Hindu student beaten by four Muslim classmates in school in Sabarkantha, Gujarat

Case ID : b1c5d86 | Location : Sabar Kantha, Gujarat, India | Date of Incident : Wed, 20 August, 2025

Case ID : b1c5d86

Sabar Kantha, Gujarat, India

20 August, 2025

Hindu student beaten by four Muslim classmates in school in Sabarkantha, Gujarat

Undecided cases

Attacked/Killed for Hindu identity

Case Summary

A Hindu boy studying in Class 7 at Sheth C.J. High School in Vadali, Sabarkantha district of Gujarat, was attacked by four Muslim minors inside the school premises. The assault occurred on the evening of 21 August 2025, shortly after school hours. The attackers not only beat the child but also threatened to kill him if he resisted them in the future. The incident sparked widespread anger in the local community. As news of the assault spread, Hindu groups and residents gathered outside the school demanding immediate and strict action against the attackers. Two days later, on 23 August, protests were held at the school, with residents and Hindu organisations accompanying the victim’s family in seeking justice. The protesters stated that the school administration had earlier assured them of expelling the accused minors by issuing Leaving Certificates, but no decisive action followed. The victim’s father, Manibhai, stated that the four Muslim minors had been harassing his son for some time. When the boy objected to their behaviour, they attacked him after school. He further said that when his family confronted the parents of the attackers, they refused to take responsibility, with the main accused’s father claiming that his son was beyond his control. The family stated that this was not the first attack. They said the same group of minors had previously brought sharp weapons such as knives to school and had assaulted the Hindu boy around six months earlier. At that time, teachers gave verbal assurances that such behaviour would not recur, yet no action was taken. The injured student was undergoing treatment for severe injuries on his back and was unable to walk. His father said that despite repeated complaints, the school administration failed to act and broke its earlier promises. The school principal, Amitbhai, confirmed that four Muslim minors had assaulted the Hindu student but downplayed the incident as a minor scuffle among children. He denied that the accused had ever brought weapons to school and rejected claims that the school had promised to expel them. Citing the Right to Education (RTE) Act, he stated that students cannot be expelled without parental consent or orders from higher authorities. The incident heightened tensions in Vadali, with Hindu groups demanding that the accused minors be removed from the school. The victim’s family warned that they would approach the police if the administration continued to remain inactive.

Why it is Hate Crime ?

This incident reflects a sustained breakdown of safety within the school, where repeated harassment of a Hindu boy grew into a serious assault despite earlier warnings. The family’s account of a previous attack involving sharp objects, combined with the continued targeting over months, shows that the behaviour did not arise from a single dispute but from a pattern that was allowed to continue unchecked. While the available material does not contain a direct statement that the violence was driven by religious hostility, the identity configuration and the persistence of the behaviour make the situation more complex than an ordinary quarrel among classmates. The Hindu boy appears to have been placed in a vulnerable position within a peer group that used intimidation as a routine method of control. The school administration’s decision to minimise the matter as a minor scuffle, despite visible injuries and earlier complaints, strengthens community concerns that the victim’s safety was not taken seriously. Procedural defences were prioritised over meaningful protection, which has intensified local mistrust and raised questions about institutional neutrality. From a Hinduphobia centred viewpoint, the conditions typically associated with identity based hostility are present, yet the evidence does not firmly establish motive. For this reason, the case remains in the Undecided database, carrying indicators that warrant continued scrutiny should further information clarify the nature of the targeting.