At least 18 Hate-Related Incidents Target Muslims During 2026 Kanwar Yatra
The Association for Protection of Civil Rights documented 18 episodes of violence, boycotts and obscene behavior against Muslims during the 2026 Kanwar Yatra across several northern Indian states.
During the 13-day Kanwar Yatra in 2026, the Association for Protection of Civil Rights compiled 18 reported hate incidents affecting Muslims in Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Madhya Pradesh, Delhi and Bihar. The dossier lists nine assaults or coercive acts, four economic boycotts targeting Muslim businesses, and at least five videos showing obscene gestures during processions. High-profile cases include the fatal beating of 24-year-old truck driver Azeem Ali in Hapur and the short-term detention of a Muslim youth, Imran, in Ghaziabad after accusations of damaging a Kanwar.
Police responses often involved crowd-pacifying rituals rather than arrests, and officials imposed non-vegetarian food bans and shop closures along the route. The Supreme Court intervened to stop orders requiring eateries to display owners’ names, citing concerns over public-order misuse. The report warns that such practices normalize gendered harassment and heighten threats to minority women during mass religious gatherings.
Why it matters
The incidents reveal how a major religious pilgrimage is being used to marginalize Muslim communities and suppress dissent.
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