Minor Hindu girl targeted by two Muslim youth near mosque, threatened with rape and murder

Case ID : b45f6f8 | Location : Darjeeling, West Bengal, India | Date of Incident : Wed, 8 January, 2025
Case ID : b45f6f8
location Darjeeling, West Bengal, India
date 8 January, 2025
Minor Hindu girl targeted by two Muslim youth near mosque, threatened with rape and murder
Undecided cases

Case Summary

In Darjeeling district, West Bengal, two individuals, Muhammad Shamim and Muhammad Siddique, targeted a minor Hindu girl while she was returning home from a coaching class on the evening of January 9, 2025. According to the complaint filed at Khoribari Police Station, the two men began chasing the girl from a mosque along a dark road. The girl managed to escape and save herself. According to the complaint, the incident took place around 05:30 pm on January 9. The girl was returning home from tuition when she was followed by the two accused near a local mosque. The accused made obscene remarks towards her and surrounded her, preventing her from easily moving away. When she protested their actions, they allegedly threatened her with rape and murder. The complaint further stated that the accused chased the girl in the dark towards the ground of a nearby primary school. The girl returned home distressed and informed her family about the incident. Following this, her father promptly filed a police complaint. The police acted on the complaint and arrested Muhammad Shamim and Muhammad Siddique.

Why it is Hate Crime ?

Since the victim in this case is a minor, there is a strong suspicion of grooming involved. Grooming is a phenomenon where Muslim men specifically target minor non-Muslim girls for sexual exploitation, abuse and rape. Moreover, the attack occurred near a mosque, a significant religious setting for the perpetrators, suggesting a potential emboldening of their actions due to the proximity to their place of worship. The victim’s Hindu identity also appears to be a key factor, as the targeting of a minor Hindu girl by two Muslim men reflects a disturbing pattern of hostility often observed in such incidents. However, since there is no specific evidence of a pattern of victimisation of Hindu minors by the perpetrator and no indication from the parents of the minor that she was targeted for her religious identity, this case is categorised as 'undecided'. If more information emerges, it will be added to the hate crime database.

Victim Details

Total Victim

1

Deceased

0


Gender

  • Male 0
  • Female 1
  • Third Gender 0
  • Unknown 0

Caste

  • SC/ST 0
  • OBC 0
  • General 0
  • Unknown 1

Age Group

  • Minor 1
  • Adult 0
  • Senior Citizen 0
  • Unknown 0
Case Status Background
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Case Status


Complaint filed

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Perpetrators Details

Perpetrators


Muslim Extremists

Perpetrators Range


From 2 To 5

Perpetrators Gender


male

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