Hindu women pelted with stones while seeking donations for Hindu religious event

Case ID : f664a59 | Location : Kodarma, Jharkhand, India | Date of Incident : Tue, 1 April, 2025

Case ID : f664a59

Kodarma, Jharkhand, India

1 April, 2025

Hindu women pelted with stones while seeking donations for Hindu religious event

Attack on Hindu religious representations

Desecration of Hindu religious symbol

Attack not resulting in death

Attack against Hindu devotees

Case Summary

Hindu women collecting donations for a Mahayagya, one of the most sacred and significant Hindu religious ceremonies, in Jharkhand’s Koderma district were attacked with stones in Chhatarbar village. These women, from neighbouring Chechai, were following a longstanding tradition of seeking donations from seven villages for the Mahayagya scheduled from 9th to 17th April. Around 50-60 women were collecting contributions, with 11 carrying sacred Kalash on their heads, when they were pelted with stones from rooftops by Muslim members. Several Kalash were damaged, causing panic among the women, who quickly informed their families. To maintain law and order, heavy police deployment was put in place, with SDPO Anil Kumar confirming the security measures but refusing to disclose further details. A senior official stated that while reports of stone pelting were received, the claims were still under investigation, and official updates would follow. Police launched an extensive search operation in Chhatarbar, deploying drones to scan rooftops for hidden stones and suspicious objects. SDPO Anil Kumar Singh affirmed that those responsible would be held accountable. The Bharatiya Janata Party’s state president and Leader of Opposition in the Jharkhand Assembly, Babulal Marandi, strongly condemned the incident. In a social media post, he criticised the state government’s failure to ensure security for Hindu festivals, comparing the situation in Jharkhand to that of West Bengal, where such attacks are frequent. He urged the government to take strict action against the perpetrators to restore communal harmony. The Mahayagya, a significant spiritual event, has historically included the practice of seeking donations from villages such as Chhatarbar, Karma, Jhumri, and others without conflict. Police announced plans to organise a peace meeting with community elders to prevent further tensions and maintain stability in the region.

Why it is Hate Crime ?

This case has been added to the tracker under the primary category- Attack on Hindu religious representations. Under this, the sub-category selected is- Attack on 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 second primary category selected is- Attack not resulting in death. Under this, the subcategory relevant 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. The attack on Hindu women collecting donations for the Mahayagya constitutes a hate crime due to its targeted nature against a religious group engaged in a sacred tradition. The deliberate act of pelting stones at devotees performing an age-old religious custom, particularly from rooftops, suggests that the attack was premeditated and demonstrates an intent to disrupt a Hindu religious practice and instil fear among the community. Furthermore, the desecration of the Kalash adds another layer of religious hatred to the attack. In Hindu tradition, the Kalash symbolises purity, divinity, and the presence of the divine, often used in temple consecrations and major religious ceremonies. Smashing these sacred pots was not only an attack on the women carrying them but an assault on the religious sentiments of the entire Hindu community. Such desecration mirrors tactics historically employed to intimidate religious groups, suppress their cultural expressions, and assert dominance through violence. The fact that this incident occurred during a religious procession further underscores its targeted nature, as disrupting Hindu festivals and rituals has become a recurring pattern in communal attacks across various regions.