Hindu activist subjected to physical assault, Hindu man's shop vandalised by Muslims over minor dispute in Agar Malwa, Madhya Pradesh

Case ID : d3276c9 | Location : Agar, Madhya Pradesh, India | Date of Incident : Sun, 8 February, 2026

Case ID : d3276c9

Agar, Madhya Pradesh, India

8 February, 2026

Hindu activist subjected to physical assault, Hindu man's shop vandalised by Muslims over minor dispute in Agar Malwa, Madhya Pradesh

Undecided cases

Attacked/Killed for Hindu identity

Case Summary

In Barod, Agar Malwa, Madhya Pradesh, a Hindu activist and Bajrang Dal block convenor named Shankar Singh Rajput was abused and brutally beaten by seven Muslim men over a small dispute. This even further led to vandalism and looting of another Hindu man's shop. According to the police complaint, Shankar Singh Rajput was riding a motorcycle when the Muslim accused Azhar Khan son of Aijaz Khan, Farid Khan son of Jamir Khan, Salam Khan son of Aliyar Khan, Arbaaz Khan son of Shezad Khan, Tahir son of Aijaz Khan, Raja Khan son of Shahzad Khan, and Firoz Khan son of Rashid Khan verbally abused him at a shop, leading to a dispute between the two parties. Following the dispute, the Bajrang Dal block convenor in Barod, Agar Malwa district, was severely assaulted by the Muslim men. The accused then vandalised Vijay Jaiswal's shop with sticks and wooden rods, damaging laptops, printers, and counters. The complaint also mentioned looting by the accused. Angered by this, members of the Hindu organisation closed the market and surrounded the police station and registered a complaint. Based on a complaint filed by Shankar Singh Rajput, the Barod police station registered a case under various sections against Arbaaz Khan son of Shezad Khan, Farid Khan son of Jamir Khan, Azhar Khan son of Aijaz Khan, Tahir son of Aijaz Khan, Salam Khan son of Aliyar Khan, Raja Khan son of Shahzad Khan, and Firoz Khan son of Rashid Khan. Five accused were arrested, excluding two accused, Raja Khan and Firoz. Acting on the complaint, the police arrested five accused and a procession was taken out. The Hinduphobia Tracker team contacted the police in this case. They stated that after the procession was taken out, some people pelted stones at a mosque, leading to police deploying more officers and maintaining law and order.

Why it is Hate Crime ?

This case was added to the "Undecided" database of the Hinduphobia Tracker due to a lack of a direct religious motive behind the immediate crime. In this case, a Hindu activist was brutally assaulted by Muslim men after a minor verbal abusive altercation between them. The immediate nature of the attack, based on the religious identities of the victim and the perpetrators involved, raised suspicion over whether the crime was committed with a religious motive. There have been many such instances in the past where a minor non-religious dispute turned into communal violence and attacks against Hindus and Hindu activists. Hence, it raised immediate suspicion over whether the Muslim perpetrators attacked the Hindu activist due to animosity over his religious identity. However, it was also possible in this case that this was just a dispute over a minor spat and a crime of opportunity, rather than one due to religious animosity, because no religious slurs were hurled at the Hindu activist or statements made to showcase that the crime stemmed from religious animosity. Furthermore, the vandalism of the Hindu man's shop could have resulted from the fact that the Hindu activist was present there, and the looting could have occurred due to a crime of opportunity. However, it has also been seen in previous cases that a minor dispute resulted in large-scale communal violence against Hindus, which included looting and vandalism of Hindu-owned establishments. But since in this case the severity of the violence was comparatively less, with no mob attack or communal clash between Hindus and Muslims, it was difficult to state that the crime was motivated by religious animosity. The Hinduphobia Tracker places cases in the hate crime database based on strict parameters, showcasing religious animosity in the immediate crime. Since this case lacks any direct religious animosity in the immediate crime, it will remain in the "Undecided" database. If any further information emerges that showcases religious animosity behind the immediate crime, it will be added to the Hate Crime database of the Hinduphobia Tracker. Disclaimer: The Hinduphobia Tracker records the dates of incidents based on when the crime occurred, rather than when it is reported by the media. As the exact date of this crime was unavailable, the media publication date of 9 February 2026 has been used as the indicative incident date. This is recorded for documentation purposes only. Disclaimer: In this case, the Hindu activist Shankar Singh Rajput and the Hindu shop owner Vijay Jaiswal, whose shop was vandalised, were both victims of the assault, vandalism, and looting. Henceforth, the victim count is recorded as two. This is noted for documentation purposes only.