Targeted anti-Hindu violence: Muslim mob brutally attacks Hindus, selectively targets Hindu homes over "I Love Mohammad" poster controversy

Case ID : c6fd4ee | Location : Davanagere, Karnataka, India | Date of Incident : Tue, 23 September, 2025

Case ID : c6fd4ee

Davanagere, Karnataka, India

23 September, 2025

Targeted anti-Hindu violence: Muslim mob brutally attacks Hindus, selectively targets Hindu homes over "I Love Mohammad" poster controversy

Attack not resulting in death

Attacked for opposing radicals or trying to save victim

Communal clash/attack

Case Summary

In Karl Marx Nagar of Davangere district, Karnataka, anti-Hindu violence broke out where Hindus were brutally attacked and their homes were selectively targeted by Muslims over a dispute concerning the display of an “I Love Muhammad” poster. According to media reports, tension gripped the area on 24th September 2025, in which Hindus suffered injuries and their homes were stoned by a Muslim mob. Complaints and counter-complaints were filed. The police stated that the violence began around 10 pm after a Muslim man put up an "I Love Mohammad" poster in front of a Hindu residence near the 13th Cross on Betur Road. When a group of Hindu youths questioned the poster's placement, an altercation followed, during which Muslims hurled stones at nearby Hindu houses. Several Hindu homes were targeted in the attack, leaving doors and windows damaged. The residences of Kasturamma and Chitravelu were among those hit. A young Hindu girl sustained injuries and was admitted to the government hospital, while two others, Rekha and her brother-in-law Hanumanthu, were also injured but later discharged. Mohammad Sadiq, who had installed the banner, claimed that it was forcibly removed by Hindu youths, leading to the feud. On the other side, Ranganath, whose sister Rekha was injured, stated that upon merely questioning the placement of the poster, a Muslim mob attacked their house and threatened the family. “When we questioned the banner’s placement in front of our house, people entered our home and attacked us. The culprits must face strict punishment,” Ranganath told local media. Senior police officials, including Eastern Zone IGP (Inspector General of Police) B. R. Ravikantegowda and Davangere SP (Superintendent of Police) Uma Prashanth, rushed to the area to defuse the situation. “A banner with ‘I Love Muhammad’ was put up in Karl Marx Nagar. Another community (Hindus) opposed it and demanded its removal. People from both sides gathered, but the police quickly dispersed them. Within five minutes, we brought the situation under control and removed the banner. The situation is completely peaceful now,” SP Uma Prashanth stated. Some Muslim women later approached the Azad Nagar police station and appealed for peace, emphasising that residents usually lived harmoniously and that outsiders were creating disturbances. This was not the first incident of anti-Hindu communal violence in Karnataka. Hinduphobia Tracker previously reported that on 7th September 2025, during Ganesh Visarjan in Mandya, a Hindu religious procession was attacked with stones. Violence broke out when the immersion procession passed near a mosque, from where stones were hurled at Hindu devotees. At least eight Hindus were seriously injured in that attack and were rushed to the hospital for treatment. This incident came in the aftermath of another communal flashpoint in Uttar Pradesh. On 5th September 2025, during a Barawafat procession in Rawatpur, Kanpur, Muslim youths used sticks to deliberately damage Hindu posters displayed in a local neighbourhood. The act followed a dispute the previous day, when an “I Love Muhammad” light board was installed in front of Zafar Wali Gali for the Barawafat observance. Residents objected, leading police to relocate the board. Despite the police clarifying that the FIR in Kanpur was filed specifically for the destruction of Hindu posters, and not for removing the “I Love Muhammad” board, a distorted narrative spread across the country that the FIR was linked to the “I Love Muhammad” banner. This falsehood fuelled nationwide protests, where Sar Tan Se Juda slogans were raised as a violent threat against Hindus.

Why it is Hate Crime ?

