Hindu selectively targeted by Muslim mob during protest against Waqf Act; temples, homes and shops destroyed; over 500 Hindus forced to flee
Murshidabad, West Bengal, India 
10 April, 2025
Case Summary
On 11th April, 2025, Murshidabad district in West Bengal, which has a significant Muslim population, witnessed widespread violence, vandalism, arson, and targeted assaults against the Hindu community, all under the pretext of protests against the newly enacted Waqf Amendment Act. Following the conclusion of Jumma Namaz, mobs went on a rampage in the Suti and Samserganj areas, disrupting train services, damaging public infrastructure, and bringing normal life to a standstill. The office of the Block Development Officer (BDO) was vandalised with stones and sticks, creating an atmosphere of chaos and fear. However, what stands out is the deliberate and systematic targeting of the Hindu community under the guise of these protests. Local reports also suggested that Hindu temples were attacked and idols desecrated, though these reports are yet to be independently verified. However, in a video aired by Republic Bangla, Trinamool Congress MP Khalilur Rahaman acknowledged that a temple in Jangipur was indeed vandalised. According to a report by India Today, homes and shops belonging to Hindu families were directly targeted. Even an ambulance was not spared—set ablaze after the driver was brutally assaulted. An eyewitness stated that the perpetrators were local Muslims, not outsiders. CCTV footage circulating online shows attackers damaging the vehicle of a Hindu family. Victims recounted to ANI how their motorbikes were torched, homes looted, and businesses destroyed. Another victim, Manju Bhagat, wife of Hindu trader Amar Bhagat, told Aaj Tak that the mob attempted to break into their home from both the front and back gates. She described how they vandalised the house, looted household items such as chairs, mattresses, TVs, and more. The family, terrified, hid on the terrace, praying for their lives and chanting God’s name. “What would I have done if something had happened to my daughter?” she recounted tearfully. In the wake of the violent outbreak, the West Bengal police posted on social media that the situation in Suti and Samserganj had been brought under control, claiming that the mob had been dispersed and traffic on the national highway restored. They also promised strict action against the rioters. As per reports, 10 police officers were injured, with several police vehicles set ablaze during the violent unrest. The police came under heavy stone-pelting and later announced that 110 people had been arrested in connection with the attacks—70 from Suti and 41 from Samserganj—according to The Times of India. Recent reports have revealed that hundreds of Hindus have been compelled to flee their homes in West Bengal’s Murshidabad district in the wake of an Islamic onslaught carried out under the pretext of protests against the Waqf (Amendment) Bill 2025, an outbreak of violence that has already claimed three lives. “More than 400 Hindus from Dhulian, Murshidabad driven by fear of religiously driven bigots were forced to flee across the river & take shelter at Par Lalpur High School, Deonapur-Sovapur GP, Baisnabnagar, Malda,” Suvendu Adhikari of the Bharatiya Janata Party wrote in a post on X, blaming the chief minister Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress for its “appeasement politics” which has “emboldened radical elements”. Adhikari also shared pictures and videos of the people being interviewed.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
This case has been added to the tracker under the prime category- Attack not resulting in death. The sub-category relevant in this case 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 other sub-category selected 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. The third sub-category selected here 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. The second category selected here is- Attack on Hindu religious representations and within this the 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 large-scale communal violence that unfolded in Murshidabad, West Bengal, under the guise of protests against the Waqf (Amendment) Bill 2025, clearly constitutes a hate crime against Hindus and merits inclusion in the Hinduphobia tracker. The orchestrated nature of the attacks—ranging from targeted arson and looting of Hindu-owned shops, desecration and vandalism of temples, to the brutal assault on Hindu families—demonstrates a deliberate attempt to terrorise the Hindu community. Witness testimonies confirm that the violence was not spontaneous but premeditated, with Hindu establishments like 'Subha Smriti Hotel' and 'Sri Hari Hindu Hotel & Lodge' being looted and destroyed, and homes systematically attacked. Several Hindu residents were forced to flee their homes in fear, indicating an effort to induce demographic change in Muslim-dominated areas by driving Hindus out. Attacks on sacred spaces, such as temples, and desecration of idols further underscore the deeply religious motivation behind the violence. Such acts of targeted aggression, perpetrated specifically because of the victims’ Hindu identity and religious affiliation, amount to communal persecution and represent a grave form of Hinduphobia deserving of serious documentation.
Case Status
Case sub-judice
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Muslim Extremists
Perpetrators Range
Unknown
Perpetrators Gender
male
Sources 
