Case Summary

In Katwa, West Bengal, a Hindu woman was subjected to gang rape by two Muslim men, Dulal Sheikh and Bojrul Sheikh alias Bajrul. According to news reports, the victim had attended Katwa court with her husband regarding their divorce proceedings. She was residing at her father’s house at the time. After concluding her court matters, she and her husband boarded a bus from Katwa bus stand to return home. The woman got down at the Kaithan bus stand at approximately 7:30 pm. Following this, she and her husband parted ways, and she was returning back to her father's home alone. During this, the two Muslim accused, Dulal Sheikh and Bojrul Sheikh, stopped her near a poultry farm at around 8:30 pm. After this, they dragged her towards a field, where they brutally gang-raped her. Thereafter, she was physically assaulted. The woman felt unconscious due to the assault. After committing the crime, the two accused fled the scene. Following this, the woman somehow managed to return home. After this, she lodged a complaint at the police station that same night. The police registered a case, responded promptly, and arrested Dulal Sheikh and Bojrul Sheikh. The arrested individuals were charged under Section 126(2) and other relevant sections of the BNS.

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Why it is Hate Crime ?

In this case, a Hindu woman was gang-raped and physically assaulted by two Muslim men. This could potentially be a crime motivated by religious profiling, as it has been observed that in many cases, Muslim perpetrators target Hindu women due to inherent animosity towards Hindus and their faith. Hindu women and girls are very vulnerable to crimes like rape and sexual assault at the hands of Muslim men. However, it is also possible that the crime was one of opportunity, where the Hindu woman was simply accessible to the Muslim perpetrators. Meanwhile, it could also be argued that for Muslim perpetrators, a Muslim woman would likely be more accessible than a Hindu woman. The fact that the perpetrators specifically targeted a Hindu woman could suggest religious profiling of the victim. Nevertheless, this remains highly speculative, as the case details provide no clear indication of religious motivations. Furthermore, the victim has not made any statements suggesting a religious motive behind the crime. For this reason, this case has been added to the 'Undecided' database. If further information emerges that hints towards a religious motivation behind this crime, then it would be reclassified and included under the Hate Crime database.