Hindu families in Sindh rendered homeless as Muslim mob, aided by police, demolishes their homes in communal attack
Matiari, Sindh, Pakistan 
15 April, 2025
Case Summary
A violent Muslim mob backed by local police broke down the homes of poor Hindus, threw their belongings out and rendered them roofless in the scorching summer in Matiari, Sindh. Hindu minorities in Pakistan face persistent persecution, marked by systemic discrimination, violence, and forced conversions. Hindus, particularly women and young girls, are often abducted, forcibly converted to Islam, and married off to Muslim men with little to no legal recourse. Temples are frequently vandalised or destroyed, and Hindu communities are subjected to social and economic marginalisation. Blasphemy laws are disproportionately used against Hindus, leading to false accusations and severe punishments. Many Hindu families are forced to flee their homes due to religious intolerance, living in constant fear of attacks. This sustained persecution highlights the dire conditions for Hindus in Pakistan, where their religious identity makes them targets of oppression.
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 incident in Matiari, Sindh, where a violent Muslim mob, backed by the local police, demolished the homes of poor Hindus and threw their belongings out in the scorching summer, clearly qualifies as a hate crime. The victims were not involved in any provocation or dispute; they were targeted solely because they are Hindus. The destruction of their homes and belongings, coupled with the role of the police in enabling the violence, reveals a deliberate attempt to terrorise and displace a marginalised religious group. This was not a spontaneous act of violence but a coordinated effort that reflects deep-rooted religious animosity and the use of force to enforce religious dominance. This case constitutes a clear communal attack. The targeted nature of the violence, where only Hindu homes were destroyed, indicates that the motive was rooted in religious identity, not in a neutral legal or administrative action. The destruction of property, expulsion from homes, and seizure of belongings were not carried out against all encroachers or residents uniformly, but specifically against members of the Hindu minority. This selective targeting on the basis of religion turns what may otherwise appear as an eviction drive into an act of identity-based collective violence. Moreover, this incident aligns with a longstanding and well-documented pattern in Pakistan, where Hindu minorities have faced systemic discrimination, targeted violence, forced conversions, and displacement. Attacks on Hindu temples, abductions of Hindu girls, and social boycotts have been regular occurrences in several regions of Pakistan. The situation in Matiari fits within this broader framework of persecution, where state institutions often turn a blind eye or actively support acts of violence against minorities. By attacking and evicting Hindus from their homes with no provocation, and with police support, this case illustrates how religious identity continues to serve as a trigger for hate crimes in Pakistan, reaffirming an ongoing pattern of targeted hostility towards the Hindu minority. Disclaimer: It is important to clarify that the report does not specify the exact date when the Hindu homes were attacked. Therefore, for documentation purposes, we have recorded the date based on when the incident was reported in the media.
Case Status
Unknown
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Muslim Extremists
Perpetrators Range
Unknown
Perpetrators Gender
male
Sources 
