Holi procession stone-pelted; shops, vehicles set on fire for passing through 'Masjid Lane'
Giridih, Jharkhand, India 
13 March, 2025
Case Summary
In Ghodthamba, Giridih district of Jharkhand, a Hindu procession during the Holi festival was attacked and pelted with stones by a Muslim mob. The procession, which was passing through a street with a mosque along the route, was opposed by local Muslims. This led to a heated argument, escalating into stone-pelting and sparking communal tensions in the area. According to media reports, the verbal altercation turned violent, resulting in stone-pelting from both sides. During the clashes, three shops, one four-wheeler, and seven bikes were set on fire. The violence continued for an hour until the police were informed and arrived at the scene. They intervened to calm the situation and dispersed the miscreants. According to SP Dr Bimal, no major injuries were reported; however, the police assured a thorough investigation and the arrests of those responsible. He stated, “An incident of a clash between two communities has come to light in the Ghorthamba OP constituency during Holi celebrations. We are in the process of identifying those involved. Strict action will be taken against them. The situation is currently under control, and no major injuries have been reported… some vehicles were also set on fire.” Deputy Development Commissioner Smita Kumari said, “During the Holi celebrations, some anti-social elements attempted to disrupt law and order, but the situation is now under control. As per the information received, some individuals set a few vehicles on fire. An investigation is underway to determine the cause of the incident.” BJP MP Deepak Prakash accused the JMM government of suppressing the Hindu community. He stated, “It is an unfortunate incident, and we condemn it. Hemant Soren’s government is oppressing the Hindu community… Every time Hindu festivals are attacked, Hemant Soren’s people are behind it.”
Why it is Hate Crime ?
This case has been categorised as a hate crime against Hindus in the Hinduphobia tracker under two primary categories, given the clear religious markers that establish its targeted nature. The first is- Attack not resulting in death and within this, the sub-categories selected are- Attacked for Hindu identity, Attack on Religious Procession, Communal Clash/Attack, and Attack for Crossing 'Muslim Area.' 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. 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. One of the reasons that Hindus get attacked unprovoked specifically by Islamists is for crossing ‘Muslim areas’. Essentially, Muslim mobs often attack Hindus crossing or present in certain areas which have a majority Muslim population. It has often been cited as one of the reasons to blame Hindus for attacks against themselves, signalling that Hindus displaying religious symbols, taking our religious processions or crossing any area which is dominated by Muslim residents is a provocation in and of itself. These areas are mostly ghettoised areas where mobs mobilise quickly to attack Hindus for a variety of reasons like playing music during a religious procession, crossing a mosque, wearing a tilak or any other religious symbol in a Muslim-dominated area, praying at a local temple in that area etc. There have been cases where the few local Hindus of that area have been attacked on their way to the Temple for prayers as well, simply because the area is considered a Muslim-dominated area. Several times, it is entirely possible that the immediate trigger for the violence against Hindus was non-religious in nature, however, the violence became religiously motivated in nature because the area was Muslim dominated and the residents on the whole harboured animosity towards Hindus, evidenced from the actions of the mob, the slogans, and the nature of the attack. Such crimes are motivated by the religious identity of the victims and are therefore classified as hate crimes under this category. 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 second category selected is- Restriction/ban on Hindu practices. Under this, the sub-category selected is- Restriction on expression of Hindu identity. An example of the state-affected prejudicial and targeted orders against the Hindu community would be a government denying the right of a Hindu or a group of Hindus to hold a religious procession owing to the animosity of non-Hindu groups. Denial of the religious right of the Hindus to assuage the non-Hindu group which harbours animosity to a point where it could lead to violence against Hindus is not only a failure of law and order but is a prejudicial order against Hindus, denying them their fundamental rights to express their religious identity. An example of a hate crime against Hindus by a non-Hindu would be a non-Hindu institution forcing its Hindu employees to abandon religious symbols that a Hindu would wear as an expression of faith owing to inherent prejudice against the faith professed by the victim or a non-Hindu group of people restricting a Hindu group from constructing a place of worship simply because the demography of the area in which the temple is being built is dominated by non-Hindus. Such actions are driven by religious animosity and/or prejudice against Hindus and their faith and would therefore be categorised as a hate crime. The attack on the Hindu procession in Giridih, Jharkhand, is a clear case of religiously motivated violence, targeting Hindus solely for their identity and religious expression. The fact that the procession was met with stone-pelting, and that vehicles and shops were burned simply because they passed through a lane with a mosque, indicates that this was not a random act of violence but a deliberate attempt to assert dominance over a public space by barring Hindus from passing through. This attack reflects a broader pattern where Hindu religious processions, symbols, or even the presence of Hindus in certain Muslim-majority areas are treated as a provocation in and of itself. Such incidents have frequently been used to shift the blame onto Hindus, as if their very act of celebrating their faith or passing through certain areas justifies violence against them. This mindset not only normalises hostility toward Hindus but also effectively criminalises their religious expression, reinforcing the idea that they must restrict their movements and religious practices to avoid attacks. Furthermore, this violence was not merely an opposition to a public gathering but an explicit assault on the Hindu festival of Holi itself. By attacking the participants, burning vehicles, and vandalising property, the perpetrators sought to instill fear and disrupt the celebration of a festival deeply embedded in Hindu tradition. This act goes beyond physical violence—it is an attempt to curtail Hindu religious and cultural rights through coercion and intimidation. The deliberate nature of the attack and its targeting of a Hindu religious procession meet the definition of a hate crime. It was not an indiscriminate act of lawlessness but a targeted attempt to suppress Hindu identity and religious freedom through fear and violence.
Case Status
Complaint registered
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Muslim Extremists
Perpetrators Range
Unknown
Perpetrators Gender
unknown
Sources 
