Hindu religious procession targeted with stone pelting by Muslim youths, devotees including women and a child injured
Bangalore Urban, Karnataka, India 
3 January, 2026
Case Summary
On the evening of 4th January, a Hindu religious procession was attacked with stones by members of the Muslim community as it passed the VS Garden in Bengaluru’s Jagajeevanram Nagar. The event happened at approximately 8 pm when devotees were pulling the deity’s chariot as part of a procession that started at the nearby Om Shakti temple. Two people, including a child, were hurt when stones were thrown at a Hindu procession. The Bengaluru police apprehended three minors aged around 14-15 for pelting stones at a religious procession at Jagajeevanram (JJ) Nagar. According to police officials, a complaint has been received regarding the stone pelting during the procession. A young girl sustained a head injury, and a child also suffered a head wound. Both injured individuals were taken for medical treatment, and their condition was later reported to be stable. Following the incident, a large crowd gathered outside the Jagjeevan Ram Nagar Police Station, demanding immediate action against those responsible. Hindu organisations also expressed concern over the attack on devotees. Local residents informed authorities that they have experienced repeated disturbances in the area and expressed concerns about safety, particularly for women and children. They stated that movement in public spaces has become increasingly difficult and requested enhanced security measures. The JJ Nagar police registered an FIR under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act Section 3(2) [offence punishable under the general criminal law against a member of an SC or ST community on the ground of their caste or tribe] and Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) sections 118(1) (causing grievous hurt) and 196(2) (offences involving criminal intimidation or threats of a serious nature). After conducting a detailed spot inspection, the police identified the three accused minors and apprehended them.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
This incident has been added to the tracker under the category- Attack not resulting in death. Under this, the sub-category selected is- Attack on 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 other subcategory selected 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. This incident qualifies as a hate-driven act because a Hindu religious procession was deliberately targeted with stone pelting while devotees were engaged in a public act of worship. The attack occurred during the movement of a deity’s chariot, a core religious activity, and resulted in injuries to devotees, including a child. Such targeting interferes directly with the free and safe practice of the Hindu faith in public spaces. The harm was not incidental. Stones were thrown at a clearly identifiable religious gathering, indicating that the victims were targeted as Hindu devotees rather than as random passersby. Attacks on religious processions function as symbolic acts intended to disrupt worship, instil fear, and deter collective religious expression. The impact of the incident extended beyond the immediate injuries. Members of the Hindu community reported recurring intimidation in the locality, particularly affecting women and children, and expressed fear over routine movement during religious activities. This suggests a broader pattern of hostility toward visible Hindu religious presence in the area. An additional dimension relevant to understanding this hostility is the role of supremacist religious attitudes that frame non-Muslim religious expression as illegitimate in shared public spaces. In such contexts, public assertion of Hindu faith is treated as a challenge to perceived religious dominance, and attacks on processions become a means of asserting control over space and visibility. This reflects ideological conditioning rather than isolated personal conflict. Taken together, the targeted disruption of a Hindu religious procession, the physical harm inflicted on devotees, the climate of fear reported by local Hindus, and the ideological hostility toward public Hindu worship establish this incident as religiously motivated harm. This is why the incident warrants inclusion in the tracker.
Case Status
Arrested
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Muslim Extremists
Perpetrators Range
From 2 To 5
Perpetrators Gender
male
Sources 