This case has been added to the tracker under the primary category- Attack not resulting in death. Within this, the subcategory selected 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 subcategory selected is- 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 religious processions 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. This case of anti-Hindu communal violence in Davangere, Karnataka, cannot be regarded as an isolated incident. It unfolded against the backdrop of the “I Love Muhammad” poster controversy, which first erupted in Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh. There, Muslims forcibly displayed “I Love Muhammad” posters in front of the Ram Navami procession gate while also tearing down Hindu posters on the following day. Hindus objected to this act, and police intervened to remove the banners. Crucially, no FIR was filed against the display of the “I Love Muhammad” posters, but action was taken against Muslims for destroying Hindu posters. Following this, Muslim extremists, supported by Leftist groups, spread false claims that police had filed an FIR for merely displaying the poster. This deliberate misinformation incited widespread outrage across India, with extremist groups issuing death threats to Hindus. Hinduphobia Tracker had already documented how this campaign of radicalisation spread nationwide. In Kaushambi, Muslim mobs were heard chanting “Sar Tan Se Juda” — a violent slogan calling for the beheading of those accused of blasphemy, in this case Hindus, with even minors taking part. A similar incident unfolded in Unnao outside the Durga Temple, where Muslim mobs again raised the same slogan, heightening communal tensions and fear among Hindus. During this period of anti-Hindu hostility, an “I Love Muhammad” poster was deliberately placed outside a Hindu household in Davangere. This was not an innocent act but a calculated provocation, carried out at a time when Hindus across India were already under sustained threat. When Hindus questioned this provocative gesture, they were subjected to a violent attack by a Muslim mob. Hindu homes were stoned, families were threatened, and Hindu women and men were left injured. This once again revealed the pattern in which Hindus, for merely objecting, became victims of disproportionate violence. Such attacks stem from deep-seated hatred and intolerance towards the Hindu community. If the Muslim community had genuinely been aggrieved by Hindus questioning or, as they claimed, removing the posters, they could have sought legal remedy by filing a complaint. They did not. Instead, a violent Muslim mob chose to attack Hindus, pelting stones at their homes and injuring them. The selective nature of the stone-pelting demonstrates that this was not spontaneous crowd anger but a planned and targeted act of communal aggression. This escalation reflected entrenched animosity towards Hindus and their very identity. Muslim extremists in such cases do not merely seek to suppress objection; they attempt to impose religious dominance through force and fear. This attack, as part of the wider “I Love Muhammad” controversy, displayed an unmistakable pattern of anti-Hindu hatred that has continued to incite violence and threats against Hindus across several regions. The violence in Davangere also aligns with a broader pattern of anti-Hindu aggression in Karnataka. On 7th September 2025 in Mandya, a Ganesh Visarjan procession was ruthlessly attacked with stones while passing a mosque. At least eight Hindu devotees were seriously injured in what is now recognised as an orchestrated communal attack. From Mandya to Davangere, Hindus have repeatedly faced Muslim mob violence, stone-pelting, and the calculated targeting of their religious processions and homes. These incidents together mark a recognisable pattern of hate crimes against Hindus in the state. The Davangere case, therefore, clearly qualifies as a religiously motivated hate crime, directly targeting Hindus for their faith and identity. The use of the “I Love Muhammad” poster as a provocation, followed by violent attacks on Hindus, speaks to a deliberate effort to intimidate, dominate, and silence the Hindu community. The case has now been entered into the Hinduphobia Tracker’s hate crime database. It should also be noted that while there were attacks on police personnel during these events, such assaults are not being documented separately in the Hinduphobia Tracker. These incidents arose only because an FIR had named Muslims for desecrating Hindu posters, making the police appear to be siding indirectly with Hindus. In this sense, the violence against authorities was an extension of the same hostility that was initially directed at Hindus. However, since these assaults were aimed at state institutions rather than Hindus themselves, and given that the tracker is maintained under strict parameters, such cases are not being added as individual entries. Disclaimer: Though media reports confirmed that multiple Hindus were targeted in the attack, the total number of victims was not specified. The reports explicitly mentioned only three individuals: a young Hindu girl, another woman named Rekha, and her brother-in-law, Hanumanthu. Accordingly, we are documenting the victim count as '3' based strictly on the available information. This is a conservative estimate, as the full extent of victim numbers has not yet been reported.