Hindus returning from Hanuman Chalisa recital event attacked with bricks and stones near a mosque by over 300 Muslims
Jamui, Bihar, India 
15 February, 2025
Case Summary
In Jumui, Bihar, Hindus returning from a Hanuman Chalisa recitation were attacked. A mob of Islamic radicals surrounded the Hindu convoy, hurling bricks and stones at them. Several vehicles were vandalised. The Hindu Swabhiman Morcha members were the prime targets of the Muslim mob. Women were also injured in the attack. Following the incident, police officials reached the scene, and internet services in Jumui were suspended. Authorities have arrested several individuals in connection with the violence. According to media reports, on Sunday (February 16, 2025), Hindu Swabhiman organisation workers visited Baliyadih village to recite the Hanuman Chalisa. As they were returning, a mob near the mosque launched an attack on their convoy. The assault took place while passing through a Muslim-majority area. The attackers smashed car windows and pelted stones. Among the severely injured were Hindu Swabhiman district president Nitish Kumar and activist Khushbu Pandey, along with around 10 other Hindu activists. According to News18 Bihar, women and children were also among the victims. One of the injured activists recounted, "We were returning after reciting the Hanuman Chalisa when suddenly, 300-400 people attacked us." Another activist stated that stones were thrown at them without any provocation, and their vehicles were destroyed in the Muslim locality. Khushbu Pandey, one of the injured, revealed, "There was a Hanuman Chalisa program at Bhaleshwar Nath Temple in Baliyadih village. As we were returning after receiving Prasad, stone-pelting suddenly began near the mosque. Our vehicles were damaged, and people were shouting 'Allahu Akbar' slogans." She further stated that there were plans to hunt them down and attack the police as well. Reports indicate that Hindu activists were trapped in the area for several hours, and videos of the attack surfaced on social media, showing the stone pelting. Allegations of police negligence at the local level have also emerged. However, additional police forces were deployed, and the situation was brought under control. To prevent rumours from spreading, internet services were suspended in Jumui. SP Madan Kumar Anand confirmed the action taken and stated, "The police party failed to inform senior officers after slogans were raised against the Hanuman Chalisa reciters. Instead, they tried to handle the situation themselves and even suggested changing the route. We have sought an explanation from them and suspended them as well." A case has been registered, naming eight individuals and 50 unidentified attackers. Nine rioters have been arrested, and a large police force has been deployed in the village to maintain law and order.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
This case has been added as a religiously motivated hate crime under two prime categories of the tracker. The first is- Attack not resulting in death. Under this, the first sub-category selected is- Attacked 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 second -sub-category relevant 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 third sub-category of the above-mentioned category under which this case has been placed is- Attacked for supporting/being part of perceived Hindu party/org or working for Hindu community. In several cases, Hindus are attacked specifically or tangentially for their association with parties or organisations perceived to be pro-Hindu and/or for working in favour of the Hindu community. One of the classic cases was the attack against a Bharatiya Janata Party Yuva Morcha (BJYM) worker Praveen Nettaru. Nettaru was attacked and hacked to death for his association with Hindu organizations and his work for the Hindu community. He was murdered by PFI, a terror organization which aimed to commit a genocide of Hindus, target Hindu leaders specifically and turn India into an Islamic Nation. In such cases, it is possible that the immediate trigger for the violence is non-religious – either according to the perpetrator or the police. However, there are surrounding circumstances from which the conclusion can be reached that the victim was attacked for his association with a Hindu organization. In a similar case, Rinku Sharma was attacked by radicals. He was a member of Bajrang Dal and regularly worked for the Hindu community. While the police cited a different non-religious trigger for the attack, it is true that he was associated to a Hindu organization and the family of Rinku Sharma specifically attributed his gruesome murder to him working for Bajrang Dal and raising Jai Shree Ram slogans. Such cases are intrinsically driven by religious hate and would therefore be documented as a hate crime under this category. Likewise, the second category relevant here is- Attack on Hindu religious representation and within this, the sub-category selected is- Abrahamic religious chanting outside Hindu religious places and/or during Hindu activities. In Hinduism, a temple is the abode of the Deity. The Deity in the Temple is consecrated, thereby, making it a real, breathing entity. Hindus believe that not just the Deity but the temple premises itself are sacred to Hindus since Hindus hold the faith that the entire Temple space is an amalgamation of the divine energy of the deity. Similarly, religious activities hold deep significance for Hindus, as they are intricately connected to their spiritual, cultural, and social lives. These practices encompass rituals, festivals, prayers, and pilgrimages that celebrate and honour various deities, fostering a sense of spiritual connection, community, and cultural continuity. Given the central significance of Temples and religious activities in Hindu Dharma, any aggressive Abrahamic chanting outside Temples or during religious activities negates the divinity of the religious space because the chanting itself negates the existence of any other God other than the God of the Abrahamic faith. Such chanting is specifically done to negate the faith of Hindus, establish religious supremacy, intimidate the devotees and mock the faith. Besides temples, such Abrahamic chanting outside any Hindu place of worship or religious structure or during any religious activity has the same effect. Since such acts are rooted in an inherent religious supremacist mentality driven by religious animosity, such crimes would be considered religiously motivated hate crimes under this category. This case bears several distinct religious markers, categorising it as a hate crime against Hindus. The attack on Hindu devotees returning from a Hanuman Chalisa recitation is a clear indication of targeted religious violence, as they were singled out for their participation in a Hindu religious practice. One of the victims firmly asserted that the attack on the convoy of Hindu devotees was entirely unprovoked, further solidifying this incident as a religiously motivated hate crime. The Hindu devotees were simply returning from a Hanuman Chalisa recitation, yet they were met with brutal violence from Islamists who, without any justification, launched a vicious assault. Furthermore, the assault took place near a mosque in a Muslim-majority area, reinforcing the pattern of hostility against Hindus crossing perceived 'Muslim areas', where their presence is often met with aggression and intolerance. Moreover, the extremists chanted "Allah Hu Akbar," a phrase from the Islamic faith, while carrying out the vicious attack on the Hindus. This adds another religious dimension to the attack. While the phrase itself is a declaration of faith in Islam, chanting it aggressively while launching an unbridled attack against Hindu devotees returning from a religious event, can be interpreted as an attempt to assert religious dominance and suppress the religious practices of another faith. This juxtaposition of an Abrahamic chant in a Hindu setting during worship turns the incident into an act of religious imposition and intolerance, with the aggressors using their faith to intimidate and harass another religious community. Collectively, these elements irrefutably establish this incident as a religiously motivated hate crime against Hindus. The unprovoked nature of the attack, the targeting of Hindu devotees, the stone-pelting and destruction of vehicles, and the slogans of religious dominance all point to a pre-planned and systematic assault on Hindus for merely practising their faith. The fact that the attack occurred after a Hindu religious gathering and in proximity to a mosque further highlights the religious intolerance behind this act. Additionally, the targeting of Hindu Swabhiman Morcha activists and the open calls to hunt down specific Hindu individuals indicate that the perpetrators were not simply reacting to an event but were driven by deep-seated animosity towards Hindus. Given these clear religious markers, this case aptly qualifies to be categorised under multiple hate crime classifications in the Hinduphobia tracker.
Case Status
Case sub-judice
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Muslim Extremists
Perpetrators Range
From 10 to 100
Perpetrators Gender
male
Sources 
