Shops and properties belonging to the Hindu community come under attack in Muslim-dominated district of West Bengal
Murshidabad, West Bengal, India 
8 March, 2025
Case Summary
Shops and properties owned by the Hindu community were attacked at Patikabari Bazar in the Nawda block of West Bengal’s Murshidabad district. BJP MLA Suvendu Adhikari took to X (formerly Twitter) to report the incident, stating, “A couple of hours ago, miscreants vandalised and set on fire shops and properties belonging to Hindus at Patikabari Bazar in Nawda Block of Murshidabad District.” Adhikari urged the immediate intervention of the West Bengal police and the State’s Chief Secretary, calling for the deployment of security forces to restore law and order. He also sought the intervention of the Border Security Force (BSF) if the situation escalated further. “If you are unable to control the situation, kindly request the Hon’ble Bengal Governor to deploy BSF personnel so that law and order are restored, and normalcy is re-established at the earliest,” he stressed. BJP spokesperson Amit Malviya also shared footage of the attack, attributing the violence to supporters of Mamata Banerjee. He criticised the deteriorating law and order situation in West Bengal, drawing parallels to the unrest in Bangladesh. “Just a few hours ago, Mamata Banerjee’s extremist supporters vandalised and set fire to Hindu-owned shops and properties at Patikabari Bazar in Nawda Block, Murshidabad District,” Malviya stated on social media. He further remarked, “If Bengal’s Home Minister, Mamata Banerjee, is incapable of handling the situation, she must request Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to immediately requisition central forces to restore order.”
Why it is Hate Crime ?
This case has been added to the tracker under the prime category of- Attack not resulting in death and within this, 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 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 targeted attack on Hindu-owned shops and properties at Patikabari Bazar in West Bengal’s Murshidabad district is a clear instance of violence directed at Hindus due to their religious identity. The deliberate vandalism and arson of businesses solely based on their Hindu ownership indicate a premeditated assault aimed at instilling fear and insecurity within the Hindu community. The assailants did not merely engage in random acts of destruction; their actions were driven by an intention to harm Hindu economic and social stability. This aligns with a broader pattern of Hinduphobic aggression witnessed in the region, where Hindus are frequently subjected to violence, intimidation, and displacement. Since such violent targeting of Hindu-owned shops and properties stems from deep-seated religious animosity towards Hindus, this case has been categorised as a hate crime and included in the tracker.
Case Status
Unknown
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Muslim Extremists
Perpetrators Range
Unknown
Perpetrators Gender
unknown
Sources 
