Navratri celebrations desecrated; eggs hurled at Hindu devotees performing Garba at Durga Puja mandap in Thane, Maharashtra
Thane, Maharashtra, India 
25 October, 2026
Case Summary
In Diva, Thane district, Maharashtra, Navratri celebrations at a Durga mandap were desecrated when an unidentified person hurled eggs from the upper floor of a building at Hindu devotees playing Garba. Another egg was thrown towards the entrance of the Durga mandap, desecrating the religious celebrations. According to media reports, the incident took place at Moor Field Society, Bharat Eco Hista Society. Sameer Mohite, a resident of the society who lived there with his family and ran an interior design business, lodged a complaint with the Digha Police. The society had been decorated for Sharadiya Navratri, and the Goddess’s idol had been installed following the pran pratishtha (consecration) ritual. The necessary permissions for the celebrations had been obtained from the police, municipal corporation and traffic authorities. The programme included the Goddess’s aarti, worship and Garba, with men and women gathering at the society premises from 8 pm. At around 11.30 pm on 26 October 2026, while residents were playing Garba in the open area, an unidentified person hurled eggs from the upper floor of the society building at the devotees and towards the entrance of the Durga Puja mandap. The incident angered those present, who maintained that the act was deliberate. The residents gathered and attempted to identify the perpetrator but were unable to establish who had thrown the eggs. Following this, the residents informed the police about the incident and subsequently lodged a formal complaint with the Digha Police. They stated that the act was intended to hurt religious sentiments and create a law-and-order problem. They urged the police to identify the perpetrator and take strict measures to prevent such incidents from recurring. At the time of writing this report, the police had registered a case against an unidentified person and initiated an investigation.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
This case is being added to the tracker under the primary category: Attack on Hindu religious representations. The subcategory 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. The other primary category selected is: Attack not resulting in death. The subcategory 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 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 case is a clear example of a religiously driven hate crime, as the perpetrator hurled eggs at Hindu devotees performing Garba during the Navratri festival and towards a Durga Puja mandap where the Goddess was installed and worshipped. The act targeted Hindu devotees engaged in a sacred religious observance and desecrated the sanctity of their celebrations. Navratri is one of the most revered Hindu festivals, dedicated to the worship of the Divine Feminine, particularly Goddess Durga and her various manifestations. Celebrated over nine nights, the festival honours the Goddess’s divine power and commemorates the victory of good over evil. Hindu devotees observe Navratri through prayers, fasting, ritual worship and community celebrations. Garba is a traditional devotional dance performed during Navratri and holds deep religious significance. Devotees dance in a circle around an image or representation of the Goddess, symbolising devotion to the Divine Feminine, the cyclical nature of life and the presence of divine energy. The dance forms an integral part of Navratri celebrations, bringing devotees together in collective worship to honour the Goddess and seek her blessings. Durga Puja mandaps and pandals serve as religious and community spaces where Hindu devotees gather to worship the Goddess, perform rituals and participate in religious festivities. Their sanctity and purity are maintained by keeping non-vegetarian food items, including eggs, meat and fish, away from these sacred spaces so that worship and celebrations can be conducted in accordance with Hindu religious customs and traditions. By deliberately hurling eggs at Hindu devotees performing Garba and towards the Durga Puja mandap, the perpetrator desecrated a sacred religious observance and violated the sanctity of the space where the Goddess was worshipped. The attack also infringed upon the devotees’ right to celebrate Navratri peacefully, targeting them as they practised their faith and expressed their Hindu religious identity. Such deliberate targeting of a sacred Hindu festival demonstrates deep-rooted hatred towards Hinduism and its religious traditions. The incident therefore constituted a clear case of a religiously driven hate crime, directed at Hindu devotees and their religious practices. This was not an isolated incident of Hindu religious celebrations being desecrated through the use of substances considered ritually impure in Hindu worship. The Hinduphobia Tracker had documented several similar incidents during Navratri and Ganesh Chaturthi in 2026, in which Hindu temples, religious processions and festival celebrations were targeted. In October 2026, in Ayodhya Nagar, Mehdipatnam, Hyderabad, Telangana, unidentified miscreants threw eggs inside the Sri Kanaka Durga Ammavari Temple, including at its tower (gopuram), while Navratri prayers were underway. Eggs were found at several locations within the temple, and women devotees participating in the prayers were also struck by eggs. In another incident in October 2026, in R. K. Puram, Sainikpuri, Hyderabad, Telangana, a Muslim woman dumped fish waste and water used to clean fish outside a Hindu temple where Hindu women were distributing annaprasadam to devotees during Navratri. The act defiled the setting of a religious event involving the distribution of sacred food offerings during a revered Hindu festival. Similarly, on 13 October 2026, in Kurla, Mumbai, Maharashtra, three Muslim youths threw an egg towards a Durga pandal during Navratri, targeting a Hindu religious celebration. A similar pattern of desecration emerged during the Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations in 2026. For example, in Mazagaon, South Mumbai, Maharashtra, a Muslim man named Danish Sher Khan threw eggs at a Ganpati idol, the pandal and the accompanying religious procession. The incident triggered tension in the area. The accused stated that fumes from firecrackers had irritated him and that he had thrown the eggs in anger. In another incident in Madannapet, Hyderabad, Telangana, three Muslim residents threw pieces of meat from the seventh floor of an apartment building towards a Ganesh idol immersion procession and an annadanam event. Police described the incident as communal and stated that the meat resembled beef. These incidents demonstrate a recurring pattern of Hindu religious observances being targeted through acts involving eggs, fish waste and meat during major Hindu festivals. The targeting of temples, idols, pandals, immersion processions and religious food distributions highlights repeated acts of desecration that violate the sanctity of Hindu worship and offend the religious sentiments of devotees. In the present case, although the perpetrator’s identity remained unknown at the time of documentation, the act clearly demonstrated hatred towards Hinduism and the Hindu community. Therefore, the case is being added to the Hinduphobia Tracker’s hate crime database. Disclaimer: Although Hindu devotees were targeted in the incident, the number of devotees affected was not specified. Hence, the victim count has been recorded as 'Unknown'.
Case Status
Complaint registered
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Unknown
Perpetrators Range
One Person
Perpetrators Gender
unknown
Sources 
