TMC goons single out Hindu women, abduct them and keep them in captivity for nights
North 24 Parganas district, West Bengal, India 
7 February, 2024
Case Summary
Since February 8th, Sandeshkhali in West Bengal witnessed unrest as locals, particularly Hindu women, demanded the arrest of Sheikh Shahjahan and two other TMC workers. Hindu women came on record and shared stories of exploitation by TMC members, who abducted young women and held them captive until satisfied. The women expressed fear and lamented the lack of safety, even at night. While speaking to Republic Bangla on Saturday (10th February), a resident of Sandeshkhali recounted, “TMC workers would come to the village and pick out the ‘beautiful women.’ These men would hunt for young women and send diktat to their families to hand over the victims to them.” “You may be the husband but you cannot exercise your right. They would take your wife away for nights at a stretch. They would not release the women from their captivity until they were ‘fully satisfied. They have 20-30 goons with them. They would come in bikes and exercise their writ in the village,” she emphasized. Another woman narrated, “I too have the same experience. They would forcibly take the women away to the party (TMC) office at night and free them only in the morning.”
Why it is Hate Crime ?
This case has been added to the tracker under the prime category of 'Attack not resulting in death' and within this, the sub-category selected is- Attacked for Hindu identity. In several cases, Hindus are attacked merely for their Hindu identity without any perceived provocation. A classic example of this category of religiously motivated hate crime is a murder in 2016. 7 ISIS terrorists were convicted for shooting a school principal in Kanpur because they got ‘triggered’ seeing the Kalava on his wrist and tilak that he had put. In this, the Hindu victim had offered no provocation except for his Hindu religious identity. The motivation for the murder was purely religious, driven by religious supremacy. Such cases where Hindus are targeted merely for their religious identity would be documented as a hate crime under this category. During the protests in West Bengal's Sandeshkhali, Hindu women came on camera to testify against TMC's strongman Sheikh Shahjahan and two other TMC workers accusing them of singling out Hindu women to exploit them physically. Sandeshkhali in West Bengal has a mixed population. However, Sheikh Shahjahan and his aides selectively targeted Hindu women in the village. They also grabbed the land of such poor Hindu locals, as testified by the Hindu victims themselves. Given that the fundamental motivation behind these actions is contempt for Hindus and their religion, this instance has been added to the tracker under the following category.
Case Status
Arrested
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Muslim Extremists
Perpetrators Range
From 2 To 5
Perpetrators Gender
male
Sources 
