Hyderabad: At least 65 incidents involving alleged hate crimes and identity-based discrimination were documented across India during September 2026, according to a report published by Siasat.com. The incidents involved alleged attacks and discrimination targeting people from different religious and caste communities, as well as controversies surrounding religious expression, demolitions and police action.
According to the report, 42 incidents involved Muslims, 14 targeted Dalits, five involved Christians and four involved Hindus. The cases were reported across several states and included physical assaults, alleged caste-based harassment, disputes involving religious institutions and allegations of unequal treatment by authorities.
Assault at Delhi protest draws attention
One of the incidents highlighted in the report concerned an assault on Sanjay Kumar, a Dalit man, during a protest against the NEET examination paper leak at Jantar Mantar in Delhi on June 23.
A 21-year-old man, Swatantra Bhardwaj, allegedly spoke about the assault during a YouTube podcast aired on September 3. He reportedly claimed that he had struck Kumar on the head, leaving him with injuries that required 60 stitches.
Bhardwaj was detained in Bulandshahr on September 4 and was granted interim bail on September 15. While he later claimed self-defence, Delhi Police had earlier described Kumar's injuries as simple in nature and rejected allegations that Bhardwaj had political protection.
Questions over treatment of police officers and journalists
The report also highlighted allegations of unequal treatment of Muslim police officers in West Bengal.
Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra alleged that Muslim officers, including Siliguri Police Commissioner Waquar Raza and Special Task Force chief Jawed Shamim, were excluded from an official reception for Union Home Minister Amit Shah. Separately, media organisation Maktoob Media was reportedly booked by West Bengal Police after covering Moitra's allegations.
Another controversy involved IPS officer Bushra Bano, who was criticised by the Hindu Legal Fund over religious expressions used in a video about her civil services journey. She was subsequently transferred from her post as Additional Superintendent of Police in Kharagpur to the Deputy Commandant position in the State Armed Police's 4th Battalion. The transfer was viewed by critics as punitive.
The report contrasted this with videos of Hindu police personnel participating in religious celebrations while on duty, including personnel filmed dancing with devotees during the Khairatabad Bada Ganesh immersion in Hyderabad. No comparable disciplinary action was reported in those cases.
In Delhi, freelance journalists Shaheen Khan and Nafisa Khan alleged that they were assaulted after being detained while covering an event attended by Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Chief Minister Rekha Gupta. Police denied the allegations, stating that the journalists had obstructed a route designated for VIP movement.
Former BBC journalist Huda Zariwala was also arrested in Uttar Pradesh after making remarks against Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath over a mosque demolition in Saharanpur, according to the report.
Demolitions of mosques and a church
Several religious structures became the focus of demolition and road-widening disputes during September.
In Saharanpur, Uttar Pradesh, a mosque estimated to be around 115 years old, located within the Collectorate complex, was demolished on September 5. Authorities had declared it an unauthorised structure on government land. The demolition followed the dismissal of an appeal by a district court. Local residents and opposition representatives questioned the timing and the opportunity available to challenge the decision.
In Madhya Pradesh, part of Medina Masjid was reportedly demolished to facilitate road widening. Later in the month, a section of Ujjain's nearly 600-year-old Shahi Masjid was removed as part of a road-widening project connected to preparations for the 2028 Simhastha Kumbh.
The Madhya Pradesh High Court had cleared the proposed action on September 9. Following protests and police action on September 28, the mosque committee agreed to remove a smaller section of the structure than the area initially sought by authorities. Community members subsequently began dismantling part of the wall themselves.
In Pimpri-Chinchwad near Pune, the Jesus Is Lord Church was demolished on the night of September 6. Church members claimed that a court stay was in place and that they had not received prior notice. The civic authorities maintained that the action was part of a drive against unauthorised construction.
Children and students face alleged discrimination
The report documented several incidents involving children and students.
In Lucknow, a 12-year-old boy named Abdullah was allegedly assaulted after refusing to fetch cigarettes for a group of men attending a religious gathering. According to the account, the men asked him to chant a religious slogan before slapping him and striking him with an iron object. His uncle was also reportedly attacked.
In Kolkata, three Muslim students — Md Ashique Billah, Moyajjem Hossain and Hasanur Jaman — were allegedly called derogatory names and physically assaulted while travelling towards Sealdah railway station on September 24.
In Karnataka, a college professor was accused of calling Muslim engineering students terrorists, prompting one student to object to being labelled an extremist because of his religion.
At IIT Bombay, 20-year-old Dalit student Sahil Wakode was found dead in his hostel room on September 18. The institute had earlier referred to an examination-related incident involving the student and later apologised for its initial communication. His parents alleged that he had faced caste-based harassment from fellow students and a professor.
The case brought renewed attention to the 2023 death of Darshan Solanki, another Dalit student at the institute, whose family had alleged caste discrimination.
Festival-related tensions reported in several states
Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations were accompanied by reports of communal tension in different parts of the country.
In Hyderabad's Saidabad, the discovery of chicken bones and waste outside a Ganesh pandal reportedly triggered tension. In Gujarat, a shop was allegedly vandalised after its owner refused to contribute money towards festival celebrations.
In Uttara Kannada district of Karnataka, stones were reportedly thrown at a mosque and an Arabic madrasa during an immersion procession. In Mumbai, a BJP worker shared a video portraying Muslims as opposed to Hindu festivals and later described the video as being intended for entertainment.
Caste-based violence and discrimination
Several incidents involving alleged caste discrimination were also documented.
In Uttar Pradesh, a Dalit man named Ram Milan was allegedly abused with casteist slurs and beaten after his hand touched that of Santosh Yadav while he was taking paan on September 24. Yadav and his son were also accused of taking Rs 35,000 from him.
In Telangana's Siddipet district, BRS workers allegedly sprinkled turmeric water on roads to symbolically purify them after Dalit Congress workers marched towards the residence of party leader K Chandrasekhar Rao in Erravalli on September 8.
Separately, NSUI president Yadavalli Venkataswamy alleged that members of the Congress had sidelined him because of his caste and removed him before the completion of his term. He was the first Dalit to head the student organisation in the erstwhile combined Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.
In Secunderabad's Tukaramgate, 26-year-old Burugu Karthik was allegedly stabbed in the neck and assaulted with a bamboo stick for helping an inter-caste couple marry against their families' wishes. Five people were arrested in connection with the incident.
The report also referred to the death of Geetu Ram Tanwar, a 58-year-old Superintending Engineer with Uttar Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam, who was found dead in his car in Karnal on August 31, the day he was due to retire. His note reportedly accused senior officials of caste-based harassment. Tanwar had also faced suspension and a police case over alleged casteist remarks in a video.
Religious identity becomes a point of confrontation
Other incidents highlighted in the report involved people allegedly being pressured to express religious or national slogans.
In Jammu and Kashmir, a Muslim pony worker was reportedly pressured by a group of pilgrims to chant “Bharat Mata ki Jai”. The worker said that he could not repeat the slogan because of his religious beliefs.
At Mumbai's Cooper Hospital, two Muslim women, including one carrying a baby, alleged that hospital staff stopped them at the entrance because they were wearing a burqa and hijab. One of the women claimed that she was told that babies could be stolen inside a burqa.
Concerns over recurring incidents
The incidents documented during September span several states and involve allegations against individuals, institutions and public authorities. They range from physical attacks and caste-based abuse to disputes over religious structures, restrictions on religious expression and the treatment of journalists and students.
The report's findings underline concerns about the treatment of people on the basis of religious and caste identity. However, the allegations and circumstances surrounding individual cases remain subject to police investigations, official responses and judicial proceedings.
