Hindu religious event attacked, devotees subjected to stone-pelting by Muslim labourers in Delhi

Case ID : 45f5080 | Location : Central Delhi, Delhi, India | Date of Incident : Sun, 7 December, 2025

Case ID : 45f5080

Central Delhi, Delhi, India

7 December, 2025

Hindu religious event attacked, devotees subjected to stone-pelting by Muslim labourers in Delhi

Attack on Hindu religious representations

Defiling religious customs

Violence against religious structures or centres

Attack not resulting in death

Attack against Hindu devotees

Case Summary

In the Pandara Road area of Delhi, a Hindu religious event featuring Bhajan Kirtan—devotional songs and hymns—was attacked, and the devotees were subjected to stone pelting by a group of Muslim labourers. According to reports, a three-day Radha Rani Vivah religious programme, dedicated to Goddess Radha, was being held at the home of a man named SP Mon, resident of A125, Pandara Road, on 8th December 2025. The organisers stated that the programme had proceeded peacefully on the first two days (6th and 7th December 2025). On 8th December 2025, the programme began around 5 p.m., with over 100 people present in the pandal at the time. The incident occurred between 5:30 and 5:45 p.m. Organiser Mon further stated that shortly afterwards, a stone was thrown onto the pandal. Before those inside could react, a piece of glass was also hurled. The glass struck a 60-year-old woman named Madhu Manocha in the face, causing injury. The injured woman was admitted to Fortis Hospital. The police were informed of the incident. Upon receiving information, a police team, along with a forensic unit, arrived at the scene to collect evidence. According to organiser Mon, there were flats directly behind the event site inhabited by Muslim labourers. He stated that the stones and glass shards were thrown from these flats by Muslims. At the time of writing this report, the police remain at the scene and are actively investigating the matter. They are also reviewing nearby CCTV footage.

Why it is Hate Crime ?

The primary category selected in this case is- 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 subcategory selected 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. Another primary category selected in this case- 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 constitutes a clear instance of an anti-Hindu hate crime against the Hindu community and their faith. The Muslim accused launched an attack during the revered Hindu religious event of the Radha Rani Vivah programme, which holds deep significance in Hinduism as a celebration of the divine union of Goddess Radha and Lord Krishna. The accused targeted the Hindu devotees by pelting stones at the pandal where the event was being held. Such an attack amounts to the defilement of religious customs and the desecration of a sacred event that carries profound religious and spiritual importance for Hindus. Targeting and desecrating a revered religious occasion in this manner grievously hurts the religious sentiments of the Hindu community and unmistakably constitutes a hate crime motivated by religious animosity. The event took place inside a pandal, a temporary structure erected for religious ceremonies and gatherings in Hindu worship. The fact that the attack occurred inside the pandal highlights that the religious venue itself was deliberately targeted, reflecting deep-seated religious hostility. In Hinduism, the pandal serves as a sanctified space where devotees come together to celebrate and express their faith. Attacking such a sacred setting is not merely an act of vandalism but a calculated assault on the religious expression of the Hindu community. This deliberate targeting of the pandal clearly demonstrates religious animosity, making the incident a religiously motivated hate crime. Moreover, the Hindu devotees, who were the primary participants and intended targets of this violence, suffered direct harm from the attack. Stones and glass were hurled indiscriminately, seriously injuring 60-year-old Madhu Manocha when a piece of glass struck her face. This was not an act of random mischief but a calculated and premeditated attempt to injure individuals based on their religious identity and for openly practising their faith by organising such events. The assault on Hindu devotees by Muslim perpetrators during a sacred religious ceremony clearly demonstrates the hostile intent behind the attack. Such targeted violence is rooted in deep-seated animosity towards the Hindu community and their faith, making it a clear instance of a hate crime motivated by religious hatred. Given that this case meets multiple criteria of a religiously motivated crime, it has been included in the Hate Crime Database maintained by the Hinduphobia Tracker.