Hindu homes selectively marked with black ink to be bombed and set ablaze amidst anti-Hindu violence in Murshidabad

Case ID : ea348c4 | Location : Murshidabad, West Bengal, India | Date of Incident : Thu, 10 April, 2025
Case ID : ea348c4
location Murshidabad, West Bengal, India
date 10 April, 2025
Hindu homes selectively marked with black ink to be bombed and set ablaze amidst anti-Hindu violence in Murshidabad
Attack not resulting in death
Attacked to induce migration from non-Hindu dominated area
Attacked for Hindu identity
Communal clash/attack

Case Summary

An on-ground report published on April 17, 2025, by NMF News revealed that Muslim mobs deliberately marked Hindu homes with black ink in advance, with the intent to carry out targeted bombings and arson during the recent anti-Hindu violence in West Bengal's Murshidabad district. The incident, which unfolded over several days, reflects a premeditated strategy aimed specifically at the Hindu community. With journalist Pankaj Prasoon leading the coverage, it was revealed that every Hindu house in the affected area had been marked, and these specific homes were the ones later attacked with bombs and set ablaze by violent Muslim mobs. Speaking to local residents, Prasoon confirmed that Hindu lanes were infiltrated by Muslim rioters who relied on the pre-applied black ink marks to identify their targets. These markings acted as guides for coordinated violence, ensuring that the mob’s actions were not random but systematically directed at Hindus. This comes in the backdrop of large-scale riots, arson, destruction and targeting of Hindus in Murshidabad district, particularly in the Suti and Samserganj areas, following Jumma Namaz on April 11, 2025, all under the pretext of protests against the newly enacted Waqf Amendment Act. Muslim mobs went on a rampage, damaging railway lines, attacking the Block Development Office with stones and sticks, and bringing public life to a halt. While public infrastructure suffered, it was the targeted nature of attacks against Hindus that stood out — temples were desecrated, idols vandalised, and Hindu households and businesses deliberately destroyed. As the Islamic mob violence intensified, hundreds of Hindus were forced to flee their homes, seeking safety from the relentless assault. With three lives already lost, the episode stands as yet another instance of orchestrated communal aggression masked as political protest.

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. The other sub-category selected is- Communal clash/ attack. Communal clash is a form of collective violence that involves clashes between groups belonging to different religious identities. For a communal clash between Hindus and non-Hindus to qualify as a religiously motivated hate crime, the trigger of the violence itself would have to be anti-Hindu in essence. For example, if there is a Hindu religious procession that comes under attack from a non-Hindu mob and after the initial attack, Hindus retaliate in self-defence, leading to a communal clash between the two religious communities. While at a later stage, both communities are involved in the clash/violence, the initial trigger of the violence was by the non-Hindu mob against the Hindus and therefore, it could safely be termed as an anti-Hindu violence. Further, the trigger would also have to be religiously motivated. In the cited example, the attack by the non-Hindu mob was against religious processions and therefore, can be concluded to be religiously motivated. In some cases, the trigger may be non-religious, however, it develops into religious violence against Hindus at a later stage. In such cases too, the foundational animosity towards Hindus becomes the motivating factor of the crime and therefore, it would be classified as a religiously motivated hate crime against Hindus under this category. The third sub-category relevant here is- Attacked to induce migration from non-Hindu dominated area. There have been cases where the Hindus living in an area, often with a majority dwelling belonging to non-Hindus or those harbouring animosity towards the Hindu faith, the Hindu residents experience threats and violence. The violence is employed with the aim of making the Hindus leave the area and relocate, so the area could be turned into an exclusive ghetto for adherents of the non-Hindu faith or those who harbor animosity towards the Hindu faith. In several cases, the aim of exodus is explicit. However, in several cases, the demand for exodus of Hindu residents is not explicit, however, violence by non-Hindu residents leaves the Hindu residents no option but to leave the area, thereby, turning the area into an exclusive ghetto of non-Hindu residents. In such cases, there are instances violence against the Hindu residents explicitly. For example, in the Hauz Qazi case of 2019, the Muslim residents claimed that mob violence against the Hindu residents had been triggered by a parking dispute. However, the violence did turn religious with a temple being desecrated and was directed specifically against the Hindu residents. The Hindu residents of the area were clear that the violence was religiously motivated and one of the motives was to affect an exodus of the Hindu residents. In such cases, even though the perpetrators have not explicitly expressed the aim of affecting exodus, the given circumstances and violence and precedent point to the intention of exodus and therefore would be categorised under this sub-category. Such crimes are religiously motivated and therefore, are hate crimes. The deliberate marking of Hindu homes with black ink in Murshidabad, followed by targeted bombings and arson, constitutes a clear case of religiously motivated hate crime against the Hindu community. This act reflects premeditated communal intent, where violence was not incidental or reactive, but strategically executed based on the religious identity of the victims. The black markings served as visual indicators to distinguish Hindu homes for destruction, mirroring tactics historically used in ethnic cleansing campaigns. Such targeted aggression, aimed specifically at Hindus, reinforces feelings of religious persecution and insecurity among the community, particularly in areas where they are already a demographic minority. This incident must also be viewed within the broader context of ongoing anti-Hindu violence in Murshidabad, which has witnessed repeated outbreaks of communal unrest. The systemic nature of these attacks, planned, coordinated, and directed exclusively at Hindus, underscores a pattern of hatred and discrimination that goes beyond sporadic mob violence. It represents an assault on the very fabric of Hindu identity, safety, and dignity in the region. For these reasons, this case warrants urgent documentation and inclusion in the Hinduphobia Tracker.

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Case Status


Unknown

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Perpetrators Details

Perpetrators


Muslim Extremists

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Unknown

Perpetrators Gender


unknown

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