Hindu man dies after brutal assault during Holi celebrations in Assam

Case ID : d420e3f | Location : Cachar, Assam, India | Date of Incident : Tue, 3 March, 2026

Case ID : d420e3f

Cachar, Assam, India

3 March, 2026

Hindu man dies after brutal assault during Holi celebrations in Assam

Attack resulting in death

Attacked for Hindu identity

Attack against Hindu devotees

Case Summary

Sajan Deb, a Hindu man from Rongpur in the Cachar district of Assam, lost his life after suffering severe injuries during a violent assault that took place while the victim was engaged in Holi celebrations. He was targeted by a group of individuals during the festive period and sustained grievous wounds in the attack. The violence caused him to collapse on the spot, leaving him in a critical state. He was subsequently transported in a life-threatening condition to Silchar Medical College and Hospital for emergency treatment. After battling his injuries for several days, he succumbed to the trauma of the assault, leaving his family and the local community in profound distress. The violent incident occurred in Rongpur within Assam’s Cachar district during the height of the Holi festivities. Sajan Deb was present during the celebrations when a group of individuals set upon him. He sustained serious injuries in the attack and collapsed immediately at the scene. Local residents who witnessed the brutality informed his family of the assault. Upon receiving the news, his family rushed to the location and quickly arranged to shift the critically injured man to Silchar Medical College and Hospital for urgent medical intervention. Despite receiving intensive care at the hospital, Sajan Deb’s condition remained critical. After struggling against the severe injuries inflicted during the assault, he died four days later while undergoing treatment. His death triggered intense anger and heartache among local residents and members of the community, as the fatal assault had desecrated a major Hindu festival. Following his death, members of the local community gathered in protest and blocked roads in Rongpur, demanding strict and immediate action against those responsible for the killing. Sajan Deb’s family filed a formal case against several individuals at Rongpur Police Station in connection with the incident. High-ranking police officials, including the Additional Superintendent of Police Crime, the Officer in Charge of Silchar Sadar Police Station, and the Officer in Charge of Tarapur Police Station, arrived at the scene with a police contingent to manage the situation. Three individuals were detained in connection with the assault, and the investigation into the killing remains ongoing.

Why it is Hate Crime ?

The primary category for this case is "Attack resulting in death". The sub-category in this case is "Attack against Hindu devotees". Hindu devotees are a few of the easiest targets of religiously motivated hate crimes because during the festival/procession/puja etc, for non-Hindus it is easy to profile their victims on the basis of religion. Hindu devotees come under attack on several occasions by individual non-Hindus or mobs of non-Hindus owing to their animosity against Hinduism, its symbols, and traditions/practices. There are several instances of Hindu devotees being attacked while they worship in temples or temporary religious structures, during religious processions, doing bhajan/kirtan/puja in their own homes, in the residential society, etc. These attacks are perpetrated by non-Hindus primarily because of their animosity towards Hindus and their faith. In some cases, the trigger for the violence may be non-religious, however, there are two elements that make these hate crimes. First, the Hindus who come under attack are attacked violently while indulging in religious activity. Whether they are in a place of worship or not is immaterial to the crime. When individuals are attacked while indulging in religious practices, the attack in itself is a hindrance to their freedom to practice religion and therefore constitutes a hate crime. Secondly, religious supremacist doctrines and ideologies deem the religious practices of Hindus to be offensive ab initio since they are considered “sinful” by these ideologies, worthy to be annihilated by force or coercion. Driven by these religious supremacist ideologies and doctrines, the attacks against Hindu devotees stem from intrinsic animosity towards Hinduism. In some cases, the trigger for the violence may be non-religious, however, it develops into a religiously motivated crime during the course of the violence. Since these attacks stem from animosity towards Hindus and Hinduism, they are considered religiously motivated hate crimes. Under this category, cases where the attack led to the death of the Hindu victim/s would be documented. The fatal assault on Sajan Deb in the Cachar district of Assam stands as a clear instance of a religiously motivated hate crime. The victim was violently targeted during Holi, a major Hindu festival of profound religious and cultural significance. This assault took place while members of the Hindu community were actively engaged in celebrations. Sajan Deb sustained grievous injuries during the attack and eventually succumbed to them after several days of medical treatment. By occurring during Holi—a time when Hindus gather publicly to honour their traditions—the violence was intrinsically linked to a Hindu religious occasion, directly claiming the life of a participant during his observance of the festival. The circumstances of the attack show that the victim was present at the Holi celebrations when he was surrounded and assaulted by several individuals. Holi is far more than a social gathering; it is a sacred festival marking the triumph of good over evil, characterised by communal participation and ancient rituals. The assault on Sajan Deb during this period demonstrates that the violence was embedded within the Hindu festival setting. While the attackers could have directed their aggression toward anyone in the locality, they chose to target a Hindu man participating in the specific traditions of a major religious event. The timing of the assault further underscores the unmistakably anti-Hindu nature of the crime. Holi is one of the most visible and widely celebrated Hindu festivals, marked by public gatherings, colour throwing, music, and communal participation. Choosing to carry out the attack during this precise moment cannot be viewed as coincidental. The perpetrator was fully aware that members of the Hindu community would be publicly celebrating their religious festival and that participants would be engaged in devotional and cultural observances. By targeting the victim during Holi itself, the attack demonstrates a deliberate attempt to strike at Hindus while they were practising their faith. Such calculated timing reveals a deeper hostility toward the religion and its festivities, transforming the assault from a mere act of violence into one that is intrinsically tied to animosity toward Hindu religious expression. Consequently, this case is included in the hate crime database to ensure a permanent record of this targeted hostility. Disclaimer: The exact date of the assault that led to the death of Hindu man Sajan Deb is not explicitly specified in the available sources. The reports state that the Hindu victim succumbed to his injuries four days after the assault and that the news reports documenting the incident were published on 8 March. Based on this timeline, the incident date has been recorded as 4 March for documentation purposes. The Hinduphobia Tracker records incident dates based on when the crime occurred or when the victim’s ordeal began, rather than the date of media reporting. The date of 4 March has therefore been used as the indicative date of the incident based on the available timeline and has been recorded solely for documentation purposes.