Hindus brutally attacked, stone pelted; shops damaged, houses and temple vandalised by Muslim mob over minor issue in Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh
Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh, India 
21 January, 2026
Case Summary
In Tarana town of Madhya Pradesh’s Ujjain district, a Hindu man, Sohail Thakur Bundela, associated with the Vishwa Hindu Parishad, was attacked by Muslim men over a minor issue on 22 January 2026, which triggered large-scale mob violence targeting Hindu homes and shops through arson, stone pelting, and vandalism. The incident involved a Muslim mob, with the violence escalating sharply after Jummah Namaz. The violence began on 22 January 2026 (Thursday) night when Sohail Thakur Bundela, head of the Gau Seva Prakoshtha of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad, was present in Shukla Gali/Shukla Mohalla, opposite the Bade Ram Mandir. A verbal altercation broke out between Bundela and Muslim youths, including Ishaan Mirza, over his standing and looking at the same spot. The argument escalated into a physical assault in which Bundela sustained multiple injuries. His associate, Rajat Thakur, was also injured. Both were admitted to the hospital and were stated to be in stable condition. Media sources stated that the Muslim attackers warned the VHP activists against engaging in cow protection work. Following the assault, tensions escalated rapidly as groups gathered on the streets. A Muslim mob began pelting stones at Hindus and vandalised more than two dozen vehicles, including 11 buses parked near the local bus stand. Police registered a case of attempted murder against Sappan Mirza, Ishaan Mirza, Shadab alias Idli, Salman Mirza, Rizwan Mirza, and Naved. Five accused were arrested, while one remained at large. VHP leader Vishnu Patidar stated that the absconding accused was the main perpetrator who inflicted the head injury on Bundela. On the morning of 23 January 2026, activists from the Vishwa Hindu Parishad and Bajrang Dal gathered outside the Tarana police station, raised slogans, and demanded the arrest of the accused and demolition of their homes. Later that night, at around 9 pm, stone pelting broke out again at Imli Bada. Police teams were dispatched immediately, and mild force was used to disperse the mob. The situation intensified further after Jummah Namaz, marking a second wave of violence. Muslim rioters set fire to buses, two-wheelers, and cars, and damaged more than 15 vehicles. Multiple videos showed buses engulfed in flames and crowds dispersing in the presence of police. Muslim rioters armed with swords, rods, and lathis entered Hindu localities, pelted stones at houses, and broke window panes. A Hindu temple was also attacked during the violence, though no major damage was recorded. Hindu women stated that rioters attempted to enter homes and hurled abuses. They further stated that stone pelting was carried out from a nearby mosque and that glass bottles were thrown at Hindu houses. Police imposed Section 144 to control the situation and later enforced Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNSS). More than 15 arrests were made, and 15 to 20 individuals were detained in connection with the violence. Ujjain Superintendent of Police Pradip Sharma stated, “We have already detained 15–20 men found involved in the violence. CCTV footage and video clips are being scanned to identify more rioters who engaged in violence.” Additional police forces were deployed from multiple police stations across the district. Drone surveillance was initiated, and a flag march was conducted to maintain order. The situation in Tarana remained tense following the incidents.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
This case is being added to the tracker under the primary category "Attack not resulting in death". The subcategory selected is- " Attacked for opposing radicals or trying to save a victim". In several cases, Hindus are attacked for opposing religiously motivated crimes being committed against a fellow Hindu or simply for voicing an opinion opposing radical elements, who either have in the past or continue to persecute Hindus. In such cases, the initial attack against the victim, against which the Hindu was trying to defend the victim, would also need to be classified as a religiously motivated hate crime. Since the initial crime itself was religiously motivated and the subsequent crime of attempting to save the victim or speaking against the radical elements ends up inviting a violent attack, it would also be classified as a religiously motivated hate crime under this category. The other subcategory selected is- Attacked for supporting/being part of a perceived Hindu party/org or working for the Hindu community. In several cases, Hindus are attacked specifically or tangentially for their association with parties or organisations perceived to be pro-Hindu and/or for working in favour of the Hindu community. One of the classic cases was the attack against a Bharatiya Janata Party Yuva Morcha (BJYM) worker, Praveen Nettaru. Nettaru was attacked and hacked to death for his association with Hindu organisations and his work for the Hindu community. He was murdered by PFI, a terror organisation that aimed to commit a genocide of Hindus, target Hindu leaders specifically and turn India into an Islamic Nation. In such cases, the immediate trigger for the violence may be non-religious, either according to the perpetrator or the police. However, there are surrounding circumstances from which the conclusion can be reached that the victim was attacked for his association with a Hindu organisation. In a similar case, Rinku Sharma was attacked by radicals. He was a member of Bajrang Dal and regularly worked for the Hindu community. While the police cited a different non-religious trigger for the attack, he was indeed associated with a Hindu organisation, and the family of Rinku Sharma specifically attributed his gruesome murder to his working for Bajrang Dal and raising Jai Shree Ram slogans. Such cases are intrinsically driven by religious hate and would therefore be documented as a hate crime under