Hindu girls and devotees attacked by armed Muslim mob for objecting to harassment during Hindu religious procession
Kushinagar, Uttar Pradesh, India 
22 November, 2025
Case Summary
In the Mathiya village of Kushinagar, Uttar Pradesh, Hindu devotees, who were taking part in a religious procession, were brutally attacked by an armed Muslim mob. Devotees were attacked because they objected to the actions of three Muslim men who were harassing and passing lewd comments on Hindu girls. According to reports, Hindu women and girls were heading to a pond in the village during the pidiya religious procession, also known as Rudra Vrat, which is a festival celebrated in the Bhojpuri region, typically by unmarried females for their brother’s long life and well-being. During this time, three Muslim youths, Taufeeq, Majeed and Meeraj, began harassing and molesting the Hindu girls, making obscene remarks and filming them on their phones. When the girls and accompanying villagers objected, a scuffle ensued, after which the three youths went away. However, they regrouped with additional associates and returned to launch a violent attack on the girls and women using belts, punches and rods, injuring several of them and creating chaos in the procession. The expanded group of attackers included Golden, Saif Ali, Kaifi, Farhan, Sameer, Salman, Arman and Atul, all residents of Khadda town, along with the original three youths. Villagers rushed to the scene and managed to apprehend some of the attackers as others attempted to flee. Police promptly arrived at the scene and took Meraj and Salman into custody, while the remaining accused were on the run. A case was registered against the accused, and a search operation was initiated to arrest the others.
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 - Attacked for opposing radicals or trying to save 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 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. The other 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 other sub-category selected here is - Attack on 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 has been added to the tracker because Hindu devotees, who were taking part in a religious procession, were brutally attacked by an armed Muslim mob. The dispute began when the three Muslim youths started making obscene remarks, molesting and harassing the Hindu girls, taking part in the religious procession. When Hindus objected to it, the Muslim youths went away, regrouped and launched a violent assault on the Hindus, including women, injuring multiple people. The severity and targeted nature of the molestation, followed by a coordinated return for a violent retaliation, exposed deep-seated communal hatred directed at the Hindu community. The attackers’ decision to regroup and inflict violence on those who protested their misconduct demonstrated an intent to intimidate the Hindu devotees through fear and physical force. Their actions were not spontaneous but a deliberate attempt to punish the Hindu girls and the accompanying devotees for resisting humiliation during a sacred ritual. It is important to note here that a pidiya procession is a traditional ritual in parts of eastern Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, often associated with Rudra Vrat, during which girls and women carry a small symbolic clay idol or pidiya to a pond or water body for immersion. The ritual is typically performed by unmarried girls for the long life, protection and well-being of their brothers. The procession usually involves singing, drumming or music from a DJ, and a community walk to the immersion site, after which the pidiya is ritually submerged to conclude the ceremony. This incident unmistakably represents communal violence, as the Muslim youths first harassed the Hindu girls, and when Hindus objected, the Muslims subjected them to brutal violence. The brutal violence, especially when it was their own fault, points to a premeditated expression of religious enmity. The attackers deliberately targeted the religious procession, violating the sanctity of the procession and aiming to intimidate the Hindu community by demonstrating their vulnerability. The attack cannot be reduced to a mere social dispute; it was a targeted communal assault rooted in hostility towards Hindus. The organised nature of this attack shows it was no spontaneous occurrence, but a coordinated effort to terrorise and subjugate the Hindu community in that area. Violence was used as a tool of religious intimidation, disrupting the cultural and social practices of the Hindu community, which are integral to their faith and identity. This act was deliberately designed to instil fear and assert dominance, reflecting a broader pattern of religiously motivated hostility against Hindus. This pattern had been seen time and again, where mobs from the Muslim community resort to disproportionate violence over when Hindu community object to their actions. Even in this case, too, there was no provocation, the Muslim youths were harassing Hindu girls, yet it was Hindus who were subjected to brutal violence. This violent overreach stems from Islamic supremacist ideology within Muslim extremist circles, which views Hindus as socially and religiously inferior. This toxic belief breeds contempt and aggression, especially when Hindus resist submission or refuse to yield in disputes. The readiness to use violence exposes the continuing threat Hindu communities face, as these incidents are not isolated or spontaneous but part of an ongoing pattern of religiously motivated violence. This case clearly showed that the violence was not the result of a neutral dispute but stemmed directly from religious hostility. The Hindu devotees were attacked precisely while they were participating in a sacred ritual, and the confrontation began only because Hindus objected to the harassment of their girls during a religious procession. Instead of withdrawing, the Muslim youths regrouped, mobilised others from their community, and launched a coordinated assault on the Hindu participants. The violence was meant to punish Hindus for asserting their dignity and for participating in their religious tradition without fear. Since the assault was rooted in communal animosity and aimed at intimidating a Hindu religious gathering, this case has been added to the tracker.
Case Status
Case sub-judice
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Muslim Extremists
Perpetrators Range
From 10 to 100
Perpetrators Gender
male
Sources 
