Hindu women molested at Garba event, stones pelted following opposition by locals
Bikaner, Rajasthan, India 
29 September, 2025
Case Summary
Hindu women were molested at a Garba event in Bikaner, Rajasthan, late at night on 30 September 2025, sparking a violent clash. The incident occurred in Benisar Bari under the Naya Shahar police station jurisdiction. Several policemen, including CO City Shravan Das Sant, were injured in the ensuing stone-pelting. According to reports, the disturbance began around 10:30 pm when some boys from a nearby locality molested young women participating in the Garba. When attendees intervened, a scuffle broke out. Around 11 pm, the confrontation escalated as some boys returned, and stones and tiles were thrown from nearby houses. Locals, including a woman, sustained injuries, and the glass of a police jeep was shattered. Additional vehicles and a parked side bike were damaged during the clash. Additional SP Saurabh Tiwari stated that four to five people had been detained at the scene. The altercation took place near the residence of MLA Jethanand Vyas, who was present and seen addressing the crowd. While the MLA declined to comment on the controversy, he called for strict action against those responsible for vandalism and stone-pelting. According to local reports, Muslims were behind the stone pelting and molesting of Hindu women. Police officials confirmed that most of the stone-pelters had been identified and assured that stringent measures would be taken against them.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
The primary category in this case is: Attack not resulting in death. The first subcategory under this 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. The second subcategory under this is: Attacked for opposing radicals or trying to save victim. In several cases, Hindus are attacked for opposing religiously motivated crimes being committed against a fellow Hindu or simply for voicing an opinion opposing radical elements, who either have in the past or continue to persecute Hindus. In such cases, the initial attack against the victim, against which the Hindu was trying to defend the victim, would also need to be classified as a religiously motivated hate crime. Since the initial crime itself was religiously motivated and the subsequent crime of attempting to save the victim or speaking against the radical elements ends up inviting a violent attack, it would also be classified as a religiously motivated hate crime under this category. Another primary category in this case is: Attack on Hindu religious representations. The first subcategory under this is: Breaking rules of place of worship. 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. One of these oral traditions or written traditions is the rules of specific temples. Certain temples have rules which are traditional rules, dependent on the worship of the presiding deities. These rules and traditions have been followed for thousands of years whether they find scriptural mention or not. Such traditions are based on the nature and rules of worship of the presiding deity of that temple. Any non-compliance 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 presiding deity but also disregard for the faith of the devotees of that deity/temple and implicit bias against the faith, the tradition and the deity itself. Since these specific traditions are central to the faith of the devotees of that specific temple and presiding deity, any non-compliance with these traditional rules would be considered a religiously motivated hate crime. The second subcategory under this 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. This case has been added to the Hinduphobia Tracker because it exemplifies multiple dimensions of religiously motivated attacks against Hindus, particularly targeting Hindu women during a sacred cultural and religious gathering. The incident at the Garba event in Bikaner demonstrates a clear pattern of selective targeting based on religious identity. Hindu women were deliberately singled out and molested while participating in Garba, a traditional dance that forms an integral part of Navratri celebrations. This selective victimisation is significant because it highlights the attackers’ intent to intimidate and harass Hindus specifically, rather than indiscriminately targeting a crowd. The targeting was not incidental but purposeful, reflecting a broader pattern of animosity and aggression directed towards Hindus. The violence in this case was also initiated after members of the local community opposed the actions of radical Muslims who were molesting Hindu women at the Garba event. When attendees intervened to stop the harassment, the situation quickly escalated into a full-scale clash, with stones and tiles being thrown from nearby houses. This demonstrates that the attack was not only directed at the victims themselves but also at those who resisted the aggressors’ misconduct. Because the initial aggression was religiously motivated and the subsequent violence targeted individuals who attempted to defend the victims or oppose the perpetrators, this incident falls under the category of “Attacked for opposing radicals or trying to save victim.” The attackers’ response was intended to punish those opposing their actions and to assert dominance, making this a clear instance of retaliatory violence with a religious motivation. The Garba pandal, where the incident occurred, holds profound cultural and religious significance. In Sanatan Dharma, temporary structures such as Garba pandals established for festivals are considered sacred spaces for worship and celebration. Entry to these spaces is traditionally restricted to Hindus observing the rituals, maintaining the sanctity of the event. By entering and attacking women inside the Garba pandal, the perpetrators not only violated personal safety but also desecrated a space considered spiritually protected by the faith and its adherents. This constitutes a violation of the traditional rules of a place of worship, as the attackers disregarded the faith of the devotees and actively intruded upon a space that is central to religious practice and identity. The stone-pelting that ensued represents a further escalation of violence, this time against the physical embodiment of Hindu religious practice. Vehicles, including a police jeep, and a parked side bike were damaged, and tiles and stones were thrown from nearby houses. In the context of Sanatan Dharma, religious structures and spaces associated with worship are regarded as sacred extensions of the faith. Therefore, attacking the Garba pandal and its surroundings constitutes violence against religious structures, reflecting animosity not merely toward individuals but toward the religious practice and faith itself. Such actions are classified as religiously motivated hate crimes because they target the religion indirectly through its devotees and the spaces central to their worship. This case has been documented in the tracker to record the deliberate targeting of Hindu women for molestation, the violation of traditional rules of a sacred place, and the broader assault on religiously significant spaces. Hindu women were selectively targeted due to their faith, and the attack undermined the sanctity of the Garba pandal, making it a clear instance of both personal and religiously motivated aggression. The inclusion of this incident highlights the intersection of gendered violence and religious animosity, reinforcing the necessity of systematically recording such cases to understand patterns of Hinduphobia and safeguard the rights and religious freedoms of Hindu communities. Disclaimer: The number of perpetrators has been set to 5 for the purpose of documentation, as a maximum of 5 perpetrators were detained by police from the scene, though it is apparent that more individuals were involved. Should further details about the incident emerge, the case will be updated.
Case Status
Arrested
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Muslim Extremists
Perpetrators Range
From 2 To 5
Perpetrators Gender
male
Sources 
