Hindu temple attacked, idol of goddess set on fire by Muslim man; West Bengal police claim accused is ‘mentally unstable'
Baruipur, West Bengal, India 
6 March, 2025
Case Summary
In the Baruipur city in the South 24 Parganas district of West Bengal, the idol of Goddess Shitala was set on fire by a Muslim man identified as Sheikh Indu. Visuals of charred idols and the damaged Hindu temple could be seen in multiple posts on social media. The locals apprehended the accused, who was involved in the vandalism and arson attack. Meanwhile, the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) MLA Bibhas Sardar attempted to blame Hindus in order to deflect attention from the crime perpetrated by Sheikh Indu. Coincidentally, the Baruipur police also posted a tweet on Friday (7th March) claiming that the accused is a ‘person of unsound mind’ with ‘mental health issues.’ “Local people apprehended him and police took custody of the person. A case has been registered and investigation is on. The detained person is an outsider and has mental health issues,” it alleged. “The situation is peaceful. Stern legal actions will be initiated against those trying to spread rumours and communal disharmony,” the Baruipur police cautioned. Interestingly, the West Bengal police made similar claims when it came to light that a Hindu temple was vandalised in Basirhat. They went on to claim that the extremist behind the destruction of the idol of Goddess Kali has ‘mental health issues.’
Why it is Hate Crime ?
This case has been added to the tracker under the prime category of- Attack on Hindu religious representations. Under this, the first sub-category selected is- Attack on Temples. In Hinduism, a temple is the abode of the Deity. The Deity in the Temple is consecrated, thereby, making it a real, breathing entity. Hindus believe that not just the Deity but the temple premises itself are sacred to Hindus since Hindus hold the faith that the entire Temple space is an amalgamation of the divine energy of the deity. Given the central significance of Temples in Hindu Dharma, any attack against a Hindu Temple or its peripheral premises is an attack on the faith itself and is born out of animosity towards the faith, of which, the Temple is a central tenet. Any manner of attack against a Temple and/or its premises would therefore be considered a religiously motivated hate crime. The second sub-category relevant here is- Desecration of Hindu religious symbol. Icons and symbols or a religious representation of a spiritual ideal are widely revered in Hinduism. Iconography is of vital significance in the Hindu milieu. It helps connect people’s spiritual beliefs with the real world. Iconography within the Hindu faith takes several shapes and forms. Murtis are of most significance to Hindus, to which daily rituals, prayers and offerings are done. Besides the murtis, there are several other symbols which have deep significance in the Hindu faith – the Om and Swastika for example. Since these Hindu religious symbols hold paramount importance in Hinduism, any desecration of symbols, icons, murtis, religious representations and manifestations, is driven by animosity towards the faith itself which manifests itself through these murtis, icons and symbols. Therefore, any desecration of these Hindu religious symbols and representations is considered religiously motivated hate crimes under this category. The targeting of a Hindu temple and the destruction of the idol within its sanctum sanctorum indicate a deliberate act of religious desecration. Such attacks are not just an act of vandalism but a direct assault on Hindu religious sentiments, aimed at humiliating and intimidating the Hindu community. Another important aspect to highlight here is that despite the clear religious significance of the attack, West Bengal Police swiftly dismissed any communal angle and labelled the perpetrator as "mentally unstable." This downplaying of the crime follows a consistent pattern in cases where Hindu religious structures are attacked—where authorities dismiss such acts as "mischief" or blame them on individuals with mental health issues. By doing so, they dilute the gravity of the crime and divert attention from the real motivations behind such targeted attacks. In several cases where Muslims vandalise and desecrate Hindu places of worship, a usual trope to shield the perpetrator is to attribute the crime to the mental health of the accused, claiming that the crime was committed since the perpetrator was ‘mentally ill’ or ‘mentally unstable’. The police and the media, in many such cases where the crime has been committed against the Hindu faith by a non-Hindu perpetrator, deny that the crime committed was in any way motivated by a religious bias and attribute it to the perpetrator’s mental health. Many a time, the police downplay incidents of low-level communal crime because it is their jurisdiction that comes under question. The police also often say that the crime was committed since the accused was mentally unstable because they wish to ensure that, owing to the crime already committed, there is no further flare-up in the area. In fact, there are many cases where this strategy has been used by the media to downplay such incidents where the crime was committed by a Muslim perpetrator, for example, the attack on the Gorakhnath temple or the incident in Telangana where two Muslim women wearing burqas tried to damage temple and church idols. Likewise, in this case, the police attributed the act of vandalism of a Hindu temple to the miscreant's mental illness. The use of the "mental illness" trope to justify crimes targeting Hindu temples or idols raises critical questions. If perpetrators are indeed mentally unstable, why do they specifically target Hindu idols and places of worship, leaving mosques untouched? This selective focus suggests that such acts are not driven by mental health issues but by religious animosity. The repeated use of this narrative to downplay crimes against Hindus reflects a strategic effort to whitewash religious hatred, obscuring the true motivations and intentions behind the attacks.
Case Status
Arrested
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Muslim Extremists
Perpetrators Range
One Person
Perpetrators Gender
male
Sources 
