Hindu community brutally attacked and stone-pelted by Muslim mob over minor dispute during Holi celebrations

Case ID : d327b16 | Location : Shahjahanpur, Uttar Pradesh, India | Date of Incident : Tue, 3 March, 2026

Case ID : d327b16

Shahjahanpur, Uttar Pradesh, India

3 March, 2026

Hindu community brutally attacked and stone-pelted by Muslim mob over minor dispute during Holi celebrations

Attack not resulting in death

Attacked for Hindu identity

Communal clash/attack

Case Summary

In the Mau Rasulpur village of Shahjahanpur district, Uttar Pradesh, Hindu villagers were stone-pelted and brutally attacked by a Muslim mob after a minor dispute arose during Holi celebrations. The incident began on 4 March 2026, when a Hindu youth threw colour on a Muslim man during the Holi festival. This triggered a minor argument between members of the two communities. Police intervened and counselled both sides, temporarily restoring calm. However, tensions escalated the following day when members of the Muslim community gathered and reached the Hindu locality, leading to a confrontation that quickly turned violent. The Hindu villagers stated that the Muslim community held a meeting at night, gathered dozens of people, and attacked the Hindu side in the morning. The Muslim mob stone-pelted and brutally attacked the Hindu side, escalating tensions in the area. Large groups from both sides engaged in heavy stone pelting and lathi attacks, resulting in serious injuries to the Hindu villagers. The injured were taken to a nearby community health centre for treatment. The violence created panic in the village and prompted the deployment of a significant police force to prevent further escalation. Acting on a complaint filed by a local Hindu resident named Divyanshu, the police registered a case under serious sections against several Muslim men identified as Zayed Ali, Shaheen Ali, Aqeel Ahmed, Azim, Sohail, Amir, Mahku and Hasrath, along with around 100 unidentified individuals from the village. In the aftermath of the clash, police detained approximately twenty people from both communities and intensified security arrangements in the area. According to statements by Superintendent of Police Rajesh Dwivedi, the injured were admitted to the hospital, and the situation in the village was brought under control, although police presence remained in place as a precautionary measure to maintain peace and prevent further communal tension.

Why it is Hate Crime ?

This case is being added to the tracker under the primary category- Attack not resulting in death. The 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. The other sub-category selected is - Attacked for Hindu identity. In several cases, Hindus are attacked merely for their Hindu identity without any perceived provocation. A classic example of this category of religiously motivated hate crime is a murder in 2016. 7 ISIS terrorists were convicted for shooting a school principal in Kanpur because they got ‘triggered’ seeing the Kalava on his wrist and tilak that he had put. In this, the Hindu victim had offered no provocation except for his Hindu religious identity. The motivation for the murder was purely religious, driven by religious supremacy. Such cases where Hindus are targeted merely for their religious identity would be documented as a hate crime under this category. This case qualifies for inclusion in the tracker as it represents violence that arose directly from hostility surrounding the celebration of a Hindu religious festival. The incident occurred during Holi, one of the most widely celebrated festivals in Hinduism, which is traditionally marked by the public exchange of colours, water, and festive interaction among community members. Practices such as applying coloured powder and throwing coloured water form an integral part of the cultural and religious expression associated with Holi. In this instance, the dispute began when a Hindu youth threw colour on a Muslim man during the festival. While such interactions are common during Holi celebrations and are generally understood as part of the festive atmosphere, the situation quickly escalated beyond a routine misunderstanding. In plural and densely populated neighbourhoods, minor inconveniences during festival celebrations are ordinarily resolved through dialogue or simple apologies. In this instance, if the Muslim side had an issue or felt offended, they could have taken a legal route to resolve their grievances. Instead, they regrouped, assembled a large mob and attacked the Hindu locality the following day, engaging in stone pelting and brutal attacks on Hindu residents. The violence stemmed from a benign and culturally rooted act, playing Holi with colours, but this simple expression of faith and celebration provoked hostility. The attack, therefore, reflected religious profiling and direct targeting of Hindu villagers for their faith and customs. Such assaults on Hindus based on their religious identity constitute clear instances of religiously motivated hate crimes. The scale of mobilisation and the nature of the violence indicate that the response went far beyond a spontaneous quarrel, but was rooted in religious animosity. The organisation of a mob, combined with the use of stones and other objects during the attack, reflects collective retaliation triggered by a festival-related incident. Their preparation with weapons and their coordinated attack demonstrate premeditation and organised violence. When a routine and culturally recognised aspect of a Hindu religious celebration becomes the catalyst for organised violence, it demonstrates intolerance toward the public expression of that religious practice. It is evident that the real motive was religious hatred directed at the Hindu youths for publicly expressing their faith and cultural traditions. The brutality of the attack displays deep-seated religious animosity and intolerance towards Hindus and their customs, turning what should have been a peaceful festival into a violent episode of hate and aggression, clearly constituting a religiously motivated hate crime. The intent was not only to inflict physical harm but also to provoke, humiliate and terrorise Hindus during their sacred celebration. This pattern reflects a wider issue where expressions of Hindu religious and cultural practices in shared spaces become flashpoints for confrontation. Festivals such as Holi involve public celebration and communal participation, and hostility toward these expressions can manifest through attempts to restrict, punish, or violently retaliate against participants. When such violence is triggered by activities connected to a Hindu festival, it sends a message that participation in religious celebrations will provoke retaliation. This can lead to the gradual erasure of Hindu cultural practices from public spaces, as individuals refrain from openly celebrating their traditions out of fear of retaliation and violence. Taken together, the circumstances of the case demonstrate clear indicators of religion-based hostility. The conflict originated from a Hindu religious celebration, escalated through the mobilisation of a large group against members of the Hindu community, and resulted in coordinated violence against Hindus. These elements show that the incident was not merely a personal dispute but unfolded within a context where expressions of Hindu religious life became the focal point of confrontation. For these reasons, the case has been added to the tracker.