Hindu shops and vehicles selectively vandalised by Muslim mobs, got triggered over Hindu religious procession passing a mosque
West Bengal, India 
26 March, 2025
Case Summary
In Mothabari, Malda, West Bengal, Hindus fell victim to selective violent attacks by Muslim mobs. Hindu homes, shops, and vehicles were selectively vandalised by Muslim attackers carrying Islamic flags. According to media reports, on 26th March, while namaz was being offered at the Mothabari mosque, a preparatory rally for Ram Navami passed by. Devotees in the procession were chanting religious slogans, which reportedly angered some members of the Muslim community, leading to objections against their passage and slogans. According to the Indian Express, some people claimed that fire crackers were thrown near the mosque. The situation escalated, and soon after, a mob turned violent, looting, vandalising, and setting fire to several Hindu homes, shops, and vehicles. The following day, on Friday, Hindu residents staged a protest against the violence. In response, a large number of people gathered at Bandhapukur Mor in the English Bazar police station area and blocked the road. When the police attempted to disperse the crowd, tensions flared, leading to clashes. The police resorted to baton charges and fired tear gas shells to control the situation. Several videos of communal attacks on Hindus in Malda were shared on social media. The Muslim mob selectively targeted businesses owned by Hindus in Mothabari. These videos were shared by many politicians on their official X handle, including BJP MLA Suvendu Adhikari, BJP MP Dr Sukanta Majumdar, and BJP IT Cell head Amit Malviya. While sharing the video on his X handle, BJP MLA Suvendu Adhikari stated that Hindu-owned shops were being selectively targeted by certain miscreants in Mothabari. He requested the police to take strong action to prevent further attacks on the Hindu community. While speaking to the media, Suvendu Adhikari stated that properties and shops belonging to Hindus in Mothabari were being selectively attacked. Suvendu Adhikari also wrote a letter to Governor C.V. Ananda Bose requesting the immediate deployment of paramilitary forces in Malda's Mothabari. In his letter, he stated, "This is to inform your excellency that a shocking incident has taken place on 27th March at Mothabari, where a large group of miscreants belonging to a particular community has targeted and launched a vicious attack on the Sanatani Hindus of the aforesaid area." He further wrote, "Such despicable incidents reflect a complete state of lawlessness in West Bengal and there is an urgent need of the Central Armed Police Force to protect the Sanatani Hindus from such attacks at the hands of the aforesaid miscreants." The Union Minister of State for Education and Development of the North Eastern Region, Dr Sukanta Majumdar, wrote, “Horrific scenes from Dakshin Malda’s Mothabari—Hindu homes & shops vandalized by a violent mob. And what do @MamataOfficial and her mute spectator @WBPolice do? SILENCE. This is the cost of her shameless appeasement politics—lawlessness, fear and injustice for Hindus!” One of the videos shared by Sukanta Majumdar showed a violent Muslim group vandalising shops while carrying Islamic flags. Another video showed vandalised properties and houses. BJP IT Cell head Amit Malviya also posted a video on his X handle. He claimed that it was related to the communal violence in Mothabari. Posting the video on X, Malviya wrote, “Communal violence erupts in Mothabari, Dakshin Malda—murderous Muslim mobs rampage through streets, attacking Hindu homes, shops, and cars without provocation. Meanwhile, West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee prances around in London, indifferent to the ripping chaos back home”. The West Bengal government and police have remained completely silent on the issue and have yet to issue any statement on the matter. Meanwhile, a large contingent of policemen was posted in the area, and 34 people had been arrested by the time this incident was reported. The internet had been suspended, and prohibitory orders were issued in the Mothabari area and surrounding areas of West Bengal’s Malda following clashes between two communities.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
This case has been added to the tracker 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 selected is- Attack on religious procession. The outward celebration and display of religious symbols in an intrinsic part of Hinduism. Religious processions on various festivals are age-old traditions and a way to manifest faith and form a part of the religious practices of Hindus. On several occasions, such religious processions come under attack by non-Hindu mobs, in a manifestation of their animosity towards Hinduism and their practices. The reasons cited for such violent attacks are many and range from crossing a non-Hindu resident-dominated area to playing loud music, crossing from an area where there is a religious structure of another faith etc. The violent attacks are triggered by the outward display of religiosity by Hindus. The attacks are mainly a manifestation of religious supremacist doctrine which believes that idolatry, essentially the Hindu faith, is one that deserves to be annihilated since