this category. The other subcategory 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 the 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 subcategory selected is- Communal clash/attack.. Communal clash is a form of collective violence that involves clashes between groups belonging to different religious identities. For a communal clash between Hindus and non-Hindus to qualify as a religiously motivated hate crime, the trigger of the violence itself would have to be anti-Hindu in essence. For example, if there is a Hindu religious procession that comes under attack from a non-Hindu mob and after the initial attack, Hindus retaliate in self-defence, leading to a communal clash between the two religious communities. While at a later stage, both communities are involved in the clash/violence, the initial trigger of the violence was by the non-Hindu mob against the Hindus and therefore, it could safely be termed as an anti-Hindu violence. Further, the trigger would also have to be religiously motivated. In the cited example, the attack by the non-Hindu mob was against religious processions and therefore, can be concluded to be religiously motivated. In some cases, the trigger may be non-religious, however, it develops into religious violence against Hindus at a later stage. In such cases too, the foundational animosity towards Hindus becomes the motivating factor of the crime and therefore, it would be classified as a religiously motivated hate crime against Hindus under this category. The second primary category selected is - Attack on Hindu religious representation. Within it, the sub-category selected within this is- Attack on the temple. In Hinduism, a temple is the abode of the Deity. The Deity in the Temple is consecrated, thereby making it a real, breathing entity. Hindus believe that not just the Deity but the temple premises itself are sacred to Hindus since Hindus hold the faith that the entire Temple space is an amalgamation of the divine energy of the deity. Given the central significance of Temples in Hindu Dharma, any attack against a Hindu Temple or its peripheral premises is an attack on the faith itself and is born out of animosity towards the faith, of which the Temple is a central tenet. Any manner of attack against a Temple and/or its premises would therefore be considered a religiously motivated hate crime. The sequence of events in this case demonstrates multiple clear indicators that the violence was not a spontaneous law and order issue but was driven by targeted hostility against Hindus and their religious identity. The triggering incident itself carries strong religious markers. The victim, Sohail Thakur Bundela, was associated with the Vishwa Hindu Parishad and was specifically warned by the Muslim attackers to stop engaging in cow protection activities. Cow protection is a deeply rooted aspect of Hindu religious belief and practice, and threatening an individual for participating in it directly reflects hostility towards a core element of the Hindu faith. The assault, therefore, was not merely over a trivial altercation but escalated into targeting linked to his visible Hindu religious activism. The subsequent escalation into mob violence further reinforces this assessment. Following the initial attack, a Muslim mob gathered and began targeting Hindu areas through stone pelting, arson, and vandalism. The destruction of vehicles, the targeting of homes, and the spread of violence across localities indicate that the response was not confined to the individuals involved in the initial altercation but expanded into collective punishment directed at the Hindu community. A critical indicator of organised and religiously charged mobilisation is the timing of the second wave of violence after Jummah (Friday) Namaz. In several documented instances, post-Namaz gatherings have acted as flashpoints where mobs mobilise rapidly, often leading to targeted attacks on non-Muslim communities. The escalation after Jummah suggests coordinated mobilisation rather than a spontaneous continuation of earlier tensions. The nature of the violence also points to deliberate targeting. Muslim rioters entered Hindu localities armed with swords, rods, and lathis, attacked homes, and attempted to intimidate residents, including women. The reported pelting of stones and bottles from a nearby mosque further indicates that religious spaces were used as vantage points or centres of mobilisation during the violence. The attack on a Hindu temple, even if the damage was limited, is symbolically significant, as it reflects an attempt to target Hindu religious structures alongside homes and property. Additionally, the scale and pattern of destruction, burning of buses and vehicles, vandalism of property, and attempts to enter Hindu homes align with a broader pattern seen in similar incidents where mobs seek to assert dominance, create fear, and collectively intimidate a religious community. The fact that the violence spread across multiple locations and involved a large number of individuals indicates planning and group coordination rather than isolated clashes. Taken together, the initial targeting of a Hindu individual for his association with cow protection, the expansion of violence into Hindu localities, the mobilisation following Jummah Namaz, and the attacks on homes and a temple establish that the incident was driven by hostility towards Hindu identity and practices. The actions of the mob reflect a deliberate attempt to intimidate, punish, and assert dominance over the Hindu community, making this a clear case of religiously motivated hate crime rather than a mere local dispute or spontaneous unrest. Disclaimer: Media reports stated that the Hindu victims were targeted by a Muslim mob and 15-20 men were arrested; however, the exact number of perpetrators was not specified. Therefore, the perpetrator count was recorded as twenty (20). This is a conservative estimate, as the total number of perpetrators could be higher.
Case Status
Case sub-judice
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Muslim Extremists
Perpetrators Range
From 10 to 100
Perpetrators Gender
male
Sources 
