Hindu devotees, including women attacked with stones as Durga idol immersion procession passes near a mosque

Case ID : b1c5bf7 | Location : Shahdol, Madhya Pradesh, India | Date of Incident : Thu, 2 October, 2025

Case ID : b1c5bf7

Shahdol, Madhya Pradesh, India

2 October, 2025

Hindu devotees, including women attacked with stones as Durga idol immersion procession passes near a mosque

Attack not resulting in death

Attack on religious procession

Attack against Hindu devotees

Attacked for crossing 'Muslim area'

Case Summary

Hindu devotees were attacked during a Durga idol immersion procession in Keshwahi Nagar, Shahdol district, Madhya Pradesh, on the night of October 3, 2025, when stones were hurled at the passing procession near a mosque. The attack caused panic and injuries to several participants, including three women. The sudden assault disrupted the peaceful immersion and triggered a stampede-like situation among the devotees. The incident occurred near the Gandhi Market area as the procession was moving through the main road. Stones were thrown from one side of the market, injuring Gauri Singh, a resident of Jamunia village, along with two other women. The victims later lodged a complaint at the Keshwahi police outpost, following which the police registered a case under Section 125 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and began their investigation. On the next morning, locals protested by shutting down the Keshwahi market, demanding immediate action and the arrest of those responsible for attacking the Hindu procession. Tension escalated when members of the Muslim community also gathered, insisting on an impartial probe, which led to heated exchanges between the two groups. As the situation intensified, stone-pelting was also reported against police personnel who had arrived to restore order. Security forces were compelled to use tear gas and mild baton charges to disperse the crowd. Some policemen sustained minor injuries during the clash. By late evening, the administration deployed a heavy police force, led by SDOP Dhanpuri Vikas Pandey, TI Bukhar Sanjay Jaiswal, and Outpost In-charge Ashish Jharia, to bring the situation under control. SP Ramji Srivastava confirmed that a man named Idrish had been detained in connection with the stone-pelting incident.

Why it is Hate Crime ?

The primary category in this case is: Attack not resulting in death. The first subcategory under this is: Attack on a religious procession. The outward celebration and display of religious symbols in an intrinsic part of Hinduism. Religious processions on various festivals are age-old traditions and a way to manifest faith and form a part of the religious practices of Hindus. On several occasions, such religious processions come under attack by non-Hindu mobs, in a manifestation of their animosity towards Hinduism and their practices. The reasons cited for such violent attacks are many and range from crossing a non-Hindu resident-dominated area to playing loud music, crossing from an area where there is a religious structure of another faith etc. The violent attacks are triggered by the outward display of religiosity by Hindus. The attacks are mainly a manifestation of religious supremacist doctrine which believes that idolatry, essentially the Hindu faith, is one that deserves to be annihilated since the very tenets of Hinduism, its practices and traditions are considered a sin in those doctrines. Since these attacks emanate from intrinsic and doctrinal animosity towards Hindus and Hinduism, it is considered a religiously motivated hate crime under this category. The second subcategory under this is: Attack against Hindu devotees. Hindu devotees are a few of the easiest targets of religiously motivated hate crimes because during the festival/procession/puja etc, for non-Hindus it is easy to profile their victims on the basis of religion. Hindu devotees come under attack on several occasions by individual non-Hindus or mobs of non-Hindus owing to their animosity against Hinduism, its symbols and tradition/practices. There are several instances of Hindu devotees being attacked while they worship in temples or temporary religious structures, during religious processions, doing bhajan/kirtan/puja in their own homes, in the residential society etc. These attacks are perpetrated by non-Hindus primarily because of their animosity towards Hindus and their faith. In some cases, the trigger for the violence may be non-religious, however, there are two elements that make these hate crimes. First, the Hindus who come under attack are attacked violently while indulging in religious activity. Whether they are in a place of worship or not is immaterial to the crime. When individuals are attacked while indulging in religious practices, the attack in itself is a hindrance to their freedom to practice religion and therefore constitutes a hate crime. Secondly, religious supremacist doctrines and ideologies deem religious practices of Hindus to be offensive ab initio since they are considered “sinful” by these ideologies, worthy to be annihilated by force or coercion. Driven by these religious supremacist ideologies and doctrines, the attacks against Hindu devotees stem from intrinsic animosity towards Hinduism. In some cases, the trigger for the violence may be non-religious, however, it develops into a religiously motivated crime during the course of the violence. Since these attacks stem from animosity towards Hindus and Hinduism, they are considered religiously motivated hate crimes under this category. The third subcategory under this 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 Keshwahi Nagar incident has been added to the Hinduphobia Tracker because it represents a clear case of targeted violence against Hindu religious expression and community participation. The attack occurred during a sacred and public Hindu religious observance, the immersion of Goddess Durga’s idol, an event symbolising the triumph of good over evil and the culmination of the sacred Navratri festivities. The deliberate act of stone-pelting upon a peaceful procession, taking place in proximity to a mosque, cannot be viewed as an isolated episode of mischief or random disorder. It reveals a deeper and recurring pattern of hostility directed at Hindu faith-based gatherings, particularly when they pass through or near Muslim-dominated areas. It is a manifestation of that religious hate against Hindus, doctrinally embedded in Islam. Since the violence was purely a manifestation of religious bigotry and animosity, this case is being categorised as a religiously motivated hate crime. Further, the assault on the Durga immersion procession was not merely an act of physical aggression; it was an attempt to disrupt a deeply revered ritual and instil fear among the participants. The timing and context of the incident are significant. Such processions are public affirmations of Hindu identity and collective devotion, and attacks on them strike at the core of religious freedom. The fact that the perpetrators targeted devotees engaged in worship, including women, indicates the intent to desecrate a moment of communal faith. Moreover, the location, near a mosque, adds a communal dimension that cannot be overlooked, given the consistent pattern in which religious violence tends to erupt around Hindu festivals, particularly during processions. The incident also illustrates the asymmetry in social tolerance. Hindu festivals and processions, which are entirely legitimate cultural expressions, are increasingly met with hostility and aggression in certain areas, often under the pretext of local sensitivities or territorial claims around mosques. This normalisation of aggression against Hindu practices is both systemic and ideological—it aims to suppress Hindu presence in public religious life. In Keshwahi Nagar, the pelting of stones was an act designed not just to cause injury but to symbolically reject and defile the sanctity of the ritual itself. The detention of a man named Idrish substantiates the involvement of individuals from the Muslim community, which aligns with previous patterns where Hindu processions have been attacked in similar contexts across different regions. The Keshwahi incident qualifies as a hate crime because it targeted people specifically for participating in a Hindu religious activity. The aggression was directed not at random civilians but at a group of individuals collectively engaged in worship and celebration of a Hindu deity. The motivation, therefore, was rooted in religious animosity and intolerance. Violence against religious expression, particularly when it is repetitive, directed at a specific faith, and involves desecration of rituals, constitutes hate-based persecution. By attacking the Durga immersion procession, the perpetrators attempted to undermine Hindu identity, intimidate the community, and establish a precedent of fear during public observances. This act, in its intent and symbolism, goes beyond mere law and order disruption. It represents an assertion of dominance through religious intimidation and must be recognised as part of a continuing pattern of Hinduphobic aggression witnessed in various parts of India during Hindu festivals. Disclaimer: Though the attack was done by more people, the number of perpetrators has been set to 1 because one person has been arrested by the police following the incident. Should further details emerge, the report will be updated accordingly.