Hindu leaders targeted with beheading threats through provocative posters in Hingalganj, West Bengal
North 24 Parganas district, West Bengal, India 
5 January, 2026
Case Summary
In Hingalganj, North 24 Parganas district of West Bengal, Hindu BJP leader Tarun Mandal received chilling beheading threats through provocative posters. The posters also warned fellow BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari against holding rallies or facing dire consequences. According to media reports, this occurred on 6 January 2026. The posters threatened that BJP leader Tarun Mandal would be beheaded and warned other BJP leaders to be careful. The posters also mentioned that there would be serious consequences if Suvendu Adhikari or other state-level BJP leaders held public rallies. It could not be ascertained who had pasted the threatening posters. BJP leader Tarun Mandal said that he was not bothered by the posters. Attributing the threats to the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC), Mandal said that the party had lost ground in Hingalganj and therefore resorted to dirty politics. He added that TMC faced certain defeat in the upcoming assembly elections, which was why it spread fear. Responding to the threatening posters, the West Bengal BJP lashed out at the ruling TMC, accusing it of stifling dissent and calling the threats “barbaric intimidation tactics”. “This is the EXTREMIST PLAYBOOK that now rules West Bengal under Mamata Banerjee. There is NO Freedom of Speech, NO Freedom of Expression, and NO Right to Dissent. In Mamata Banerjee’s Bengal, if you dare to oppose the regime or organise a democratic rally, the punishment is a death threat!” the party posted on X on 6 January 2026. BJP leader said that TMC supremo and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee was scared of the opposition. “These radical threats prove only one thing: TMC IS SCARED. They know the ground in West Bengal has shifted. Unable to fight politically, your cadres resorted to medieval, barbaric intimidation tactics to silence voices,” the BJP said. “You can tear down posters, you can issue threats of beheading, but you cannot silence the voice of the people! The BJP will not be intimidated by your goons. We will speak, we will rally, and we will democratically dismantle this intolerant, authoritarian regime in 2026!” it added.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
This case landed in the "Undecided" database as no clear religious motive surfaced in the immediate crime. However, this case triggered immediate suspicion of religious motivation since the threats were launched at Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders, whom anti-Hindu groups, whether Muslim radicals or leftists, view as a 'Hindu party'. In West Bengal, BJP figures endured repeated attacks tied to their faith, especially during post-poll violence, where innocent Hindu workers suffered killings and targeting for their religious identity. This pattern cast serious doubt on whether faith identity or politics drove the current case, unfolding amidst the state's history of anti-Hindu persecution and violence. Another reason heightening suspicion was its location in West Bengal. Over recent years, a chilling pattern gripped the state: targeted violence, vandalism, and intimidation against vulnerable Hindus, often with state and administration backing of anti-Hindu perpetrators. Multiple anti-Hindu riots erupted in Murshidabad, alongside assaults on Hindus in Basirhat, Malda, Midnapore, and Uttar Dinajpur. For example, in Basirhat 2025, a Kali temple endured vandalism and idol desecration; police swiftly downplayed communal motives, protecting the attacker by calling him mentally unstable without a proper probe. Likewise, in Murshidabad and Malda riots, Hindus were targeted with mob violence, arson, looting, and desecration by Muslim mobs, yet West Bengal police dismissed it as trivial local clashes unrelated to religion, burying the anti-Hindu reality. Under Mamata Banerjee's government, Hindus faced arrests for chanting "Jai Shri Ram," their sacred slogan. Processions for Ram Navami, Hanuman Jayanti, and Durga Puja met routine bans over "law and order," while Muslim gatherings sailed free. Mamata's regime courted radical Islamic clerics, branding Hindu pleas provocative, effectively criminalising Hindu identity in West Bengal. This bred valid suspicion whether Hindu leaders here suffered for their faith identity or their political affiliations. Further suspicion mounted from the attack method: beheading threats echoed past anti-Hindu campaigns. The infamous "Sar Tan Se Juda" slogan, a radical Islamic war cry against Hindus over supposed 'blasphemy', claimed at least six Hindu lives, including Kanhaiya Lal in Udaipur and Umesh Kolhe in Amravati, incited by Alt News co-founder Mohammed Zubair's dog-whistling against ex-BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma. This bloodthirsty chant signals execution for Hindu identity, terrorising the entire Hindu community. Henceforth, similar behaviour in this case raises suspicion whether the Hindu leaders here were targeted for their faith identity or their political affiliations. However, despite all compelling suspicions of religious animosity, the core crime lacked overt religious ties. Threats against BJP leaders showed no direct link to their faith identity. They may have stemmed from political ideology instead. Therefore, with religious motivation unclear, this case stays in the "Undecided" database. If any new information emerges that showcases religious animosity as the motivating factor behind the crime, then it will be added to the Hate Crime database of the tracker.
Victim Details
Total Victim
2
Deceased
0
Gender
- Male 2
- Female 0
- Third Gender 0
- Unknown 0
Caste
- SC/ST 0
- OBC 0
- General 0
- Unknown 2
Age Group
- Minor 0
- Adult 2
- Senior Citizen 0
- Unknown 0
Case Status
Unknown
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Unknown
Perpetrators Range
Unknown
Perpetrators Gender
unknown
Sources 
