Durga idol immersion procession attacked in front of mosque; devotees pelted with stones by Muslim mob in Nepal
Janakpur Zone, Nepal 
1 October, 2025
Case Summary
During the Durga Puja celebrations in Dhanusha district of Nepal, a Hindu religious procession was attacked and pelted with stones by a Muslim mob after the procession passed in front of a Mosque. According to reports, Hindu devotees were taking the Durga idol for immersion towards the Janakpur Dham on 2 October 2025. When the procession passed the vicinity of the Rizvi Jama Masjid, it was targeted and attacked by the Muslim mob, who threw stones, glass bottles, and pebbles from rooftops and the mosque at the Hindu devotees and the procession. As the situation escalated, the police had to use tear gas to disperse the mob. A large force of police personnel was deployed to maintain peace in the area. Traffic on the Janakpurdham to Jathi road section was disrupted, and the district administration imposed a curfew in Devpura Rupaitha from 6:30 p.m. to 6 a.m. the following morning to prevent further unrest. The situation remained tense for some time, with the police maintaining a significant presence to maintain peace in the area, though no casualties were reported. Members of the Hindu community expressed concerns that celebrating Hindu festivals peacefully had become increasingly difficult following Nepal’s declaration as a secular country, noting prior incidents in which Muslim groups had disrupted religious events, including Ganesh idol immersions.
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 - Attack on religious procession. The outward celebration and display of religious symbols in an intrinsic part of Hinduism. Religious processions on various festivals are age-old traditions and a way to manifest faith and form a part of the religious practices of Hindus. On several occasions, such religious processions come under attack by non-Hindu mobs, in a manifestation of their animosity towards Hinduism and their practices. The reasons cited for such violent attacks are many and range from crossing a non-Hindu resident-dominated area to playing loud music, crossing from an area where there is a religious structure of another faith etc. The violent attacks are triggered by the outward display of religiosity by Hindus. The attacks are mainly a manifestation of religious supremacist doctrine which believes that idolatry, essentially the Hindu faith, is one that deserves to be annihilated since the very tenets of Hinduism, its practices and traditions are considered a sin in those doctrines. Since these attacks emanate from intrinsic and doctrinal animosity towards Hindus and Hinduism, it is considered a religiously motivated hate crime under this category. The second sub-category 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. The third sub-category selected here is - Attacked for crossing 'Muslim area'. One of the reasons that Hindus get attacked unprovoked specifically by Islamists is for crossing ‘Muslim areas’. Essentially, Muslim mobs often attack Hindus crossing or present in certain areas which have a majority Muslim population. It has often been cited as one of the reasons to blame Hindus for attacks against themselves, signalling that Hindus displaying religious symbols, taking our religious processions or crossing any area which is dominated by Muslim residents is a provocation in and of itself. These areas are mostly ghettoized areas where mobs mobilize quickly to attack Hindus for a variety of reasons like playing music during a religious procession, crossing a mosque, wearing a tilak or any other religious symbol in a Muslim-dominated area, praying at a local temple in that area etc. There have been cases where the few local Hindus of that area have been attacked on their way to the Temple for prayers as well, simply because the area is considered a Muslim-dominated area. Several times, it is entirely possible that the immediate trigger for the violence against Hindus was non-religious in nature, however, the violence became religiously motivated in nature because the area was Muslim dominated and the residents on the whole harboured animosity towards Hindus, evidenced from the actions of the mob, the slogans, and the nature of the attack. Such crimes are motivated by the religious identity of the victims and are therefore classified as hate crimes under this category. The fourth sub-category selected here 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. This case has been added to the Hinduphobia Tracker because Hindu devotees were attacked and pelted with stones, glass bottles, and pebbles during the immersion of the Durga idol in Nepal's Janakpurdham. The attack occurred when the procession passed the vicinity of the Rizvi Jama Masjid, a Muslim-dominated area, directly linking the motive of the perpetrators to the religious identity and activity of the victims. This was not merely an attack on people in a public space, but an attack on those demonstrably engaged in Hindu devotion. As such, it qualified as a hate crime because it targeted a religious group in the act of worship, violating both personal safety and freedom of religion. This incident reveals an attempt to infringe on the Hindu community’s right to religious expression. Such actions not only disrespect the religious significance of the procession but also serve to intimidate and discourage Hindu worshippers from openly practising their beliefs. The attack, therefore, can be seen as a deliberate attempt to convey animosity against Hinduism. The Muslim community reacted violently because a Hindu religious procession was passing through the vicinity of the mosque. It was the presence of Hindus practising their faith in the area, which Muslims considered as provocation, and they attempted to disrupt the procession by attacking it. This pattern of attacking Hindus merely for engaging in religious practice, especially in Muslim-dominated areas, shows a mindset of territorial religious supremacy, enforced through violence. In such areas, Hindu presence itself is deemed unacceptable, let alone allowing them to practise their faith. This transforms a public space into one where the Hindu faith is not tolerated, and the act of crossing such a space becomes a trigger for communal violence. The violence was aimed at disrupting a Hindu religious procession and was rooted in animosity towards the public expression of Hindu devotion. Furthermore, the victims were not random people but Hindu devotees taking part in a clearly visible religious practice. The attack was aimed at stopping them from carrying out their religious practice, showing clear hostility towards Hindus. By targeting the religious procession and the Hindu devotees, the attackers not only harmed the devotees physically but also showed disrespect and animosity towards Hinduism, its beliefs and practices. Here, it is important to note that the attack on the Hindu devotees was an unprovoked one. The trigger for the attack was the Hindu procession passing an area that the Muslims deemed theirs. It was only after the Muslims launched a vicious attack on the Hindus did members of the Hindu community retaliated. Hindus were not the ones to start the violence. Here, it becomes evident that the initial trigger for the attack was religiously motivated as the Muslims disrupted the religious procession by pelting stones, throwing glass bottles and rods at the devotees. The Hindus acted merely in reprisal. The Durga Puja idol immersion procession is a deeply significant ritual for Hindus. It marks the symbolic farewell to Goddess Durga as devotees carry her idol for immersion in a water body, signifying her return to her divine abode after the festival. These processions carry profound reverence for the Hindu community, symbolising both spiritual devotion and cultural identity. Attacking such a procession was a direct assault on Hindu religious practices and beliefs. In Islamic teachings, idol worship, referred to as Shirk, is considered a grave sin. The Qur'an strictly condemns it, and Islamic teachings emphasise the complete rejection of any practice associated with idol worship. While this belief is central to the faith, it has several times led to intolerance and hostility towards idol-worshipping religions, especially Hinduism. When Muslims attacked the Durga idol procession, it reflected more than personal disrespect; it was a demonstration of deep-seated contempt towards Hindu practices. This clearly shows that the violence was not a neutral civil dispute but was driven by deep-rooted religious animosity. Hindu devotees were targeted because they were publicly asserting their faith. Since the attack was motivated by religious hostility, this case has been added to the tracker.
Case Status
Unknown
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Muslim Extremists
Perpetrators Range
Unknown
Perpetrators Gender
unknown
Sources 
