Case Summary

In Lalbagh, Murshidabad, West Bengal, a Durga Puja pandal was set ablaze by unidentified miscreants. The incident occurred on the night of October 4, 2026, just a few days before the Durga Puja festival. According to media reports, the incident took place at the pandal of the Budhaspara Sarbojanin Puja Committee. Preparations were almost complete, with the Puja scheduled to be inaugurated on October 14, 2026, on the day of Chaturthi. A person working on the thermocol decorations was the first to notice the fire and alerted local residents. They rushed to the spot and extinguished the flames, after which the police were informed. Local Hindu residents said that unidentified miscreants had tied matchsticks together into bundles, set them on fire and thrown the burning bundles towards the pandal, causing it to catch fire. They ruled out the possibility of an accidental fire or one caused by a mosquito-repellent device, maintaining that the pandal had been deliberately set ablaze. A bundle containing partially burnt matchsticks was also found at the spot. A video of the incident subsequently went viral on social media, showing local Hindu residents pointing out bundles of partially burnt matchsticks lying around the pandal after the fire had been extinguished. The visuals showed the matchstick bundles scattered around the pandal, with the residents pointing to them as evidence that the burning bundles had been thrown towards the structure. Several local Hindus said that the incident was intended to disrupt the Durga Puja celebrations and prevent the large-scale Puja from being successfully conducted. They pointed to the scheduled visit of West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari to inaugurate the pandal and said that the miscreants did not want the Puja to be successfully held, which was why the pandal had been targeted. Nayna Das Mondal, secretary of the Budhaspara Sarbojanin Puja Committee, said that the committee members had returned home after collecting donations earlier that evening. They later learnt that someone had set fire to the rear portion of the pandal. Committee members and local residents jointly extinguished the flames, after which the committee informed the police. Das Mondal said that the committee believed that the incident had been deliberately planned. Police reached the spot after receiving information about the incident and said that only a small portion of the pandal had caught fire. However, at the time of writing, they had not been able to verify the actual cause of the fire. Police also stated that a short circuit was unlikely to have caused the incident, as there was no electrical work or electrical connection at the pandal when the fire broke out. The incident caused concern among local residents as it occurred shortly before Durga Puja, when preparations at the pandal were nearing completion.

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Why it is Hate Crime ?

This case is being added to the tracker under the primary category: Attack on Hindu religious representations. The subcategory selected is: Violence against religious structures or centres. In Hinduism, a religious structure is also considered divine. Hindus believe that not just the Deity but the religious structure itself is sacred. In this sub-category, we would document attacks against religious structures which are not consecrated temple spaces. Such religious spaces could be temporary in nature – for example – the religious spaces erected specifically for festivals like Durga Puja etc. This category would also document cases of attacks against religious centres. These spaces in their own right may not be ‘sacred’ per se, however, are often spaces where religious gurus live, religious teaching is imparted, or belong to religious institutions. Any attack against religious structures is a result of animosity towards the religion itself, which manifests itself through the religious spaces and therefore, such attacks are considered religiously motivated hate crimes. Religious centres are also manifestations of the religion, its teachings or gurus and therefore, attacks against such centres would be considered religiously motivated hate crimes. This case is a clear example of a religiously driven hate crime, as a Durga Puja pandal was set ablaze by unidentified miscreants just days before the festival. Targeting a religious structure prepared for one of the most significant Hindu festivals demonstrated hostility towards a distinctly Hindu religious celebration. Durga Puja is a major Hindu festival centred on the worship of Goddess Durga and commemorating her victory over the demon Mahishasura, symbolising the triumph of righteousness over evil. During the festival, devotees gather at specially constructed Puja pandals, where the idol of Goddess Durga is installed and worshipped through prayers, rituals, offerings and other religious observances. The pandal therefore serves as an important sacred space for Hindu worship and religious congregation, particularly during the festival when devotees gather to celebrate and participate in religious rituals. Setting such a pandal on fire amounts to a direct attack on a space associated with Hindu worship and demonstrates clear hostility towards Hinduism and the Hindu community. The act also showed disregard for Hindu religious sentiments and caused fear and insecurity among members of the Hindu community. Some may argue that the fire could have been accidental. However, several circumstances indicated otherwise. Local Hindu residents repeatedly stated that the fire had been deliberately started, while members of the Puja committee also maintained that the incident was pre-planned. More importantly, bundles of matchsticks, including partially burnt ones, were found around the pandal, and videos circulated on social media showed local residents pointing them out after the fire had been extinguished. If the fire had merely originated from a mosquito-repellent device or another accidental source, where did the numerous bundles of partially burnt matchsticks come from? Their presence at the site, together with the manner in which the fire was started, indicated that the pandal had been deliberately targeted. The possibility of an electrical short circuit was also ruled out as a plausible explanation, as police stated that there was no electrical work being carried out and no electrical connection at the pandal when the fire broke out. Taken together, the evidence left little basis for treating the incident as accidental and instead indicated a deliberate act of setting the pandal ablaze. The timing of the attack further demonstrated religious hostility, as the pandal was targeted just a few days before Durga Puja, when preparations for the festival were nearing completion. Targeting the sacred space at this crucial stage indicated an intent to disrupt the celebrations, interfere with Hindu worship and create distress and insecurity among devotees. The timing therefore demonstrated hostility towards Hinduism and the Hindu community, making the incident a clear case of a religiously motivated hate crime. The incident also occurred in Murshidabad, a Muslim-majority district of West Bengal with a documented history of communal violence and attacks targeting Hindus. The district has witnessed attacks on Hindu residents, killings, sexual violence against Hindu women, attacks on Hindu homes and properties, and the desecration and vandalism of Hindu temples. Hinduphobia Tracker has documented 45 anti-Hindu hate crime cases from Murshidabad between January 1, 2023, and October 7, 2026. Of these, 32 involved communal attacks targeting Hindus, including two cases in which the attacks resulted in the deaths of Hindu victims. A further 12 cases involved attacks on Hindu religious representations, including temples, idols and Puja pandals. This documented pattern provided important context and indicated that the incident cannot be viewed entirely in isolation. The history of attacks against Hindus in the district, combined with the deliberate targeting of a Durga Puja pandal and the evidence surrounding the fire, further supported the assessment of religious hostility rather than an accidental occurrence. At the time of documentation, the identities of the perpetrators remained unknown, but their actions demonstrated religious hostility towards Hindus and their faith. Therefore, this case was added to the hate crime database of the Hinduphobia Tracker.