Hindus celebrating Holika Dahan attacked with stones by Muslims
Patna, Bihar, India 
13 March, 2025
Case Summary
In Sahnoura village, in the NTPC police station area of Patna, Bihar, Holika Dahan celebrations were opposed by Muslim community members. Hindus celebrating the festival were attacked with stones, escalating into a communal conflict and creating tensions throughout the area. According to media reports, the Holika Dahan celebrations were taking place on a street in the village when members of the Muslim community objected to it. They launched an attack, pelting stones at the Hindus. The situation quickly escalated. Hindus also retaliated in self-defence. The police arrived at the scene and attempted to pacify the situation, but angry villagers initially chased them away. They later returned with reinforcements and managed to bring the situation under control. Reports indicate that several people from both sides were injured, and police vehicles were damaged in the stone-pelting. Sarpanch Kanhaiya Kumar stated that anti-social elements, allegedly intoxicated, were responsible for instigating the violence. He emphasised that such incidents had never occurred in the village before and condemned the violence. He added, "The police were also chased away, and the glass of a vehicle was broken. More than a dozen people from both sides were injured. The situation remains tense, and both communities have been urged to maintain peace." To prevent further unrest, a heavy police force was deployed in the village, and officers were stationed at the site to ensure peace and prevent any further clashes.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
This case has been added to the tracker under two prime categories. The first is- Attack not resulting in death. Under this, the 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 under the above-mentioned category 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 second category selected here is- Restriction/ban on Hindu practices and within 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 categorized as a hate crime. The third category relevant here is- Attack on Hindu religious representations and within this, the sub-category selected is- Violence against religious structures or centres. In Hinduism, a religious structure is also considered divine. Hindus believe that not just the Deity but the religious structure itself is sacred. In this sub-category, we would document attacks against religious structures which are not consecrated temple spaces. Such religious spaces could be temporary in nature – for example – the religious spaces erected specifically for festivals like Durga Puja etc. This category would also document cases of attacks against religious centres. These spaces in their own right may not be ‘sacred’ per se, however, are often spaces where religious gurus live, religious teaching is imparted, or belong to religious institutions. Any attack against religious structures is a result of animosity towards the religion itself, which manifests itself through the religious spaces and therefore, such attacks are considered religiously motivated hate crimes. Religious centres are also manifestations of the religion, its teachings or gurus and therefore, attacks against such centres would be considered religiously motivated hate crimes. In Hinduism, a religious structure is also considered divine. Hindus believe that not just the Deity but the religious structure itself is sacred. In this sub-category, we would document attacks against religious structures which are not consecrated temple spaces. Such religious spaces could be temporary in nature – for example – the religious spaces erected specifically for festivals like Durga Puja etc. This category would also document cases of attacks against religious centres. These spaces in their own right may not be ‘sacred’ per se, however, are often spaces where religious gurus live, religious teaching is imparted, or belong to religious institutions. Any attack against religious structures is a result of animosity towards the religion itself, which manifests itself through the religious spaces and therefore, such attacks are considered religiously motivated hate crimes. Religious centres are also manifestations of the religion, its teachings or gurus and therefore, attacks against such centres would be considered religiously motivated hate crimes. The attack on Hindus during Holika Dahan in Sahnoura village, Patna, highlights a deliberate attempt to disrupt Hindu religious traditions through violence and intimidation. The stone-pelting by members of the Muslim community was not a spontaneous act but a targeted assault aimed at suppressing Hindu religious expression. Holika Dahan, an integral part of Holi festivities, was being conducted peacefully when it was opposed and attacked, demonstrating a pattern of hostility toward Hindu religious practices. The nature of the attack—which involved stone-pelting, escalating tensions, and injuries to multiple people, including police officers—suggests an organized effort to provoke the Hindus. Such incidents fit into a broader trend of Islamist aggression against Hindu religious celebrations, where the mere presence of a Hindu festival becomes a point of contention, leading to violent confrontations. The intoxicated individuals cited by the Sarpanch may have been used as a pretext to downplay the larger communal intent behind the attack. By attacking Hindus for performing a religious ritual, this incident constitutes a hate crime driven by religious animosity. The pattern of Islamist groups opposing and attacking Hindu religious gatherings under various pretexts has been observed in multiple instances across India. This incident is yet another example of religiously motivated violence targeting Hindus, aimed at instilling fear and asserting dominance over public spaces traditionally associated with Hindu festivals and for these reasons it warrants inclusion in the tracker.
Case Status
Unknown
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Muslim Extremists
Perpetrators Range
Unknown
Perpetrators Gender
unknown
Sources 
