Hindus targeted in Nagpur: Muslim mob desecrated Tulsi plants, hurled anti-Hindu slurs, and issued violent threats
Nagpur, Maharashtra, India 
16 March, 2025
Case Summary
In Nagpur, Muslim mobs targeted Tulsi plants outside Hindu homes and hurled anti-Hindu slurs and violent threats at local Hindus during communal clashes. Hindu communities came under violent attack by Muslim mobs following demands by Hindu organisations for the removal of Aurangzeb’s tomb in Sambhaji Nagar. The violence escalated after unverified rumours spread that Hindu groups had burned the Quran during protests against the tomb. Using this as a pretext, Muslim mobs launched a coordinated assault on Hindus, triggering widespread communal clashes. Several eyewitnesses reported that Hindu-owned shops and vehicles were deliberately targeted, while Muslim properties remained untouched. Additionally, multiple accounts confirmed that Muslim rioters desecrated Tulsi plants, a sacred symbol in Hinduism, and issued violent threats to local Hindus. According to media reports, one of the local Hindu women said that the Muslim rioters vandalised Tulsi plants placed outside Hindu homes. Another Hindu woman reported that during the violence, Muslims hurled Tulsi pots, worshipped by Hindus, after failing to find other objects to destroy. The rioters shouted abuse. They raised communal and violent slogans. She further recalled, "They (Muslim rioters) were telling local Hindus to leave. When I went to pick up my daughter, they threatened an auto-rickshaw driver, warning him that if he entered the area, they would chop him down." Another local Hindu woman reported that the rioters hurled violent threats and abuses at Hindus while vandalising their property. They said, “Hindus, we will see how you stay here and live here in Nagpur." The local Hindus also confirmed that Muslim mobs identified Hindu-owned vehicles by looking for images of Hindu deities and religious symbols such as the Swastik. Once confirmed, these vehicles were either torched or vandalised, while those vehicles belonging to Muslims were left untouched. Witnesses reported that the Muslim rioters were heavily armed with petrol bombs, swords, and other weapons. They pelted stones at children and set fire to properties and vehicles. Many of the rioters covered their faces to evade identification. One witness described the scene, saying, "They came in large numbers, carrying big stones and petrol bombs. They pelted stones, vandalised property, and torched vehicles." The rioters also hurled communal slurs at Hindu police officers and shouted anti-Hindu slogans. Petrol bombs were used in an attempt to injure officers trying to restore order. In total, almost 30 people fell victim to this communal violence. The Hinduphobia Tracker has extensively documented the Nagpur violence.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
This case has been added to the tracker as a religiously motivated hate crime under the primary category- Attack on Hindu religious representations. The sub-category 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 sub-category selected is- Hate Speech against Hindus. The sub-category selected is- Anti-Hindu slurs, mocking faith. Anti-Hindu slurs and the deliberate mocking of the Hindu faith owing to religious animosity involve the usage of derogatory terms, stereotypes, or offensive references to religious practices, symbols, or figures. One of the common anti-Hindu slurs used against Hindus is “cow-worshipper” and “cow piss drinker”. The intention of using this term is to demean and mock Hindus as a group and their religious beliefs since Hindus consider the cow holy. Additionally, some symbols and the slurs attached to them have a historical context that exacerbates the insult, hate, stereotyping, dehumanisation and oppression against Hindus. Cow worship has been used for centuries to denigrate Hindus, insult their faith and oppress Hindus specifically as a religious group. There has been overwhelming documentation about how cow slaughter has been used to persecute Hindus with cow meat being thrown in temples and places of worship. There has also been overwhelming documentation where cow meat (beef) has been force-fed to Hindus to either forcefully convert them to Islam or denigrate their faith. Apart from cow worship, the Swastika – which holds deep religious significance for the Hindus – has also been misinterpreted and distorted to use as a slur against Hindus. Similarly, the worship of the Shivling has been used by supremacist ideologies and religions to denigrate Hindus owing to religious animosity. Such slurs and denigration stem out of inherent animosity and hate towards Hindus and their