Hindu man wearing Tulsi mala brutally assaulted by Muslim mob protesting against Waqf Act

Case ID : aa4aea7 | Location : Murshidabad, West Bengal, India | Date of Incident : Fri, 11 April, 2025

Case ID : aa4aea7

Murshidabad, West Bengal, India

11 April, 2025

Hindu man wearing Tulsi mala brutally assaulted by Muslim mob protesting against Waqf Act

Attack not resulting in death

Attacked for Hindu identity

Case Summary

In Baruipur, located in West Bengal’s South 24 Parganas district, a Hindu man named Utpal Mandal was reportedly attacked by a Muslim mob for wearing a Tulsi bead garland. According to Mandal’s own account, shared in a video circulating on social media, the incident occurred near the Superintendent of Police’s office in Baruipur, during a protest against the Waqf Act. Mandal stated that he was on his way home as his son was unwell and needed urgent attention. As he tried to pass through the protesting crowd, he politely requested them to let him through. However, instead of allowing him to pass, some protestors began assaulting him. Upon noticing the Tulsi Mala around his neck—a sacred symbol in Hinduism—the mob grew more enraged and physically attacked him with punches and kicks. The blows to his face broke his spectacles, causing injuries to his eyes and facial cuts. His scooter was also vandalised during the assault. Sharing the video testimony, the West Bengal BJP stated: “Despite recent incidents of large-scale violence across West Bengal, resulting in significant loss of life and property, the Mamata Banerjee-led state police continues to allow mass gatherings under the banner of anti-Waqf protests. In a shocking incident from Baruipur, a Hindu man wearing a Tulsi bead garland was brutally assaulted by a Muslim mob simply for being Hindu.”

Why it is Hate Crime ?

The case has been added to the tracker under the primary category of- Attack not resulting in death. Under this, the sub-category selected is- Attack on 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. This case warrants inclusion in the Hinduphobia tracker as it represents a clear instance of religiously motivated aggression. The victim, Utpal Mandal, was allegedly singled out and brutally assaulted by a mob solely because he wore a Tulsi mala—a sacred symbol of Hindu devotion. According to his account, Mandal was not part of any demonstration but was merely trying to pass through a protest area while rushing home to tend to his ailing child. Instead of being allowed to pass, he was met with hostility and violence. The mob, upon noticing his Tulsi bead garland, became more incensed and launched a vicious assault. They even went so far as to vandalise his scooter. This attack was not provoked by any action on Mandal’s part; rather, it was his visible Hindu identity that made him a target. Such incidents reflect deep-rooted animosity and intolerance against Hindus and their religious expressions. The deliberate targeting of an individual based on their religious symbols is a blatant hate crime and must be documented as part of ongoing efforts to track and address Hinduphobia.