Hindus celebrating cricket victory amid “Bharat Mata Ki Jai” slogans attacked with stones near a mosque

Case ID : 90a09fa | Location : Gandhinagar, Gujarat, India | Date of Incident : Sat, 8 March, 2025

Case ID : 90a09fa

Gandhinagar, Gujarat, India

8 March, 2025

Hindus celebrating cricket victory amid “Bharat Mata Ki Jai” slogans attacked with stones near a mosque

Attack not resulting in death

Attacked for crossing 'Muslim area'

Attacked for Hindu identity

Communal clash

Case Summary

India’s victory over New Zealand in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 final sparked nationwide celebrations. In Dahegam, Gandhinagar, Hindus took out a victory procession to mark the occasion, chanting patriotic slogans like “Bharat Mata Ki Jai.” However, as the procession passed near the Ugmanovas mosque in the Kasba neighbourhood, a Muslim mob launched a violent attack, pelting stones at the celebrants. Several people sustained injuries in the assault, and vehicles were vandalised during the attack. Three Hindu youths were reportedly injured and were immediately taken to Gandhinagar Hospital for treatment. Authorities have since arrested multiple accused, and a First Information Report (FIR) has been registered against them. According to reports, the violence erupted when a bike rally celebrating India’s win reached a Muslim-majority area at around 11 PM. A group of Muslims sitting near the mosque confronted the Hindu participants, questioning their presence and verbally abusing them. Shortly after, additional assailants arrived with sticks and attacked the rally, vandalising several bikes. Following the attack, a Hindu victim, Dhawal Mistry, lodged a complaint at the Dahegam Police Station. Based on his statement, police have registered a case against named accused individuals—Mohammed, Arbaaz Khan, Owais, Sajid Hussain, Wasim, Mohammed Taufiq, Sanjay, Mohammed Irfan, and Naseer Khan—along with six unidentified persons. The FIR has been filed under sections 189(2), 191(2), 191(3), 352, and 324(4) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). A few suspects have already been taken into custody, and further investigations are underway.

Why it is Hate Crime ?

This case has been added to the tracker under the prime category- Attack not resulting in death. Under this, the first sub-category selected 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 second sub-category selected is- Communal clash. 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 third sub-category selected under the above-mentioned category 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. This incident, where a Muslim mob unleashed a violent attack on Hindus celebrating India's Champions Trophy win, has various religious markers that justify its inclusion in the Hinduphobia tracker under several categories and subcategories. Firstly, this incident has been placed under the category of "Attacked for crossing Muslim area" because as soon as the celebratory group entered the vicinity of the Masjid, they were attacked with stone pelting. This pattern is seen in several communal clashes where Hindus entering or passing through Muslim-majority localities are met with hostility. In such cases, the underlying motive often stems from the belief that certain areas are exclusive to a particular religious community, and outsiders—especially Hindus—are not welcome. The reaction from the Muslim mob indicates a deep-seated intolerance towards Hindu religious expressions and processions, especially when such events take place in or around areas they consider their own. It reveals a disturbing sense of Islamic supremacy harboured by the attackers. This sense of entitlement and superiority not only reflects deep-seated prejudice but also highlights an attempt to assert religious dominance over public spaces. Historically, such clashes have been tactically used to intimidate Hindus and discourage them from crossing or settling in certain areas. The fact that the violence was premeditated reinforces the notion that this was not an ordinary scuffle but rather a deliberate act of aggression meant to send a strong message: that Hindus should not cross, celebrate, or assert their religious and national pride in Muslim-majority localities. Secondly, the sub-category 'Attacked for Hindu Identity' has been chosen. This category is particularly relevant because the attack was not merely a reaction to an event but was motivated by the Hindu identity of the people involved in the victory celebration. Another concerning aspect of this attack is the violent backlash against the slogan ‘Bharat Mata Ki Jai,’ which symbolises national pride and unity in India. By targeting individuals for chanting this slogan, the Islamist mob demonstrated a rejection of Indian national identity in favour of a broader Islamist allegiance. It is important to note that Muslim extremists not only harbour deep-seated animosity toward Hindus and their faith but also perceive India as a Hindu-majority nation. The foundation of India’s partition was rooted in the belief that Islam constituted a distinct nation that could not coexist within a Hindu-majority country like India. Additionally, many Muslims adhere to the concept of transnational unity, or the Ummah, which asserts that all Muslims worldwide form a single nation. This ideology often results in a divided sense of national loyalty, where allegiance is directed toward the global Muslim community rather than a nation-state perceived as Hindu-majority. The hostility toward patriotic slogans like ‘Bharat Mata Ki Jai’ has been evident in numerous instances where Islamist radicals reject national identity in favour of the Islamic Ummah.