Mob Torches Muslim Homes, Assaults Families in Chhattisgarh Village—Residents Flee, Police Injured in Hours-Long Siege

Key Points

A mob vandalised and set fire to more than half a dozen houses belonging to Muslim families in Dutkaiya village of Chhattisgarh’s Gariaband district on 1 February 2026. All Muslim residents were forced to flee the village and at least seven police personnel were injured trying to shield residents.

According to police officials, the crowd, which swelled to several hundred people from Dutkaiya and neighbouring villages, arrived armed with swords, sticks, bricks, stones and kerosene bottles. Several vehicles were torched and homes were attacked while families locked themselves inside for safety.

Police personnel sustained injuries while attempting to contain the violence and prevent casualties. “The crowd set the vehicles ablaze and demanded that they be allowed to enter the homes of Muslims. Not only were we outnumbered, but there was also a manpower crunch due to the Rajim Kumbh. For the next few hours, we stood guard and ensured that the mob did not enter or harm the residents,” one officer told The Hindu.

The unrest followed a chain of events earlier that day. Police said three men allegedly assaulted local residents on Sunday morning, 1 February 2026. One of the accused, Arif Khan, a Dutkaiya resident, had earlier been sent to the Mana Juvenile Correctional Home in 2024 after he and two others were accused of vandalising the Chaveshwar Shiva temple. Now 18, Khan had been granted bail in 2024 but had not returned to the village until early Sunday.

Police said Khan and two accomplices from Raipur allegedly assaulted four men, including at least one eyewitness in the temple desecration case. Four cases were registered against the trio, and villagers were assured Khan would be arrested. Despite this, a small mob vandalised Khan’s house later in the day, after which tensions escalated and a much larger crowd gathered.

Police teams initially counselled villagers and attempted to pacify the crowd, but the situation deteriorated. Stones were pelted, and attempts were made to enter Muslim homes through adjacent houses. Reinforcements arrived in two batches by around 9pm.

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“It was only after the arrival of the last batch that the police used force and dispersed the mob while rescuing over 20 residents in a bus,” the officer said. At least two adults from the affected families were injured during the evacuation.

Police later learned that six or seven children were trapped inside a madrasa. They were rescued in a separate operation during which six policemen sustained grievous injuries. Around midnight, as the situation appeared to stabilise, a woman from the mob allegedly hurled a brick at a policeman, causing severe head injuries. Several other officers, including senior personnel, suffered blunt-force injuries.

When journalists visited Dutkaiya the following day, charred vehicles and partially burnt houses were visible, and a large police contingent remained deployed. All Muslim families had left the village and were sheltering elsewhere.

Speaking to The Hindu, victims described sustained attacks and threats.

A 35-year-old woman said the mob broke into her home using a gas cylinder to smash the door. Her husband, now hospitalised with multiple injuries, was beaten in front of her. “I pleaded with him,” she said, “but they said, ‘Wait, after this, your turn will come. Let your husband die properly, then it will be your turn, and then it will be your son’s turn.’” She alleged she was threatened with sexual assault and forced to chant religious slogans under threat to her child.

Another woman said she and her teenage daughter were similarly threatened while her husband was injured trying to protect them. Both families reported loss of property, including a newly purchased car and jewellery.

Gariaband Superintendent of Police Vedvrat Sirmaur said seven people had been arrested in connection with the violence as of 4 February 2026. He added that efforts were underway with the district administration to engage village elders and create conditions for the displaced families’ safe return. Some residents briefly returned to collect belongings under police protection.

Two FIRs have been registered in connection with the rioting. Residents said tensions between communities had existed earlier, citing economic and local disputes as contributing factors. Relief efforts are being supported by civil society groups, which have called for an impartial and transparent investigation.

[DS]

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