Case Summary

In Cooch Behar, West Bengal, a minor Hindu girl, a ninth-grade student at Dakghora High School, was physically and sexually assaulted by a Muslim youth named Sagar Islam. According to the complaint filed by the victim's parent, the minor Hindu girl was sitting in her classroom during recess when the Muslim accused began verbally abusing her with obscene language. When the victim protested, the Muslim accused physically attacked her, beating and strangling her. He also sexually assaulted the minor Hindu girl and repeatedly threw her to the ground. The complainant stated that Islam assaulted the victim with the intent to kill. During the assault, two of the victim's classmates recorded the incident, and the video was subsequently uploaded to Facebook, where it went viral. The video shows the accused laughing as he was assaulting the minor Hindu girl. As of the date of writing this report, a complaint was filed by the victim's parents at Sitalkhuchi Police Station. The parent expressed profound fear for their daughter's safety, stating that her life might be in danger. It remains unclear whether the police have filed an FIR or initiated any action against the accused.

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Why it is Hate Crime ?

This case has been added to the 'Undecided' database due to the absence of conclusive evidence pointing to a religious motive behind the crime. Although it has been seen many times that minor Hindu girls are religiously profiled and targeted by the Muslim perpetrators for sexual exploitation or religious conversion, due to underlying religious hostility and minors being more vulnerable. Furthermore, the relationship between these two individuals is also not stated. Regardless, since the victim in this case is a minor, any supposed “consent” from her for any romantic relationship, if any, is legally invalid under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act. Minors are immature and cannot make adult decisions like being in a romantic relationship with anyone. Therefore, at this stage, there is no conclusive evidence confirming a religious motive. Additionally, neither the victim nor her family has pointed to any religious motives behind the incident. As such, this case has been placed in the ‘Undecided’ database. If further information emerges indicating a religious motivation behind the crime, then the case will be reclassified and included in the Hate Crime database.