Hindu family forced to flee home as Muslim mob attacks temple and shops amid Murshidabad anti-Hindu violence
Murshidabad, West Bengal, India 
11 April, 2025
Case Summary
Amidst the anti-Hindu violence unleashed by Muslim mobs in Murshidabad under the pretext of opposing the Waqf Amendment Act, Dipen Mondal, a Hindu man, one of the victims, recounted the harrowing experience of the targeted assaults against the Hindu community. He narrated how he and his family had to flee his village and settle in Malda’s Par Lalpur for 7-9 days. “This is happening to your own people in West Bengal, who are forced to go from one place to another. Others could come. But she (Mamata) did not get time?” the Hindu man asked. He informed that the police chased them away from Malda and sent them back to Murshidabad. He said, “They forcibly sent us back…Police told us that they will file cases. They told us to go away. They told us we cannot keep you here. They gave many excuses to remove us from that place.” He also highlighted how Muslims broke into a temple and attempted to break into a nearby shop. He also highlighted the complicity of the TMC councillor in the violence perpetrated by the Muslim mob. He said, “The councillor was present. If he wanted, he could have stopped the carnage.” He added, “Amirul (TMC MLA from Samserganj) had come. He knew everything. After he came, there was an attack from this side. Those who were there with him also took part in the vandalism and loot. If the councillor did not know, how did the villagers come here and carry out destruction? There is Mehboob Alam. How are people from his village coming and attacking our village? If he had told them no, they wouldn’t have come.” On 11th April, 2025, Murshidabad district in West Bengal, which has a significant Muslim population, witnessed widespread violence, vandalism, arson, and targeted assaults against the Hindu community, all under the pretext of protests against the newly enacted Waqf Amendment Act. Following the conclusion of Jumma Namaz, mobs went on a rampage in the Suti and Samserganj areas, disrupting train services, damaging public infrastructure, and bringing normal life to a standstill. The office of the Block Development Officer (BDO) was vandalised with stones and sticks, creating an atmosphere of chaos and fear. However, what stands out is the deliberate and systematic targeting of the Hindu community under the guise of these protests. Local reports also suggested that Hindu temples were attacked and idols desecrated. Hundreds of Hindus have been compelled to flee their homes in West Bengal’s Murshidabad district in the wake of an Islamic onslaught carried out under the pretext of protests against the Waqf (Amendment) Bill 2025, an outbreak of violence that has already claimed multiple lives.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
This case has been added to the tracker un the primary category of - Attack not resulting in death. The sub-category selected here 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 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 categorized under this sub-category. Such crimes are religiously motivated and therefore are hate crimes. 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 other primary category selected is- Attack on Hindu religious representations. The sub-category selected here is - Attack on Temples. In Hinduism, a temple is the abode of the Deity. The Deity in the Temple is consecrated, thereby, making it a real, breathing entity. Hindus believe that not just the Deity but the temple premises itself are sacred to Hindus since Hindus hold the faith that the entire Temple space is an amalgamation of the divine energy of the deity. Given the central significance of Temples in Hindu Dharma, any attack against a Hindu Temple or its peripheral premises is an attack on the faith itself and is born out of animosity towards the faith, of which, the Temple is a central tenet. Any manner of attack against a Temple and/or its premises would therefore be considered a religiously motivated hate crime. This case qualifies as a religiously motivated hate crime against Hindus because the victim and his family were attacked and forced to flee only because they were Hindus. The family was forced to leave their home and take refuge elsewhere (in Malda). It was a deliberate attempt to push Hindus out of their native locality and inflict a demographic change. The presence and involvement of local political leaders during or just before the attack, along with the coordination of mobs from neighbouring Muslim villages, indicate planned communal violence rather than a spontaneous clash. The timing of the attack and the destruction of Hindu homes and shops alone point to premeditated targeting based on religion. The attackers broke into a Hindu temple, an act of profound religious violation. Vandalising a temple is a direct attack on Sanatan Dharma itself, not just on individuals. All elements of this case firmly establish it as a hate crime against Hindus. Disclaimer: This case is one among several incidents reported during the Murshidabad anti-Hindu violence. The broader context and detailed documentation of the Murshidabad violence compiled by Hinduphobia Tracker is provided here as a reference.
Case Status
Unknown
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Muslim Extremists
Perpetrators Range
Unknown
Perpetrators Gender
male
Sources 
