Hindu devotees collecting funds for Hanuman mandir attacked by Muslim mob in Siwan, Bihar

Case ID : f6649b0 | Location : Siwan, Bihar, India | Date of Incident : Sat, 15 March, 2025

Case ID : f6649b0

Siwan, Bihar, India

15 March, 2025

Hindu devotees collecting funds for Hanuman mandir attacked by Muslim mob in Siwan, Bihar

Attack not resulting in death

Attack against Hindu devotees

Attacked for Hindu identity

Case Summary

In Siwan district, Bihar, a group of Hindu devotees collecting donations for the construction of a Hanuman temple were violently attacked by a Muslim mob near the Izmali Mosque. The attackers used wooden sticks, sharp weapons, and stones to assault the Hindus. According to news reports, several Hindus from Badarzimi village in Gopalganj district were campaigning for the Pachrukhi Yagna, a Hindu ritual, when they were ambushed near the Izmali Mosque. The attack occurred while they were going to Naubatganj to collect funds for a Hanuman temple under construction near Mirganj, which was set to be inaugurated on 20 March 2025. The devotees were gathering contributions for the temple’s Pran-Pratishtha ceremony when they were assaulted by the mob. The assault caused serious injuries to a Hindu youth named Nitish Chauhan. The injured youth was immediately admitted to a sub-divisional hospital and reportedly referred to the district hospital for treatment. The police were informed, and a complaint was filed against the accused by a Hindu man named Mantu Baitha, a resident of Badarjimi of the Gopalganj district in Bihar. Eyewitnesses stated that the attack took place in Izmali village, where Hindu campaigners on motorcycles were confronted by a group of Muslims. They were armed with wooden sticks and sharp-edged weapons. Witnesses further alleged that they were targeted due to their saffron attire and flags. They also reported that stones were thrown during the assault and that an announcement was made from the nearby mosque. However, the police denied the involvement of the mosque, stating that the assault was carried out by anti-social elements. The attack sparked outrage among the local Hindu community, leading to widespread protests demanding swift police action against the accused. According to media reports, 16 people were accused of committing violence, of which 3 were apprehended by the police. Security personnel were deployed in the village to maintain law and order and prevent further unrest.

Why it is Hate Crime ?

This case has been added to the tracker under the prime category- Attack not resulting in death. The sub-category relevant in this case is- Attack against Hindu devotees. Hindu devotees are a few of the easiest targets of religiously motivated hate crimes because during the festival/procession/puja etc, for non-Hindus it is easy to profile their victims on the basis of religion. Hindu devotees come under attack on several occasions by individual non-Hindus or mobs of non-Hindus owing to their animosity against Hinduism, its symbols and tradition/practices. There are several instances of Hindu devotees being attacked while they worship in temples or temporary religious structures, during religious processions, doing bhajan/kirtan/puja in their own homes, in the residential society etc. These attacks are perpetrated by non-Hindus primarily because of their animosity towards Hindus and their faith. In some cases, the trigger for the violence may be non-religious, however, there are two elements that make these hate crimes. First, the Hindus who come under attack are attacked violently while indulging in religious activity. Whether they are in a place of worship or not is immaterial to the crime. When individuals are attacked while indulging in religious practices, the attack in itself is a hindrance to their freedom to practice religion and therefore constitutes a hate crime. Secondly, religious supremacist doctrines and ideologies deem religious practices of Hindus to be offensive ab initio since they are considered “sinful” by these ideologies, worthy to be annihilated by force or coercion. Driven by these religious supremacist ideologies and doctrines, the attacks against Hindu devotees stem from intrinsic animosity towards Hinduism. In some cases, the trigger for the violence may be non-religious, however, it develops into a religiously motivated crime during the course of the violence. Since these attacks stem from animosity towards Hindus and Hinduism, they are considered religiously motivated hate crimes 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. In this case, the Hindus who were targeted were engaged in explicitly religious activity — collecting donations for the construction of a Hanuman temple and the upcoming Prana Pratistha ceremony. Their saffron attire, religious symbols, and the fact that they were mobilising support for a Hindu ritual made it clear to the attackers that the victims were performing religious duties. The assault with sticks, sharp weapons, and stones was not a random act of violence but a targeted attempt to obstruct and punish the victims for practising and promoting their religion. By attacking Hindus during a religious campaign, the perpetrators directly violated their right to freely practice and propagate their faith, turning the assault into a religiously motivated hate crime against devotees. Eyewitnesses stated that the assailants singled them out due to their saffron attire, saffron flags, and open participation in temple fundraising. This shows the attack stemmed from animosity toward Hindu identity itself, irrespective of any provocation. The violence was driven by the victims’ outward markers of Hindu faith. The deliberate targeting of Hindus simply because they represented Hindu religious symbols and identity transforms the violence into a classic case of religiously motivated hate crime rooted in religious supremacy. Disclaimer: The exact number of Hindus participating in the procession is unknown. However, reports confirm that one Hindu youth sustained injuries in the attack. Therefore, for documentation purposes, the victim count has been recorded as 1.