At a time when Muslims are on a rampage against Parliament passed Waqf (Amendment) Act, Hindus’ Hanuman Jayanti processions faced attacks from India to Nepal
In West Bengal’s Murshidabad, Hindus were attacked by Muslim mobs protesting against the newly passed Waqf (Amendment) Act. This Muslim-dominated district has witnessed large-scale incidents of violence, vandalism, arson and targeted attacks against the Hindu community since the Act came into existence.
Hindu houses, shops and establishments were targeted by Muslim mobs in Murshidabad’s Suti, Dhuliyan, and Samserganj, among other areas. The Islamist onslaught even forced a Hindu exodus from parts of West Bengal.
Emboldened by the backing of the ruling TMC government, which has historically been mollycoddling its Muslim votebank, the anti-Waqf Amendment ‘protestors’ torched numerous vehicles, including police vans, pelted stones at security forces and obstructed roads. On 12th April, the dead bodies of Haragobindo Das and his son Chandan Das, were found at their home in Jafrabad area of Samserganj, showing multiple stab wounds.
Over 500 Hindus, especially women from Murshidabad, were driven to flee to a relief camp in Malda through boats with their newborn babies as Islamists ran riots in the area. The situation was exacerbated due to the provocative rhetoric of the Trinamool Congress leaders alongside Muslim-appeasing opposition parties, who contributed to instigating the petulant Islamists ever-ready to exercise their street veto.
Islamists are using the politically fueled ‘apprehension’ that somehow the government will snatch away control of Waqf properties from Muslims just as Waqf Boards used to arbitrarily claim ownership of random properties. To attack Hindus, Islamists have been targeting Hindus during the latter’s festivals. After Holi and Ram Navami, Islamists in India and Nepal attacked Hindus on Hanuman Jayanti again this year.
Muslim mob attacked Hanuman Jayanti procession in Nepal
In Nepal’s Birgunj, a Muslim mob attacked a Hanuman Jayanti procession on Saturday (12th April). Following this, a curfew was imposed in several areas. Some Hindu organisations were taking out a religious procession on the occasion of Hanuman Jayanti, when a group of Muslims attacked the procession by pelting stones near Shreeram Hall Chowk in Chapkaiya-3. The situation turned violent with several people, including some policemen, sustaining injuries in the stone pelting. Many vehicles were also set on fire by the attackers. Police had to use tear gas shells to control the situation.
Muslim mob attacks Hindus taking part in Hanuman Jayanti procession in Madhya Pradesh
On the evening of 12th April, communal tension erupted in the Guna district of Madhya Pradesh when a Muslim mob attacked a Hanuman Jayanti procession with stones. The procession was passing near the Colonelganj mosque when the incident occurred at around 8 PM. Several people, including the 11-year-old son of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) councillor Omprakash Kushwaha, were injured during the attack. The procession that was attacked originated from Shah Ke Kolhu Pura and passed through Hat Road. It was near the mosque when the incident took place. According to the police, the violence erupted after an exchange of slogans between members of two communities. So far, the local police have arrested 9 accused, including Sameer, Soham, Anas, Shakeel, Sahil, Atiq, Vicky Pathan and 2 others.
Stone pelting on Shobha Yatra in Jharkhand’s Hazaribagh
On 12th April, a Hindu procession was attacked when it passed in front of a mosque in Hazaribagh in Jharkhand. The incident took place on Sunday night in the Jhurjhuri area of Barkatha, where a Maha Yagya is being organised. The Shri Shri 108 Shri Shatchandi Maha Yagya is being held along with Hanuman Pran Pratishtha. As part of the event, a procession was taken out in the area. But when the procession reached Tarbechwa Mosque in the area, people from the Muslim community in the area pelted stones at Hindu devotees in the procession. The mob also set fire to some vehicles that were part of the procession.
Later, the mob also torched the straw kept in the houses in the area. Some people, including women, were reportedly injured in the attack. As per reports, miscreants continued pelting stones in the night, taking the advantage of darkness. Moreover, incidents of arson took place in over half a dozen places in the area.
Not to forget, Hazaribagh has been a communally charged area. In March this year, an Islamist mob resorted to stone pelting at a Mangla procession near Jama Masjid Chowk in Hazaribagh. Stone pelting started over songs being played during the procession. An argument broke out between the mob and members of the procession, which quickly escalated, leading to the stone pelting incident. Members of the Hindu community also resorted to stone pelting in retaliation. Nearby shops were vandalised during the incident, and the Eid Market was temporarily shut.
Before this, in February 2025, a clash transpired between two communities on Maha Shivratri over tying a loudspeaker to an iron pillar in Pipratola, located in Dumraon village of Ichak police station area in the Hazaribagh district of Jharkhand. Half a dozen people were injured in stone pelting. The miscreants set fire to 8 vehicles, including a car, six bikes, a scooter and a bicycle. A loudspeaker was being tied to the iron post at New Sanatani Hindustan Chowk at about 8 am, after which members of the Muslim community began pelting stones from the roofs of their houses and the school grounds.
Meat pieces thrown on the Hanuman Jayanti procession route in Mumbai
In the Powai area of Maharashtra’s Mumbai, meat pieces were thrown on the route from where the Hanuman Jayanti procession of Vishwa Hindu Parishad and Bajrang Dal was to pass. This procession started from Jagdish Swami temple at 9.30 pm and reached Farukhibad Mohalla. During the procession, people were moving forward with the idols of Lord Shri Ram and Hanuman, when they saw pieces of meat thrown on the road. Angered by this, the procession was stopped there, and sloganeering started after turning off the DJ. After the Hindu activists protested, the road was cleaned and meat pieces were removed.
Conclusion
Be it Hanuman Jayanti, Ram Navami, Maha Shivratri,or any other Hindu festival or the ongoing protests by Islamists against the Waqf Amendment Act, somehow, Islamists find an excuse for attacking Hindus. The Islamists rely on excuses as trivial as loud music and ‘Jai Shri Ram’ slogans in Hindu processions, saffron flags, and even the mere sight of Hindus celebrating their festivals or flaunting their religious identity unapologetically to attack Hindus. The attacks on Hindu processions during Hanuman Jayanti and other Hindu processions by Islamist mobs demonstrate their tendency to get offended over trivial issues and resort to violence against Hindus to assert their religious dominance, especially in ‘Muslim areas’.
The Muslim mobs’ attacks on Hindu religious processions are not isolated incidents but a part of a continuum where the Islamists are targeting the Hindu community for having dared to express their religiosity unapologetically on their festivals. Or maybe it is simply to exact revenge and vent out frustration over the Central government bringing legislation aimed at curbing unwarranted and discriminatory powers and privileges bestowed upon Muslims by Muslim appeasing political parties, as seen in the case of anti-Waqf agitation and previously during the anti-CAA protests.
News