faith, therefore, it is categorised as hate speech targeted at Hindus specifically owing to their religious identity. The other sub-category selected is- Violent threats. Violent threats, explicit, implicit or implied, is the most dangerous form of hate speech since it goes beyond discriminatory and prejudicial language to express the intent of causing harm to an individual or a group of people based on their religious identity and faith. There could be several different kinds of threats that are issued to Hindus based on religious animosity. An explicit threat would mean the direct threat of violence towards an individual Hindu, a group of Hindus or Hindus at large. Physical violence, death threats, threats of destruction of property belonging to Hindus and threats of genocide would mean explicit threats against Hindus for their religious identity. Implicit threats may not be a direct threat but implied through the use of symbols of actions – for example – in the Nupur Sharma case, other than explicit threats, there were also implicit threats when Islamists took to the streets to burn and beat her effigies. It implies that they want to do the same to Nupur Sharma – thereby is considered an implicit threat. Violent threats can be delivered in person, through letters, phone calls, graffiti, or increasingly through social media and other online platforms. It would be important to understand that a threat – explicit or implicit, online or offline – to an individual who happens to be a Hindu does not qualify as a religiously motivated threat. Such a threat, while vile and dangerous, could be owing to non-religious reasons and/or personal animosity. To qualify as a religiously motivated threat, it would need to exhibit an indication that the individual is being targeted for religious reasons and/or owing to his/her religious identity as a Hindu. The other primary category selected is- Attack not resulting in death. Under this, the sub-category 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 Nagpur, the Muslim mobs deliberately desecrated Tulsi plants, a sacred symbol in Hinduism, placed outside Hindu homes. The Tulsi plant is not merely decorative but holds deep religious significance, representing purity and spiritual sanctity in Hindu households. By destroying these plants, the rioters targeted the faith itself, demonstrating animosity toward Hindu religious practices. This deliberate attack on a core element of Hindu worship qualifies as a religiously motivated hate crime, as it seeks to intimidate and demean the Hindu community through the desecration of its sacred symbols. During the clashes, Muslim mobs hurled anti-Hindu slurs, issuing derogatory and threatening language toward Hindus. The abusive slogans, mocking Hindu religious symbols and demeaning the faith represent deliberate attempts to insult and dehumanise Hindus. Such slurs, including the targeting of Swastikas and other religious markers, are rooted in longstanding religious animosity and aim to reinforce stereotypes and humiliation against Hindus. This systematic mockery of Hindu beliefs and symbols constitutes hate speech specifically targeting Hindus based on their religious identity. The Muslim rioters issued direct and explicit violent threats to Hindus, warning them to leave the area and threatening physical harm if they remained. Witnesses reported threats such as “we will see how you stay here and live here in Nagpur,” alongside attempts to intimidate drivers and families. These threats were coupled with acts of violence, including petrol bomb attacks and property destruction, demonstrating an intent to harm Hindus explicitly because of their religious identity. Both the verbal threats and the implied threats through violent action make this a clear case of religiously motivated violent threats. Hindus in Nagpur were attacked solely for their religious identity without any provocation beyond belonging to the Hindu community. Shops, vehicles, and homes were selectively vandalised based on visible Hindu symbols such as deities, Swastikas, and murtis, while properties of Muslims were left untouched. The rioters identified targets explicitly by Hindu markers, demonstrating that the motivation for the attacks was purely religious. The Nagpur incident exemplifies multiple facets of anti-Hindu hate crimes: deliberate desecration of religious symbols, targeted verbal abuse, violent threats, and physical attacks aimed solely at Hindus. It reflects coordinated animosity toward Hindus, motivated explicitly by religious identity and faith.
Case Status
Unknown
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Muslim Extremists
Perpetrators Range
Unknown
Perpetrators Gender
male
Sources 
