Hindu youth lynched by Muslim men over road rage incident; mosque broadcasts provocative calls labelling Hindus as ‘Kafirs’

Case ID : aa4afd4 | Location : Jhalawar, Rajasthan, India | Date of Incident : Wed, 23 April, 2025

Case ID : aa4afd4

Jhalawar, Rajasthan, India

23 April, 2025

Hindu youth lynched by Muslim men over road rage incident; mosque broadcasts provocative calls labelling Hindus as ‘Kafirs’

Attack resulting in death

Communal clash/attack

Hate speech against Hindus

Anti-Hindu slurs, mocking faith

Violent threats

Case Summary

On the evening of April 24, 2025, in Dag town of Rajasthan’s Jhalawar district, a Hindu photographer named Shambhu Singh, aged 20 and a resident of Lahsudiya (Dug), was shot dead by Muslim men, triggering widespread communal attacks. The incident occurred during a wedding function in the Meghwal locality, where Shambu Singh was covering the event. According to the police, the shooting was a result of an earlier altercation where the victim's vehicle collided with that of the accused, Sohail, who, along with his friends, followed him to the wedding venue. Shambu's colleague Deepak stated that Singh was initially hit by a blue car and, upon turning to confront the perpetrator, he was shot in the chest. The assailants fled the scene immediately afterwards. The accused, Sohail, who is from the Muslim community, had prior grudges with the victim. Following the murder and arrest of one of the accused, tensions rapidly escalated between the communities, leading to stone pelting and violent clashes. Furthermore, provocative announcements were made from local mosques through loudspeakers, referring to Hindus as 'Kafirs' and urging Muslims to come out and fight against Hindus, further intensifying the charged atmosphere. Over 15 shops and several stalls were set ablaze during the clash. Heavy police forces, along with the Rapid Action Force, were deployed to control the situation. Internet services were suspended in the towns of Dug, Gangdhar, Pedawa, Bhawani Mandi, and Dag to prevent the spread of unrest. As of the writing of this report, the police were investigating and had arrested one accused, identified as Rehan. The administration had largely restored peace in the affected areas, although the situation remained tense and was under close police monitoring.

Why it is Hate Crime ?

This case has been added to the tracker under two primary categories. First being - 'Attack resulting in Death' with sub-category being selected as - 'Communal clash / attack'. 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 a religious procession 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, cases where the attack led to the death of the Hindu victim/s would be documented. The second primary category selected here is - 'Hate speech against Hindus' with two sub-category being selected as - 'Violent Threats' and '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 from 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. This case goes far beyond a road rage incident. The murder of Shambhu Singh was followed by orchestrated violence specifically targeting Hindus. Announcements from mosques used the derogatory term “kafir” for Hindus and openly called upon Muslims to mobilise against them. Such calls from religious spaces carried weight and incited immediate aggression, leading to attacks on Hindu homes and shops. The choice of language, the communal mobilisation, and the selective targeting of Hindus reveal a clear pattern of religious animosity. Such acts are carried out by Muslim perpetrators due to indoctrination by Islamic theology, which teaches that all non-Muslims (referred to as kafirs) are inferior and subject to subjugation unless they convert to Islam or live under Islamic rule (dhimmitude). These ideas are not abstract; they manifest in real-world actions where non-Muslims, especially Hindus in India, are targeted for religious domination, coercion, or humiliation. This theological framework fosters an "us versus them" mindset, in which any assertion of Hindu identity or religious freedom is seen not only as undesirable but as a threat to Islamic supremacy. Perpetrators shaped by such teachings feel justified, even morally obligated, to harass, suppress, or violently attack Hindus, particularly when Hindus assert their religious rights or resist conversion. The murder of a Hindu man, coupled with religiously charged incitement from mosques and subsequent anti-Hindu violence, demonstrates that this was not an isolated or impulsive act. It was a premeditated attack, rooted in religious hatred and bias against Hindus, and thus qualifies as a hate crime warranting inclusion in the Hinduphobia Tracker.