Minor Hindu boy killed by Muslim man and his accomplice after returning from Kanwar Yatra in Delhi

Case ID : 30a9e43 | Location : North West Delhi, Delhi, India | Date of Incident : Tue, 11 August, 2026

Case ID : 30a9e43

North West Delhi, Delhi, India

11 August, 2026

Minor Hindu boy killed by Muslim man and his accomplice after returning from Kanwar Yatra in Delhi

Undecided cases

Attacked/Killed for Hindu identity

Case Summary

In Adarsh Nagar, Delhi, a 16-year-old Hindu youth, Neeraj, who had returned from taking part in the Kanwar Yatra, was stabbed and shot to death by a Muslim man, Aman Mulla, and his accomplice. The incident took place in a slum in the Lal Bagh area of Adarsh Nagar on Wednesday night, August 12, 2026. The incident followed an altercation between Neeraj and Aman Mulla. Neeraj had returned from the Kanwar Yatra on August 11, 2026. He worked in a factory. Police received information about a stabbing and shooting at around 12:15 am on August 12. Police reached the spot and immediately took Neeraj to a nearby hospital, where doctors pronounced him dead. He had sustained knife and gunshot wounds. According to Neeraj’s friend, Sahil, he and Neeraj had gone to a shop to buy some goods. Aman Mulla and another outsider were present there. An argument broke out between Neeraj and Aman Mulla and his associate, following which Neeraj and Sahil left. Later, Neeraj and Sahil returned to the shop to collect a bottle of beer they had left there. While they were on their way to the shop, Aman Mulla stopped them and opened fire. Sahil managed to escape uninjured, while Neeraj was hit by a bullet. Aman Mulla and his accomplice also stabbed Neeraj to death. Akanksha Yadav, Deputy Commissioner of Police for the North-West District, stated that the accused had been identified and that raids were underway to arrest them. At the time of writing this report, a murder case had been registered against them.

Why it is Hate Crime ?

This case is being added to the Undecided database of the Hinduphobia Tracker because, at the current stage of writing this report, the available details do not establish any definite religious motivation behind the incident. Although the victim was a Hindu youth and the accused were Muslim, the information currently available does not indicate that Neeraj was targeted because of his Hindu religious identity or that the attack was motivated by hostility towards Hinduism. At the same time, the circumstances of the case raise suspicion of possible deep-seated religious hostility. Neeraj had returned from the Kanwar Yatra, a sacred Hindu pilgrimage undertaken during the Hindu month of Shravan, in which devotees, known as Kanwariyas, travel to collect holy water from the Ganga and carry it in decorated vessels known as kanwars, which are later offered to Lord Shiva at temples. The Kanwar Yatra holds considerable religious significance for Hindus and is one of the largest annual Hindu pilgrimages in India. The fact that a Hindu youth was killed shortly after returning from such a pilgrimage by a Muslim man and his accomplices, following what was described as a minor dispute, raises the possibility that his religious identity may have played a role in the attack. The Hinduphobia Tracker has also documented multiple cases involving communal attacks on Hindus participating in the Kanwar Yatra and other incidents in which Hindu youths have been targeted by Muslims due to hostility towards their religious identity. Hence, the timing of the incident, particularly Neeraj’s recent return from the Kanwar Yatra, raises the question of whether the attack could have had a religious dimension. However, it is equally plausible, based on the information currently available, that the crime had no religious motivation. Neeraj was not attacked while participating in the Kanwar Yatra, nor was he attacked at a religious site or in circumstances directly connected to the pilgrimage. He had completed the Yatra and returned on August 11, 2026, while the attack took place the following night. The immediate trigger identified in the available account was an argument between Neeraj and Aman Mulla and his associates. According to Neeraj’s friend, Sahil, the dispute began when they encountered Aman Mulla and another man at a shop, after which Neeraj and Sahil left. When they later returned to the shop to collect a bottle they had left behind, Aman Mulla stopped them and opened fire, after which Neeraj was stabbed and shot. At present, there is no definite indication that the dispute itself involved Neeraj’s Hindu identity, his participation in the Kanwar Yatra, or any other religious issue. Therefore, establishing that Neeraj was killed because he was a Hindu or because he had participated in the Kanwar Yatra would not be justified on the available evidence. The Hinduphobia Tracker documents cases in its hate crime database only after establishing, through available evidence, that the crime was rooted in religious hostility and that there were definite indicators of a religious motivation. In the present case, despite the circumstances raising suspicion and warranting further scrutiny, there is currently no visible or definite evidence demonstrating that religious hostility drove the attack. Hence, the case will remain in the Undecided database at this stage. If further information emerges establishing that Neeraj was targeted because of his Hindu identity, his participation in the Kanwar Yatra, or any other explicitly religious reason, the case will be reassessed and subsequently added to the Hinduphobia Tracker’s hate crime database.