Durga Puja pandal attacked and stone-pelted, deity's idol desecrated by Muslims; Hindu devotees assaulted and given death threats

Case ID : 30aae8b | Location : Pratapgarh, Uttar Pradesh, India | Date of Incident : Thu, 15 October, 2026

Case ID : 30aae8b

Pratapgarh, Uttar Pradesh, India

15 October, 2026

Durga Puja pandal attacked and stone-pelted, deity's idol desecrated by Muslims; Hindu devotees assaulted and given death threats

Attack on Hindu religious representations

Violence against religious structures or centres

Desecration of Hindu religious symbol

Attack not resulting in death

Attack against Hindu devotees

Case Summary

In the Dehangari Jamalpur village of Pratapgarh district, Uttar Pradesh, a Durga Puja pandal was stone-pelted and desecrated by members of the Muslim community. Furthermore, Hindu devotees were also assaulted and given death threats. According to reports, the incident occurred on 16 October 2026 at around 9 pm after the evening aarti at the Navdurga Puja pandal. Hindu devotees were enjoying the bhajan while prasad was being distributed. The members of the Muslim community living in the area ‘objected’ to the music at the pandal, which then escalated into verbal abuse and physical violence. Subsequently, the Muslim community brutally attacked Hindu devotees with sticks, bricks and stones, leaving several people injured. Furthermore, they also issued death threats and Muslim women from the households threw bricks and stones at devotees from rooftops. The organisers also stated that the Muslim perpetrators also damaged the idol of Goddess Durga, overturned the platform decorated for the Navgraha and damaged a kalash, a sound system and a nearby e-rickshaw. Furthermore, a young woman present at the pandal was harassed, and her clothes were torn during the incident. However, Manikpur Station House Officer Pankaj Kumar Rai denied that the Durga idol had been damaged and claimed that the matter was under investigation. Following a complaint filed by Ankit Mishra, police registered a case against six named individuals, Asgar Ali, Afzal Ali, Afsar Ali, Haider Ali, Sarvar Ali and Faizan Ali, along with unidentified women from their households. Police arrested five of the named accused, Asgar Ali, Afzal Ali, Afsar Ali, Haider Ali and Sarvar Ali, while Faizan Ali fled the scene. Several injured Hindu devotees, including Santosh Kumar Mishra, Manoj Kumar Mishra, Sarita Mishra, Satyam Saroj, Lucky Sharma, Munna Saroj, Manki Saroj, Mamta Saroj and Basanti Patel, received medical treatment, with five reportedly referred to a medical college due to the severity of their injuries. Police subsequently deployed additional personnel in the village and conducted patrols to maintain law and order while further investigation continued.

Why it is Hate Crime ?

