Hindu family brutally attacked by Muslims with sharp weapons in Assam

Case ID : 90a0792 | Location : Morigaon, Assam, India | Date of Incident : Sat, 8 February, 2025

Case ID : 90a0792

Morigaon, Assam, India

8 February, 2025

Hindu family brutally attacked by Muslims with sharp weapons in Assam

Attack not resulting in death

Attacked for opposing radicals or trying to save victim

Attacked for Hindu identity

Attacked to induce migration from non-Hindu dominated area

Case Summary

In Doloni village in Morigaon district, Assam, a Hindu family was brutally attacked by Muslims for opposing the Muslims cutting grass from their land without their permission. A large group of Muslims with machetes and sharp weapons attacked them. Five members were severely injured, including a woman and a child. The victims were rushed to the Guwahati Medical College Hospital. Family members filed a complaint at the Mayong police station on the same day, but no action was taken. This angered the Hindu villagers, and they blocked roads and started protesting. The villagers blamed the police for neglecting the safety of the Hindu community. They stated: "If tough measures are not taken immediately, Hindu villagers will always be at risk." Villagers stated that many Hindus had abandoned their homes out of fear of Muslims who majorly were illegal immigrants from Bangladesh.

Why it is Hate Crime ?

This is a religiously motivated hate crime under the prime category of- Attack not resulting in death. Under this, the first 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. The second sub-category under which this case has been placed is- Attacked for opposing radicals or trying to save victim. In several cases, Hindus are attacked for opposing religiously motivated crimes being committed against a fellow Hindu or simply for voicing an opinion opposing radical elements, who either have in the past or continue to persecute Hindus. In such cases, the initial attack against the victim, against which the Hindu was trying to defend the victim, would also need to be classified as a religiously motivated hate crime. Since the initial crime itself was religiously motivated and the subsequent crime of attempting to save the victim or speaking against the radical elements ends up inviting a violent attack, it would also be classified as a religiously motivated hate crime under this category. The third sub-category selected is- Attacked to induce migration from non-Hindu dominated area. There have been cases where the Hindus living in an area, often with a majority dwelling belonging to non-Hindus or those harbouring animosity towards the Hindu faith, the Hindu residents experience threats and violence. The violence is employed with the aim of making the Hindus leave the area and relocate, so the area could be turned into an exclusive ghetto for adherents of the non-Hindu faith or those who harbor animosity towards the Hindu faith. In several cases, the aim of exodus is explicit. However, in several cases, the demand for exodus of Hindu residents is not explicit, however, violence by non-Hindu residents leaves the Hindu residents no option but to leave the area, thereby, turning the area into an exclusive ghetto of non-Hindu residents. In such cases, there are instances violence against the Hindu residents explicitly. For example, in the Hauz Qazi case of 2019, the Muslim residents claimed that mob violence against the Hindu residents had been triggered by a parking dispute. However, the violence did turn religious with a temple being desecrated and was directed specifically against the Hindu residents. The Hindu residents of the area were clear that the violence was religiously motivated and one of the motives was to affect an exodus of the Hindu residents. In such cases, even though the perpetrators have not explicitly expressed the aim of affecting exodus, the given circumstances and violence and precedent point to the intention of exodus and therefore would be categorized under this sub-category. Such crimes are religiously motivated and therefore are hate crimes. This incident bears several clear religious markers that justify its classification as a hate crime. Firstly, the Hindu family was violently attacked by a large group of armed Muslims simply for asserting their right over their own land. The sheer scale and brutality of the attack suggest that it was not merely a dispute over grass-cutting but rather an act of aggression meant to intimidate and suppress the Hindu presence in the area. The targeted assault, which left multiple family members, including a woman and a child, severely injured, exemplifies a broader pattern where Hindus are attacked for standing up to radical elements that seek to dominate or encroach upon their space. Moreover, the religious identity of the victims played a crucial role in the hostility they faced. The fact that Hindus were singled out and subjected to such extreme violence indicates that the attack was not just about land but was motivated by deep-seated animosity towards their faith. Had this been an isolated case of a property dispute, the response would not have been as aggressive or large-scale. Instead, the attack carried a clear communal undertone, targeting the family specifically because they were Hindus resisting the actions of a Muslim group. Additionally, the fear and displacement among the Hindu community further reinforce the intent behind such attacks. The villagers stated that many Hindus have fled their homes due to fear of Muslim aggressors, believed to be illegal immigrants from Bangladesh, highlighting an ongoing effort to induce migration and alter the demographic balance of the region. This form of systematic targeting, where Hindus are forced to leave non-Hindu-dominated areas due to sustained violence and intimidation, reflects the deep-seated animosity harboured against Hindus and a desire to establish religious dominance. This incident illustrates a dangerous mindset rooted in exclusion, intolerance and religious animosity, making this case an ideal example for inclusion in a hate tracker.