Minor Hindu student stabbed to death by group of Muslim students in Ahmedabad; parents say Hindu students subjected to regular harassment

Case ID : e2750f6 | Location : Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India | Date of Incident : Mon, 18 August, 2025

Case ID : e2750f6

Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India

18 August, 2025

Minor Hindu student stabbed to death by group of Muslim students in Ahmedabad; parents say Hindu students subjected to regular harassment

Attack resulting in death

Attacked for Hindu identity

Case Summary

In the Seventh Day Adventist School, Ahmedabad, a minor Hindu student from the Sindhi community was killed after being attacked with a knife by a group of Muslim students over a minor scuffle. According to reports, the victim was a Class 10 student who had previously been involved in a trivial dispute with a Muslim classmate. A minor scuffle had also occurred outside the school premises between the two, and conflicts between them had been ongoing for some time. The victim later apologised to the Muslim accused. However, on August 19, 2025, the accused student, accompanied by his 8–10 Muslim friends, confronted and ganged up on the victim. They had masks tied over their faces, attacked and stabbed the Hindu student with a knife. The victim was rushed to Maninagar Hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries the following day. The victim’s family stated that the school administration was negligent, as no staff came to assist them, nor was an ambulance called for the child. The family stated that when they reached the school, they found that the child was left bleeding on the ground, after which they transported the unconscious boy to the hospital in an auto-rickshaw. Initial investigation revealed that the accused had a history of complaints lodged against them with the school administration. Some classmates of the deceased student reported that the accused used to threaten other students with knives and had previously choked and strangled them. The victim’s parents had filed a complaint with the school two months prior, but no action was taken. A Hindu woman, Poonam, whose two daughters also attended the school, stated that such incidents had been occurring for the past two years. Muslim students had been bringing knives and mobile phones to school, and girls were being harassed. Despite complaints, no action was taken by the administration. Furthermore, several parents of Hindu students reported that Muslim students brought non-vegetarian food to school and offered it to Hindu students while falsely claiming it was paneer. The victim's grandfather also revealed that the Hindu boy had been fed mutton by Muslim students in a similar manner, even though he was a strict vegetarian. These incidents were reported to the school administration, but no action was taken. On 20 August, when the parents of the students, members from the Sindhi community, along with the Hindu organisations, gathered outside the school, large-scale protests broke out. The situation deteriorated soon as the crowd became aggressive, leading to vandalism on the premises and scuffles with the school staff. Heavy police forces were deployed to control the situation. The police investigation revealed a chat between the Muslim accused and his friend, in which the boy confessed to the crime and showed no remorse for committing the heinous crime. "Whatever happened has happened now," said the accused when confronted by his friend. As of the date of writing this report, the primary accused had been arrested by the police, and another accused was detained. Police obtained CCTV footage from the campus, and the investigation was ongoing. The District Education Officer also issued a notice to the school for failing to report the matter.

Why it is Hate Crime ?

This case has been added to the tracker under the primary category of - Attack resulting in death. Within it, the sub-category selected is - Attacked for Hindu identity. In several cases, Hindus are attacked merely for their Hindu identity without any perceived provocation. A classic example of this category of religiously motivated hate crime is a murder in 2016. 7 ISIS terrorists were convicted for shooting a school principal in Kanpur because they got ‘triggered’ seeing the Kalava on his wrist and tilak that he had put. In this, the Hindu victim had offered no provocation except for his Hindu religious identity. The motivation for the murder was purely religious, driven by religious supremacy. Such cases where Hindus are targeted merely for their religious identity would be documented as a hate crime. Under this category, cases where the attack led to the death of the Hindu victim/s would be documented. Here, a minor Hindu boy was stabbed to death by a group of Muslim students following a minor scuffle. At first glance, the attack may appear to stem from a personal dispute, but the broader context and repeated patterns of harassment against Hindu students in the school reveal that the violence was rooted in religious hostility. The grandfather of the deceased Hindu student and several parents of other Hindu students unanimously confirmed that the Muslim students repeatedly harassed the Hindu girls studying in the school. They used to threaten and intimidate the Hindu students using knives. They even choked the Hindu students. Further evidence of religious hatred was seen in the actions of the Muslim students who deliberately offered non-vegetarian food to Hindu students, including the victim, while claiming it to be paneer. For many Hindus, abstaining from meat is an integral part of devotion and spiritual observance. Violating this discipline is not merely a breach of etiquette but an assault on the cultural and spiritual identity of Hindus. Such deliberate defilement of a Hindu religious practice is not a neutral or isolated act, but it reflects conscious contempt for Hindu beliefs and demonstrates the underlying religious hostility that the Muslim students harboured against the Hindu students. Thus, when there was a minor scuffle between the Hindu victim and a Muslim student, the Muslim students considered it a challenge to their authority. They wore masks, ganged up on the victim, and stabbed him with a knife, showing premeditation and deliberate intent. The intention was to silence the Hindu victim and make a statement that nobody should stand up against them, else they would face the same fate. Therefore, the underlying religious hostility that was present among the Muslim students resulted in violent retaliation that led to the death of the minor Hindu boy. Such violent actions cannot be dismissed merely as impulsive aggression or crimes of passion; it was premeditated and rooted in religious animosity towards Hindus. In this case, the animosity was directed at the victim’s Hindu identity, making the attack a religiously motivated hate crime. This pattern has been seen time and again, where the Muslim community resorts to disproportionate violence over minor inconveniences or issues, especially against Hindus. This disproportionate reaction is often rooted in a mindset of Islamic supremacy, wherein Muslims view Hindus as socially and religiously inferior. This supremacist attitude fosters disdain and aggression, especially when a Hindu does not submit or ‘yield’ in a dispute. The belief that Hindus lack equal standing leads to violent enforcement of dominance, often under the pretence of minor disagreements. Even in this case, there was only a minor scuffle, and despite the Hindu boy apologising for the conflict, the Muslim students escalated the situation to a premeditated attack, indicating that the victim’s Hindu identity played a decisive role. This was therefore not a random act of school violence but a religiously motivated hate crime, warranting its inclusion in the Hinduphobia Tracker. Disclaimer: For the purpose of this entry, the victim count has been recorded as 1, referring specifically to the deceased Hindu student who was stabbed and later succumbed to his injuries. While several other Hindu students at the school reported facing harassment, intimidation, and religiously motivated targeting in the past, these incidents are treated as part of the broader context of hostility rather than as direct victims in this particular case. Hence, only the murdered Hindu boy is counted as the victim in this entry. Further, the perpetrator count has been recorded as 2, referring to the primary accused who carried out the stabbing and one other accomplice who was detained. Although reports indicate that 8 to 10 Muslim students were involved in surrounding and attacking the victim, only two have been officially identified and taken into custody at the time of documenting this incident. Therefore, to maintain accuracy and consistency, the count reflects those directly named or detained, rather than the larger group mentioned in witness accounts. Should more names be revealed or further arrests be made, the perpetrator count will be updated accordingly.