Hindu teacher beaten and threatened for organising Saraswati Puja in school

Case Summary
A Hindu teacher in a primary school under Haringhata block, Nadia district, was attacked by Muslims for wanting to organise Saraswati Puja. When local Muslim residents heard about his plan, they became angry and confronted him at the school. They physically assaulted the school's executive headmaster and threatened to expel the teacher. They also warned that Saraswati Puja would not be allowed in the school and used abusive language. The incident took place at Daspol Danga Primary School. The teacher was beaten inside the school premises. He was also threatened with legal action. As the attack continued, the teacher’s cries for help attracted nearby people, but the attackers did not stop. In front of the gathered crowd, they continued shouting that no Hindu religious event would be permitted at the school. A video of the incident surfaced on social media, showing a man physically attacking the teacher and shouting that worship would not be allowed. He was also heard making threats.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
The case has been added under one category of the Hinduphobia tracker, which is- Attack not resulting in death. Under this, the first sub-category selected is- Attack 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 second sub-category selected is- Attack against Hindu devotees. Hindu devotees are a few of the easiest targets of religiously motivated hate crimes because during the festival/procession/puja etc, for non-Hindus it is easy to profile their victims on the basis of religion. Hindu devotees come under attack on several occasions by individual non-Hindus or mobs of non-Hindus owing to their animosity against Hinduism, its symbols and tradition/practices. There are several instances of Hindu devotees being attacked while they worship in temples or temporary religious structures, during religious processions, doing bhajan/kirtan/puja in their own homes, in the residential society etc. These attacks are perpetrated by non-Hindus primarily because of their animosity towards Hindus and their faith. In some cases, the trigger for the violence may be non-religious, however, there are two elements that make these hate crimes. First, the Hindus who come under attack are attacked violently while indulging in religious activity. Whether they are in a place of worship or not is immaterial to the crime. When individuals are attacked while indulging in religious practices, the attack in itself is a hindrance to their freedom to practice religion and therefore constitutes a hate crime. Secondly, religious supremacist doctrines and ideologies deem religious practices of Hindus to be offensive ab initio since they are considered “sinful” by these ideologies, worthy to be annihilated by force or coercion. Driven by these religious supremacist ideologies and doctrines, the attacks against Hindu devotees stem from intrinsic animosity towards Hinduism. In some cases, the trigger for the violence may be non-religious, however, it develops into a religiously motivated crime during the course of the violence. Since these attacks stem from animosity towards Hindus and Hinduism, they are considered religiously motivated hate crimes under this category. In this instance, the Hindu teacher was targeted solely because he wished to organise Saraswati Puja, a revered Hindu festival, within the school premises. The violent reaction from local Muslim residents—who not only opposed the celebration but also physically assaulted him and the headmaster—demonstrates blatant religious intolerance. The aggression displayed by the Muslims was not just an attack on an individual but an attempt to suppress Hindu religious expression in a public institution, thereby demonstrating a clear bias against Hindus and their faith. This incident is not an isolated act of violence but part of a broader pattern of anti-Hindu hate crimes where Hindus are prevented from practising their faith openly. The attack on the teacher for simply wanting to celebrate a Hindu festival reflects an underlying religious animosity and an effort to establish dominance by suppressing Hindu traditions. Such targeted violence, aimed at silencing Hindu religious expression through fear and force, qualifies this incident as a hate crime motivated by religious intolerance against Hindus.
Victim Details
Total Victim
2
Deceased
0
Gender
- Male 2
- Female 0
- Third Gender 0
- Unknown 0
Caste
- SC/ST 0
- OBC 0
- General 0
- Unknown 2
Age Group
- Minor 0
- Adult 2
- Senior Citizen 0
- Unknown 0

Case Status
Unknown

Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Muslim Extremists
Perpetrators Range
From 10 to 100
Perpetrators Gender
male