Holi celebrations attacked with stones by Muslims; Hindu youth beaten for playing colours near a mosque

Case ID : f6648e4 | Location : Gaya, Bihar, India | Date of Incident : Fri, 14 March, 2025

Case ID : f6648e4

Gaya, Bihar, India

14 March, 2025

Holi celebrations attacked with stones by Muslims; Hindu youth beaten for playing colours near a mosque

Attack not resulting in death

Attacked for crossing 'Muslim area'

Attacked for Hindu identity

Communal clash/attack

Case Summary

In the Buniyadganj police station area of Gaya, Bihar, Hindus celebrating Holi were attacked with stones by Muslims. The conflict arose between the two communities over the application of colour near Joda Masjid. While playing with colours, a Muslim youth was inadvertently stained, leading to a verbal altercation. The argument escalated into a communal attack, resulting in stone-pelting on the Hindus. The latter also retaliated in self-defence. According to media reports, the area had two main roads: Khagari Mohalla and Pandit Gali. A Muslim youth from Khagari Mohalla had gone to a shop to buy something when a Hindu youth celebrating Holi accidentally stained his clothes while holding his hand. This sparked a heated argument, which soon escalated into stone-pelting. The Muslim youth from Khagari Mohalla reportedly dragged the Hindu youth from Pandit Gali into their area and beat him, further intensifying the conflict. According to Dainik Bhaskar, there had been previous disputes between the youths of Khagari Mohalla and Pandit Gali. Locals had previously requested an increased police presence on the main road to prevent such incidents, but no concrete action had been taken. The police were informed and arrived at the scene to control the situation. However, by the time they reached, all the accused youths had fled. Security forces were deployed in the area to prevent further disturbances. To ease tensions, police officials held discussions with community leaders from both sides, urging them to maintain harmony and avoid further conflict. Buniyadganj police station in-charge, Pawan Kumar, stated, “There was a minor clash, which has been brought under control. Both parties are being counselled, and the situation is completely normal.” Sadar SDM Kisalaya Srivastava dismissed reports of communal tension. He said that the initial investigation into the matter revealed that it was a personal dispute between two individuals. He added that, although they were friends, the altercation happened when one of them smeared colour without taking permission.

Why it is Hate Crime ?

This case has been added to the tracker under the prime category of- Attack not resulting in death. Under this, first 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. The second sub-category selected is- Attacked for crossing 'Muslim area'. 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 ghettoized areas where mobs mobilize 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 third sub-category under which this case has been placed 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 attack on Hindus celebrating Holi in the Buniyadganj police station area of Gaya, Bihar, can be categorised as a religiously motivated hate crime as the violence stemmed from Hindus engaging in a traditional religious festivity. The incident escalated when a Muslim youth reacted aggressively after inadvertently being stained with colour—an integral part of Holi celebrations. The rapid transformation of a minor misunderstanding into an orchestrated attack involving stone-pelting against Hindus highlights a deep-seated hostility towards Hindu religious practices. Furthermore, the Hindu youth was forcibly dragged into a Muslim dominated area and assaulted, an act that underscores a deliberate assertion of dominance and intimidation against Hindus for merely celebrating their festival. This act was not just an instance of physical aggression but a calculated attempt to assert territorial and social control over the Hindu community. By dragging the Hindu youth into an area predominantly occupied by Muslims, the perpetrators effectively isolated him from his community, making him vulnerable to targeted violence without immediate support or intervention. The aggression displayed in this case was not simply a reaction to an alleged provocation but a deliberate message that Hindu religious celebrations, such as playing Holi, are unwelcome and will not be tolerated in areas where Muslims are majority. This incident is a blatant act of hostility towards Hindus and their festivals, reflecting an attempt to suppress their religious expressions. Given the targeted nature of the attack, it warrants inclusion in the Hinduphobia tracker.