Attack on Hindu sentiments: Muslim family slaughters cow on Diwali and deceivingly feeds beef to Hindu villagers

Case ID : 8da16e1 | Location : Mahasamund, Chhattisgarh, India | Date of Incident : Sat, 18 October, 2025

Case ID : 8da16e1

Mahasamund, Chhattisgarh, India

18 October, 2025

Attack on Hindu sentiments: Muslim family slaughters cow on Diwali and deceivingly feeds beef to Hindu villagers

Attack on Hindu religious representations

Desecration of Hindu religious symbol

Defiling religious customs

Attack not resulting in death

Attacked for Hindu identity

Case Summary

In Mungaser village, Mahasamund district, Chhattisgarh, a cow was slaughtered during Diwali, a revered Hindu festival, by a Muslim man named Iftiyar Khan along with his family members. The Muslim family also deceitfully served beef to Hindu villagers under the pretext of inviting them for a feast. This incident came to light when the villagers lodged a written complaint against the accused at the Baghbahara Police Station. Rupesh Kumar Sahu, a Hindu resident, in his statement to the police, mentioned that during the Diwali celebrations in Mungaser village, Iftiyar Khan and his relatives had slaughtered a cow and served the meat to several Hindu families. As per the Hindu villagers, on the morning of 19th October 2025, the day after Dhanteras, Iftiyar Khan and his family members were seen cutting cow meat under a Palash tree behind his house. Rupesh Sahu, who had gone to inspect his paddy field, witnessed the act but remained silent out of fear at the time. Later that day, Iftiyar Khan invited several Hindu families to his house for a religious ceremony and a feast. His son, Irfan Khan, personally called everyone to attend, and during the meal, they were deceivingly fed beef curry. Those present included Manish Sen, Shankar Bariha, Rohan Pol, Lokesh Thakur, Khilesh, and a few other families. For those who did not attend, food parcels containing beef curry were sent to their homes. Subsequently, on 22nd October 2025, the day of Govardhan Puja, Rekhraj Sahu and Chudamani Sahu, two Hindu villagers, while on their morning walk, discovered a severed cow’s head lying on the road in front of Iftiyar Khan’s house. They immediately informed other villagers. Following this, a group of villagers searched the area for an hour, but the severed head could not be found, which deepened their suspicions. That evening, after the Govardhan Puja, the Sarpanch, Panchayat members, and village elders from Mungaser and Khadadarha convened a meeting and decided to file an official complaint at the police station. Upon receiving the complaint, a forensic science team and a veterinary officer inspected the site in the presence of villagers. They discovered cow bones stained with blood among the standing paddy crop near Iftiyar Khan’s house. Following the findings, the police registered a case against the accused.

Why it is Hate Crime ?

This case has been added to the tracker under the primary category- Attack on Hindu religious representations. The subcategory selected is- Desecration of Hindu religious symbol. 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 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. Another primary category selected in this case is- Attack not resulting in death. The subcategory selected is- Attacked for Hindu identity. In several cases, Hindus are attacked merely for their Hindu identity without any perceived provocation. A classic example of this category of religiously motivated hate crime is a murder in 2016. 7 ISIS terrorists were convicted for shooting a school principal in Kanpur because they got ‘triggered’ seeing the Kalava on his wrist and tilak that he had put. In this, the Hindu victim had offered no provocation except for his Hindu religious identity. The motivation for the murder was purely religious, driven by religious supremacy. Such cases where Hindus are targeted merely for their religious identity would be documented as a hate crime under this category. In this case, it is first important to note that the cow holds profound religious significance in Hinduism. Since ancient times, it has been considered sacred. The cow symbolises gentleness, motherhood, and divine prosperity. Hindus regard it as an embodiment of selfless giving and purity, as it sustains human life through milk and agricultural labour. Harming or killing a cow is viewed not merely as an act of violence but as the desecration of a revered Hindu religious symbol. In this context, the act of slaughtering a cow by the Muslim accused, and then feeding its flesh to Hindu villagers during the sacred festival of Diwali, demonstrated a deep-seated intent driven by religious animosity. This was not an isolated crime but a deliberate assault on the faith and collective dignity of Hindus. Historically, Muslim extremists have used cow slaughter as a means to demean Hindu beliefs, humiliate the community, and even attempt to forcibly convert Hindus by compelling them to eat beef in violation of their religion. Such acts have functioned as deeply psychological and cultural offences aimed at eroding Hindu identity, desecrating sacred traditions, and asserting dominance through deliberate religious provocation. Diwali, one of the most auspicious and widely celebrated Hindu festivals, is a time of devotion, spiritual renewal, and the triumph of good over evil. It is associated with worshipping Goddess Lakshmi and Lord Rama, cleansing homes, lighting lamps, and observing purity in thought, food, and conduct. For countless Hindu families, this period is marked by strict vegetarianism as a form of reverence and self-discipline. Hence, the act of slaughtering a cow—the holiest animal in Hinduism—on Diwali struck at the very heart of the festival’s sanctity. It represented an affront not just to individual religious practice but to the collective essence of Hindu faith and spirituality. The timing of this slaughter, coinciding with a moment sacred to millions, cannot be viewed as coincidental; it must be seen as a purposeful desecration meant to insult Hindu customs and paint a blot on one of Hinduism’s purest observances. Such an act, therefore, amounted to the direct undermining of Hindu religious identity, customs, and community harmony—constituting a clear case of a hate-driven, religiously motivated crime. Further compounding the severity of this act was the deceptive feeding of beef to Hindu villagers under the guise of a friendly or religious feast. This was not merely an act of betrayal but one of deliberate psychological cruelty. By inviting the villagers with false goodwill and then feeding them meat forbidden by their faith, the perpetrators desecrated their trust and exploited the sanctity of hospitality—an ideal deeply valued in Hindu culture. Many victims, upon discovering the truth, experienced not only shock but a sense of being spiritually violated, as consuming beef forcibly or unknowingly is one of the gravest forms of religious defilement in Hinduism. The intent behind this act was not only to outrage religious sentiments but also to attack the very core of Hindu selfhood, stripping individuals of the purity and dignity tied to their ancestral faith. In this light, the act carried all the hallmarks of premeditated religious hostility. Given that this case meets multiple parameters of a crime driven by religious hatred and directed explicitly against the Hindu community, it has been included in the Hate Crime Database of the Hinduphobia Tracker. Disclaimer: In this case, media reports did not specify the exact number of perpetrators involved. The main accused, Iftiyar Khan, and his son, Irfan Khan, were identified as participants in the incident. Reports indicated that the act was carried out with the involvement of Iftiyar Khan’s family members; however, the total number of individuals in the family was not detailed. Therefore, for documentation purposes, the perpetrator count has been recorded as a conservative estimate of 2, representing the primary accused, Iftiyar Khan, and his son, Irfan Khan. According to media reports, several Hindu villagers and families were targeted by the Muslim accused in this case. However, the reports did not specify the exact number of victims and mentioned only five Hindu individuals by name. Therefore, for documentation purposes, the victim count has been recorded as a conservative estimate of five.