devotees. This indicates that violence was used as a tool to prevent Hindus from restoring or maintaining their place of worship. Preventing the construction, renovation, or functioning of a place of worship through intimidation or violence was a clear indicator of religious hostility and religiously motivated targeting. Hindus were attacked not because of any personal dispute, but because they intended to protect and rebuild their places of worship. Many Hindu religious practices revolve around temple worship, festival celebrations, and ritual observances. Visiting temples during festivals such as Ram Navami and performing puja are important religious traditions for Hindus. Any attempt to prevent devotees from performing these religious practices, obstruct temple worship, or attack devotees while they are performing religious rituals constitutes interference with religious customs and traditions. Such interference is rooted in religious hostility towards Hindus and their cultural practices; thus, it was a religiously motivated hate crime because it targets not just individuals but their Hindu identity and traditions central to their faith. Taken together, the incident qualifies as a religiously motivated hate crime because Hindus were prevented from entering a temple, obstructed from performing religious rituals on a major Hindu festival, and violently attacked by the Christian community. The violence was connected to opposition to a Hindu temple and Hindu religious practices, and the attack targeted individuals specifically because they were Hindus and were participating in a Hindu religious activity. The incident, therefore, was not merely a local clash or political dispute but an act of violence connected to religious identity, religious practices, and the existence of a Hindu place of worship, which makes it a religiously motivated hate crime. Disclaimer: The Hinduphobia Tracker acknowledges that multiple individuals were attacked in this incident. However, the victim count has been recorded as three, including MLA Raghurama Krishnam Raju, one individual who suffered a nail injury to the head, and another individual who was stabbed approximately twelve times and was admitted in serious condition. The total number of injured persons may be higher, but only these individuals were specifically identified in available reports.