This case has been added to the tracker under the primary category of - Attack on Hindu religious representations. Within it, the sub-category selected here is - Violence against religious structures or centres. In Hinduism, a religious structure is also considered divine. Hindus believe that not just the Deity but the religious structure itself is sacred. In this sub-category, we would document attacks against religious structures which are not consecrated temple spaces. Such religious spaces could be temporary in nature – for example – the religious spaces erected specifically for festivals like Durga Puja etc. This category would also document cases of attacks against religious centres. These spaces in their own right may not be ‘sacred’ per se, however, are often spaces where religious gurus live, religious teaching is imparted, or belong to religious institutions. Any attack against religious structures is a result of animosity towards the religion itself, which manifests itself through the religious spaces and therefore, such attacks are considered religiously motivated hate crimes. Religious centres are also manifestations of the religion, its teachings or gurus and therefore, attacks against such centres would be considered religiously motivated hate crimes. The other sub-category selected here is - Desecration of Hindu religious symbols. Icons and symbols or a religious representation of a spiritual ideal are widely revered in Hinduism. Iconography is of vital significance in the Hindu milieu. It helps connect people’s spiritual beliefs with the real world. Iconography within the Hindu faith takes several shapes and forms. Murtis are of most significance to Hindus, to which daily rituals, prayers and offerings are done. Besides the murtis, there are several other symbols which have deep significance in the Hindu faith – the Om and Swastika for example. Since these Hindu religious symbols hold paramount importance in Hinduism, any desecration of symbols, icons, murtis, religious representations and manifestations, is driven by animosity towards the faith itself which manifests itself through these murtis, icons and symbols. Therefore, any desecration of these Hindu religious symbols and representations is considered religiously motivated hate crimes under this category. The other primary category selected here is - Attack not resulting in death. Within it, the 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. `This incident constituted a religiously motivated hate crime because the violence occurred in the context of a Hindu religious observance and was directed at devotees gathered for the evening aarti at a Durga Puja pandal. The dispute began over devotional music being played during the ceremony and escalated into an attack on the Hindu worshippers present. The religious setting was significant because the gathering was not an ordinary social event but an organised act of Hindu worship. The escalation from an objection to devotional music to violence against worshippers raised serious concerns about hostility towards the public expression and practice of the Hindu faith. The incident involved the desecration of a Durga Puja pandal and the idol of Goddess Durga, which added a direct religious dimension to the violence. Durga Puja is a major Hindu festival centred on the worship of Goddess Durga and commemorating her victory over the demon Mahishasura, symbolising the triumph of righteousness over evil. During the festival, devotees gather at specially constructed Puja pandals, where the idol of Goddess Durga is installed and worshipped through prayers, rituals, offerings and other religious observances. The pandal therefore serves as an important sacred space for Hindu worship and religious congregation, particularly during the festival when devotees gather to celebrate and participate in religious rituals. Attacking such a pandal amounts to a direct attack on a space associated with Hindu worship and demonstrates clear hostility towards Hinduism and the Hindu community. The act also showed disregard for Hindu religious sentiments and caused fear and insecurity among members of the Hindu community. Furthermore, the idol of Goddess Durga holds profound religious significance as the sacred representation of the deity worshipped by devotees. In Hinduism, idols serve as sacred representations of deities and provide devotees with a tangible focus for worship, through which they offer prayers, perform rituals and express their devotion. They are consecrated, worshipped and incorporated into the ritual life of temples and religious ceremonies. Deliberate damage to or desecration of an idol therefore constitutes an attack on a religious symbol that holds profound significance for Hindu devotees. The Muslim perpetrators damaged the idol of Goddess Durga, overturned the platform decorated for the Navgraha and damaged a kalash and other items used in worship. Targeting these sacred objects constituted an attack on Hindu religious worship, extending the violence beyond a physical assault on devotees. Such desecration undermined the sanctity of the religious gathering, hurt the religious sentiments of Hindu worshippers and conveyed hostility towards their faith. The desecration was accompanied by violence against Hindu devotees, demonstrating that the incident extended beyond interference with religious property. The Muslim perpetrators attacked worshippers with sticks, bricks and stones and issued death threats, creating an atmosphere of fear around a Hindu religious gathering. The escalation from an objection to devotional music to physical assaults, threats and the destruction of religious items indicated hostility that went beyond an ordinary disagreement over noise. The use of violence against devotees engaged in a peaceful Hindu religious observance reflects clear intolerance towards Hinduism and the Hindu community's right to practise and express its faith openly. The deliberate targeting of devotees in this context therefore constitutes a religiously driven hate crime, as the victims were attacked in the course of publicly exercising their Hindu faith. The dispute over devotional music did not justify the violence that followed. If the Muslim perpetrators had objections to the music being played during the aarti, they could have approached the police or local administration to resolve the matter through lawful means. Instead, they resorted to violence against Hindu devotees, issued death threats, pelted stones at the Durga Puja pandal and desecrated the idol of Goddess Durga and other sacred objects. This disproportionate escalation from a disagreement over music to violence against Hindu worshippers and the targeting of their sacred symbols indicated hostility extending beyond an ordinary neighbourhood dispute. The nature of the actions demonstrated religious animosity, as the violence affected Hindu devotees in the course of their worship and interfered with their right to practise their faith without intimidation. Notably, in Islamic theology, idol worship, referred to as Shirk, is regarded as the gravest sin. The Qur'an strictly condemns it, and Islamic teachings emphasise the complete rejection of any practice associated with idol worship. Muslims are taught from a young age that idolatry is an unforgivable sin. While this belief is central to the Islamic faith, it has also led, historically and in contemporary times, to intolerance and hostility towards idol-worshipping religions, especially Hinduism. When Muslims pelt stones at the Durga Puja pandal and desecrates idol, it reflects more than personal disrespect. It is a manifestation of deep-seated theological contempt against Hindu practices, stemming from the Islamic doctrinal view that idol worship is impure and offensive. Taken together, the violence against Hindu devotees, death threats, stone-pelting at the Durga Puja pandal and desecration of sacred objects demonstrated religious animosity towards Hindu worship and constituted a religiously motivated hate crime.