Hindu victims of the Murshidabad violence falsely arrested under non-bailable offences, Muslim perpetrators go unpunished
Kolkata, West Bengal, India 
12 May, 2025
Case Summary
Amidst the anti-Hindu violence that Muslims unleashed in Murshidabad under the guise of protests against the Waqf Amendment Act, the Bengal police have started falsely arresting innocent Hindus and blaming them for the violence. Suvendu Adhikari, the Leader of Opposition in the West Bengal Assembly, stated that the Mamata Banerjee-led government was registering false cases against innocent Hindu youths and arresting them under non-bailable offences. He further added that the "real culprits" were roaming freely without fear of consequence. He cited a specific incident in Ward 10 of Thakurpara, where three Hindu men, Chiranjib Ghosh, Ashish Talapatra, and Gora Ghosh, were falsely arrested. Only Gora Ghosh was released, while the other two continued to suffer in custody without much legal recourse. Similarly, Adhikari also highlighted how the police protection was withdrawn from the Bharat Sevashram Sangh Ashram in Beldanga, in retaliation for Kartik Maharaj’s criticism of the state’s handling of the riots and exposure of attacks on Hindus by jihadist elements. Adhikari pointed to the pattern of selective police action in the violence-hit areas of Dhulian, Suti, and Shamsherganj, where Hindu men were being picked up from their homes and detained for hours or even days without due process. He noted that the police, who were conspicuously absent during the peak of the violence, suddenly became active only afterwards, filing cases against Hindus while allowing the real perpetrators to walk free. He also questioned the logic of accusing Hindus of orchestrating large-scale violence in areas where they form only 18 to 20 per cent of the population. 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 were 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 also claimed three lives.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
This case has been added to the tracker under the primary category of: - Attack not 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 the 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. This case has been added to the tracker because, as stated by Suvendu Adhikari, the Bengal police falsely arrested Hindus and blamed them for the violence that took place in Murshidabad on 11th April, 2025, following the conclusion of Jumma Namaz. This is particularly concerning since the primary victims of the Murshidabad violence were Hindus, who were murdered, raped, and forced to flee their homes due to large scale attacks being carried out by Muslim mobs. The initial trigger for the violence was the Waqf Amendment Act, which had no connection to the Hindus whatsoever, yet the Hindus were still blamed and arrested for the same by the West Bengal police working at the behest of CM Mamata Banerjee. This portrays the level of bias and animosity that the Mamata-led government have towards the Hindu community. Furthermore, police protection was also withdrawn from the Bharat Sevashram Sangh Ashram in Beldanga, as a retaliation for Kartik Maharaj’s criticism of the state’s handling of the riots and attacks on Hindus by jihadist elements. This action not only violates the constitutional right to free speech but also endangers the lives of Hindu devotees. This withdrawal of police further proves that the Mamata Banerjee government is willing to silence or endanger the Hindu lives, just to protect the Muslim community. These decisions of the Mamata-led government are a clear infringement on the constitutional rights to freedom of assembly and expression, which are fundamental in India. These moves can also be seen as politically and religiously biased, given the West Bengal government's history of opposing organisations associated with the Hindu nationalist movement. From Hindus being arrested for chanting Jai Shri Ram slogans, to denying permissions for Hindu religious processions to her stoic silence whenever Hindus get attacked by Islamists in the state, there are several evidences to show that the Mamata Government in West Bengal has, in the past, passed umpteen prejudicial orders to clamp down on the religious rights of Hindus and show her affinity towards the Muslims in the state.
Case Status
Unknown
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
State and Establishment
Perpetrators Range
N/A
Perpetrators Gender
unknown
Sources 