the very tenets of Hinduism, its practices and traditions are considered a sin in those doctrines. Since these attacks emanate from intrinsic and doctrinal animosity towards Hindus and Hinduism, it is considered a religiously motivated hate crime under this category. The third sub-category selected under the above mentioned prime category is- Attacked for crossing 'Muslim area'. One of the reasons that Hindus get attacked unprovoked specifically by Islamists is for crossing ‘Muslim areas’. Essentially, Muslim mobs often attack Hindus crossing or present in certain areas which have a majority Muslim population. It has often been cited as one of the reasons to blame Hindus for attacks against themselves, signalling that Hindus displaying religious symbols, taking our religious processions or crossing any area which is dominated by Muslim residents is a provocation in and of itself. These areas are mostly ghettoized areas where mobs mobilize quickly to attack Hindus for a variety of reasons like playing music during a religious procession, crossing a mosque, wearing a tilak or any other religious symbol in a Muslim-dominated area, praying at a local temple in that area etc. There have been cases where the few local Hindus of that area have been attacked on their way to the Temple for prayers as well, simply because the area is considered a Muslim-dominated area. Several times, it is entirely possible that the immediate trigger for the violence against Hindus was non-religious in nature, however, the violence became religiously motivated in nature because the area was Muslim dominated and the residents on the whole harboured animosity towards Hindus, evidenced from the actions of the mob, the slogans, and the nature of the attack. Such crimes are motivated by the religious identity of the victims and are therefore classified as hate crimes under this category. The fourth sub-category relevant here is- Communal clash/attack. Communal clash is a form of collective violence that involves clashes between groups belonging to different religious identities. For a communal clash between Hindus and non-Hindus to qualify as a religiously motivated hate crime, the trigger of the violence itself would have to be anti-Hindu in essence. For example, if there is a Hindu religious procession that comes under attack from a non-Hindu mob and after the initial attack, Hindus retaliate in self-defence, leading to a communal clash between the two religious communities. While at a later stage, both communities are involved in the clash/violence, the initial trigger of the violence was by the non-Hindu mob against the Hindus and therefore, it could safely be termed as an anti-Hindu violence. Further, the trigger would also have to be religiously motivated. In the cited example, the attack by the non-Hindu mob was against religious processions and therefore, can be concluded to be religiously motivated. In some cases, the trigger may be non-religious, however, it develops into religious violence against Hindus at a later stage. In such cases too, the foundational animosity towards Hindus becomes the motivating factor of the crime and therefore, it would be classified as a religiously motivated hate crime against Hindus under this category. This violent attack on the Hindu religious procession underscores a clear case of religious intolerance and hostility toward Hindu religious celebrations. Here, it is important to note that the trigger for the attack was the Hindu community taking the preparatory rally for Ram Navami and chanting religious slogans, which triggered the Muslim mob as it coincided with the Muslims reading Namaz at a mosque nearby. The Muslims launched an attack on the Hindus, selectively targeting their vehicles, shops and business establishments and vandalising it. Here, it becomes evident that the initial trigger for the attack was religiously motivated as the Muslims selectively targeted homes, shops and vehicles of Hindus and vandalised it. Eyewitness accounts, social media evidence, and political statements suggest that the mob, which carried Islamic flags, focused its aggression specifically on Hindu-owned properties while leaving others untouched. Such selective targeting underscores the religious bias driving the violence, making it clear that Hindus were attacked because of their identity. Further, it is pertinent to note here that the Hindus had not demanded that the Muslim devotees stop performing Namaz. In fact, it was the Muslims who had tried to impose their religious considerations on the Hindus by objecting to the passing of the procession. The opposition to the rally itself, which was part of religious observances, signifies an attempt to curtail Hindu religious expression in public spaces. Moreover, the presence of an organised mob, the deliberate targeting of Hindu-owned properties, the carrying of Islamic flags by the attackers, and the coordinated nature of the vandalism, looting, and arson all point towards a premeditated communal attack. Since religious intolerance is the primary purpose behind this incident, this case has been added to the hate tracker.
Case Status
Case sub-judice
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Muslim Extremists
Perpetrators Range
From 10 to 100
Perpetrators Gender
male
Sources 
