Hindu Garba celebration in Mumbai housing complex attacked as Muslim man hurls eggs at devotees
Mumbai, Maharashtra, India 
30 September, 2025
Case Summary
A Garba celebration at the JP Infra housing complex in Mira Road, on the outskirts of Mumbai, Maharashtra, was disrupted late on 1 October 2025, when eggs were hurled from an upper floor. The incident, which took place between 10:30 and 11 pm in Kashigaon, created tension among residents and led to a police investigation. According to police, a resident had earlier objected to the festivities, citing loudspeaker and noise violations. He was reportedly seen checking sound levels, filming the event on his phone, and repeatedly calling the police control room. Around 10:50 pm, participants stated that objects were thrown from the 16th floor, and a broken egg was later found near two women police personnel stationed at the venue. The disruption angered society members, several of whom went to the Kashigaon police station demanding strict action. An FIR was registered under Section 300 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita for disturbing a religious assembly. Additional police forces were deployed in the complex to maintain order and prevent escalation. The accused was identified as Mohsin Shaikh, a resident of the building. He denied throwing the egg, stating that a mosquito net on his window would have made it impossible. Police confirmed that CCTV footage and witness statements were being examined, and no arrests had been made at the time. The JP Infra society has a history of disputes over religious and cultural practices, which fuelled tensions among neighbours in the past.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
The primary category in this case is: Attack on Hindu religious representations. The first subcategory under this 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 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. The third subcategory under this 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. This case has been included in the Hinduphobia Tracker because it represents a deliberate act of desecration against Hindu religious practices, carried out in a sacred setting during one of Hinduism’s most significant festivals. The Garba celebration at the JP Infra housing complex was not a mere social gathering but a Navratri ritual, centred on devotion to Goddess Durga and the collective observance of religious customs. The throwing of an egg into this sacred space was a calculated affront, designed not simply to disturb an assembly but to insult the sanctity of a Hindu ritual in progress. The throwing of an egg carries particular significance in this context. In Hindu tradition, especially within the framework of Navratri and Garba, the worship space is treated as pure and sacred, with strict codes of ritual cleanliness observed. Food and items considered impure, particularly meat and eggs, are explicitly prohibited from entering such spaces. An egg hurled into the Garba pandal is therefore not a trivial disruption but an act of desecration, one that symbolically violates the purity of the ritual and contaminates the sacred environment established for worship. This falls under the subcategory of “Desecration of Hindu religious symbol” because the Garba pandal itself, adorned and prepared for religious celebration, functions as a symbol of devotion, purity, and spiritual observance. Furthermore, the pandal itself is a religious structure erected for the purpose of worship during Navratri. In Sanatan Dharma, such temporary religious structures hold sacred value, being treated as extensions of temple space and worthy of reverence. By throwing an egg into this structure, the attacker committed an act of hostility against a religious site. This is rightly categorised under “Violence against religious structures or centres.” The intent was not to damage property randomly but to defile a space specifically erected for Hindu religious practice, making it a targeted act of animosity against the faith. The incident also clearly qualifies as “Defiling religious customs.” Navratri Garba is not merely a cultural dance but a devotional custom tied to the worship of the Goddess. The purity of the space and the sanctity of the offerings are central to the observance. By introducing an egg into this environment, the custom itself was mocked and contaminated. It was an intrusion aimed at humiliating Hindus and showing contempt for their traditions. The act disrupted the rhythm of devotion, insulted the participants’ faith, and directly opposed the principles of ritual sanctity that are intrinsic to Hindu worship. This is not an isolated matter of neighbourly dispute but an expression of hostility towards Hindu religious identity and practice. It took place in the midst of Navratri, a time when Hindus are most engaged in communal worship and celebration, amplifying its symbolic violence. By desecrating the Garba pandal with an egg, the accused sought to insult the religion itself, its sacred spaces, and its living traditions. For these reasons, this case is documented in the tracker as a hate crime against Hindus, illustrating how even within urban residential societies, Hinduphobia manifests in acts designed to ridicule, desecrate, and defile the symbols and customs of Sanatan Dharma.
Case Status
Complaint registered
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Muslim Extremists
Perpetrators Range
One Person
Perpetrators Gender
male
Sources 
