Hindu shopkeeper and his brother brutally attacked, his shop vandalised, and his janeu torn off by Nihang Sikhs following delay in food order

Case ID : ef65422 | Location : Jalandhar, Punjab, India | Date of Incident : Wed, 11 June, 2025

Case ID : ef65422

Jalandhar, Punjab, India

11 June, 2025

Hindu shopkeeper and his brother brutally attacked, his shop vandalised, and his janeu torn off by Nihang Sikhs following delay in food order

Attack not resulting in death

Communal clash/attack

Attack on Hindu religious representations

Desecration of Hindu religious symbol

Case Summary

In Jalandhar, Punjab, a Hindu shopkeeper and his brother were attacked by a group of Nihang Sikhs following a delay in their food order. During the assault, they tore off his janeu, stole his gold chain, and vandalised his shop. As per news reports, the CCTV footage of the incident circulated widely on social media. The violence began when the Nihangs, dressed in traditional attire, forced their way into the Duggal Chaap shop. Armed with swords, they vandalised the premises and tore off the shopkeeper’s janeu. The owner was struck with swords and physically assaulted. The viral video shows the group storming into the eatery and beating the shop owner with the blunt side of a sword. The shopkeeper’s Hindu brother, who attempted to intervene, was slapped by the attackers. Some reports also suggest that even the employees at his shop were beaten by the Sikh group. The shop owner stated that a day earlier, four Sikhs had visited his shop, ordered chaap, and started an argument over the delayed service. This led to a verbal argument between the Hindu shopkeeper and the Sikh group. The following day, 12 to 15 Nihang Sikh youths returned and attacked him and his brother, who were present at the shop. After the attack, the assailants fled the scene. The police were informed of the incident and promptly registered a case, apprehending one Sikh assailant, identified as Inderjit. An investigation was launched to locate and arrest additional perpetrators.

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 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. Another primary category relevant in this case is- Attack on Hindu religious representations. Within this, the subcategory is- Desecration of Hindu religious symbol. Icons and symbols or a religious representation of a spiritual ideal are widely revered in Hinduism. Iconography is of vital significance in the Hindu milieu. It helps connect people’s spiritual beliefs with the real world. Iconography within the Hindu faith takes several shapes and forms. Murtis are of most significance to Hindus, to which daily rituals, prayers and offerings are done. Besides the murtis, there are several other symbols which have deep significance in the Hindu faith – the Om and Swastika for example. Since these Hindu religious symbols hold paramount importance in Hinduism, any desecration of symbols, icons, murtis, religious representations and manifestations, is driven by animosity towards the faith itself which manifests itself through these murtis, icons and symbols. Therefore, any desecration of these Hindu religious symbols and representations is considered religiously motivated hate crimes under this category. This case has been added to the hate crime tracker because there are clear signs that the assault on the Hindu shopkeeper and his brother was driven by religious motives. Although the immediate cause may have been a verbal argument about delayed food service, the planned nature of the attack, the identity of the assailants, and the specific disrespect shown to Hindu religious symbols reveal a deeper religious animosity. The attackers, identified as Nihang Sikhs, a group known for their extreme views on religious practices, returned the day after the dispute, armed with swords, and stormed the shop in large numbers. During the attack, they tore off the victim’s janeu, a sacred Hindu thread that symbolises spiritual and religious identity. This act is not random violence; it represents a deliberate insult to a religious symbol and a humiliating attack on the victim’s faith. Furthermore, there is a history of Nihang extremists committing hate crimes against Hindus. The lynching of Lakhbir Singh in 2021 and the vandalism of a Hindu temple in Tarn Taran by Nihangs in 2023 were also seen as religiously motivated acts. These past events, viewed alongside the targeted actions in this case, show a clear pattern. Considering the sectarian identity of the assailants, the intentional targeting of a Hindu identity marker, and historical trends of similar attacks, this incident qualifies as a hate crime driven by religious hostility. The desecration of the janeu strongly indicates that the victim was targeted not just as an individual but as a representative of his faith.