As many as 266 Hindus were killed across India between January 1 and August 31, 2026, according to figures released by a Hindu organisation and subsequently cited by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP). The figure works out to nearly one reported killing every day during the eight-month period.
The data was presented alongside a separate list of 254 cases covering the first eight months of the year. The VHP released the list at a press conference in New Delhi on October 4, saying it had compiled the cases from media reports published between January 1 and August 31.
The 266 figure covers the additional month of September. According to the organisation behind the survey, its team reviewed more than eight lakh news reports while compiling the database. It said the exercise identified more than 1.5 lakh incidents before cases matching its criteria were examined and recorded. A social media handle named Treeni also claims investigation behind the number of killings in this period.
The classification of the killings, including the identification of the victims as Hindus and the religious identity or motive of the accused, comes from the survey and the VHP. Individual criminal cases may involve different circumstances, and the classification should therefore not be treated as an official government crime statistic.
Uttar Pradesh records highest number of cases
The survey claims that the reported killings were spread across 22 States and Union Territories. Uttar Pradesh recorded the highest number with 69 cases, followed by Maharashtra with 44.
Delhi was next with 28 cases, while Bihar accounted for 20 and Karnataka for 18. Together, these five regions accounted for 179 of the 266 reported cases.
The figures indicate a concentration of cases in some of the country’s most populous States, although the survey does not provide a population-adjusted rate. The numbers therefore show the distribution of cases recorded by the survey but cannot by themselves be used to compare the level of risk between States.
The survey also claimed that many of the cases did not receive extensive national media coverage. Its team said it relied on reports from different news organisations to identify incidents and compile details about victims, accused persons, locations and circumstances.
Women and minors among victims
The data also provides a demographic breakdown of the victims. According to the figures cited in the source material, 68 of the 266 victims were women or girls.
The survey also identified minors among those killed. However, there is a discrepancy in the figures available from different versions of the material. One account puts the number of minors below 18 at 36, while a video released by the organisation refers to 26 children.
The reported ages of victims ranged from one year to 76 years.
The presence of women and children among the victims was highlighted as part of the survey’s wider attempt to document the cases. However, the figures remain claims made by the organisation and have not been presented as an official nationwide government dataset.
Money and property disputes among leading reasons
The survey categorised the reasons behind the killings into several groups. Disputes involving money or property accounted for the largest share at 21 per cent.
Personal enmity and quarrels accounted for another 19 per cent of the cases. The survey attributed 14 per cent to what it described as “Love Jihad”, while family or partner-related disputes accounted for 11 per cent.
Communal attacks were listed as the stated reason in nine per cent of the cases.
The classification is significant because it shows that the survey itself attributes many of the reported deaths to personal, financial or family disputes rather than exclusively to communal violence. At the same time, the organisation has grouped these cases within a broader database of killings of Hindu victims involving Muslims or Christians.
The categorisation of motive in individual criminal cases can change as police investigations and court proceedings progress. Allegations made at the time of an incident do not necessarily establish the final motive or guilt of an accused person.
Knives and sharp weapons used in largest share of cases
The survey also examined the reported methods used in the killings. Details about the method were available in 215 of the 266 cases.
Among those cases, 40 per cent involved knives or other sharp weapons. Beatings or mob attacks accounted for 27 per cent, while shooting was reported in 14 per cent.
The organisation’s video separately stated that 57 people were beaten or lynched to death. It also linked 36 killings to what it described as “love jihad” or grooming.
Because the method of killing was not available in all 266 cases, the figures relating to weapons and methods cover only the 215 cases for which information was available.
Delhi Holi killing among cases cited
Several individual incidents were cited to illustrate the broader figures.
One of them involved Tarun Kumar, also identified in some reports as Tarun Butolia, who was beaten to death in Uttam Nagar, Delhi, following a dispute during Holi celebrations in March. Reports said the 26-year-old was attacked after a dispute involving water balloons between neighbours. Eight people, including a minor, were arrested in connection with the case.
The case later saw the invocation of provisions of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, according to media reports.
Another case cited was that of Gajanan Suroshe, also referred to as Gajanan Suresh, a Bajrang Dal activist and cow vigilante in Yavatmal, Maharashtra. Reports from May said he was injured after a vehicle involved in cattle smuggling knocked him down. He was also reportedly injured during stone-pelting and later died while being taken to hospital.
The survey also referred to the killings of Dharmesh Bharwar in Gujarat and Anjali Sharma, a 25-year-old nurse in Meerut. These cases were cited in the organisation’s material, although the details available in the source material do not establish independent corroboration for all the claims.
VHP releases 254-case list
The VHP’s October 4 press conference focused on a 254-case list covering the period from January 1 to August 31.
The 26-page document reportedly contains details such as the date and location of an incident, the names of victims and accused persons and links to media reports. The VHP described the cases as killings of Hindus by “jihadis”.
The organisation said attacks on Hindu religious programmes and incidents involving the abduction of women in the name of “Love Jihad” were becoming a serious concern.
The VHP’s demands included sending cases involving religious hatred to fast-track courts so that trials could be completed quickly. It also called for minors accused of murder and other serious offences motivated by religious hatred to be tried as adults.
Another demand was for stricter regulation of madrasas. The organisation also called for high-resolution surveillance cameras in sensitive areas, including around mosques and madrasas, with monitoring linked to local police stations.
Figures raise questions over classification of cases
The release of the figures has also drawn attention to the difficulty of classifying crime according to religious identity and motive.
The 254 cases listed by the VHP include incidents arising from different circumstances, including personal disputes, property or financial disagreements, road-related altercations and communal conflicts. The VHP’s description of these cases as killings by “jihadis” represents its own classification.
There is currently no official nationwide government database establishing that 266 Hindus were killed by Muslims or Christians during the nine-month period. The figures should therefore be understood as the findings claimed by the survey and subsequently publicised by the VHP, rather than as an official crime statistic.
Full report expected on October 20
The organisation behind the survey has said that its detailed “Hindu Murder Tracker” will be published on its website on Vijaya Dashmi, October 20.
The full report is expected to provide further details of the cases, including the sources used to identify individual incidents and the basis for categorising them.
For now, the headline figures stand at 266 reported killings between January and September, 254 cases documented by the VHP for January through August, 68 women and girls among the victims, and cases spread across 22 States and Union Territories. Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra account for the largest numbers in the data released so far.
The VHP has used the figures to press for faster trials, tougher treatment of minors accused in serious hate-related crimes and greater surveillance in areas it considers sensitive. The final assessment of individual cases, however, remains subject to police investigations, prosecutions and court proceedings.
