Hindu sculptor and his son killed in their home by Muslim men amid large scale anti-Hindu violence in Murshidabad
Murshidabad, West Bengal, India 
11 April, 2025
Case Summary
Amidst the wave of anti-Hindu violence unleashed by Muslim mobs in Murshidabad under the pretext of protesting the newly enacted Waqf Amendment Act, a Hindu man and his son were brutally beaten and then stabbed to death. The victims were identified as Hargovind Das and his son Chandan Das, both of whom were traditional sculptors who created idols of Hindu deities. Another person sustained a gunshot injury during the incident. The bodies of the father and son were found inside their home with multiple stab wounds. The attack not only resulted in their deaths but was also accompanied by looting, leaving the house ransacked. The family members recounted the horror of the event, stating that the assailants entered their home, plundered their belongings, and then carried out the fatal assault with knives.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
This case has been added to the tracker under the prime category- Attack not resulting in death. The sub-category relevant in this case 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. This incident is classified as a hate crime because the victims were targeted for their Hindu identity without any act of provocation or conflict. Both Hargovind Das and Chandan Das were known for making idols of Hindu deities, which strongly reflected their religious identity. The brutality of the attack, including looting and stabbing within their own home, points to the deliberate targeting of individuals based on their faith rather than any situational or personal dispute. The religious motivation behind such acts, particularly when combined with acts of public violence and communal unrest, places the case firmly within the scope of hate crime. This case reflects a pattern of violence motivated by religious intolerance. The father and son posed no threat or provocation; their presence as Hindu artisans in a communally charged atmosphere became the basis of the assault.
Victim Details
Total Victim
2
Deceased
2
Gender
- Male 2
- Female 0
- Third Gender 0
- Unknown 0
Caste
- SC/ST 0
- OBC 0
- General 2
- Unknown 0
Age Group
- Minor 0
- Adult 2
- Senior Citizen 0
- Unknown 0
Case Status
Case sub-judice
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Muslim Extremists
Perpetrators Range
Unknown
Perpetrators Gender
male
Sources 
