Bangladesh: Muslim mob sets Hindu homes on fire after death of local politician, lawlessness continues under the watch of Muhammad Yunus
On Thursday (22nd May), a Muslim mob carried out arson attacks on Hindu homes in Dahar Mashihati village in Abhaynagar upazila in Jessore district of Bangladesh.
The development was confirmed in a report (archive) published by Bangladeshi daily Prothom Alo.
The incident occured soon after the killing of a 50-year-old Krishak Dal leader Tariqul Islam over the ownership dispute of a fish enclosure. Islam was shot and hacked to death.
Thereafter, a mob of Muslim extremists set fire to more than 20 Hindu homes in the Dahar Mashihati village. They vandalised 4 shops and set 2 others on fire. More than 10 people were injured in the targeted attacks.
It has come to light that Tariqul Islam had an ongoing dispute with one Piltu Biswas over a parcel of land, the lease of which had expired. Both Islam and Biswas wanted the piece of land. The Krishak Dal leader wanted to farm fish and build an enclosure.
Following the murder of Tariqul Islam, Muslim mob ambushed Hindu homes in the village and set their houses and shops on fire. Visuals of destroyed homes belonging the persecuted minority community have now surfaced on social media.
When a journalist from Prothom Alo went to the Dahar Mashihati village, he found that all Hindu homes and their belongings were turned to ashes. The journalist reported the destruction of 6 vehicles (one van, 5 bikes) in the arson attack.
He added that all male members of the houses had fled the area fearing their safety. Some Hindu women had remained behind. Most of the victims belonged to the Matua community.
One victim told Prothom Alo that a mob of 4-5 extremists first attacked their house. The attackers were then joined by over 150 people. The victim informed that the mob vandalised their houses, looted all belongings and set them ablaze.
A 25-year-old Hindu youth named Sagar Biswas was also abducted by Muslim extremists. The police, army officers and fire service personnel came only after two hours of the carnage.
A Hindu woman named Panna Biswas stated, “There was a TV, fridge, gold coins, passport, prescriptions for medicines, 1.5 lakh Tk cash in the house. Now there is nothing left in the house.”
Another victim named Smriti Biswas informed, “First, the mob broke into the house and then looted gold and money. Then, they thrashed me mercilessly and kicked me to the ground.”
In the meantime, the Hindu youth Sagar Biswas was rescued. A large team of police and army personnel were deployed to bring the law and order under control.
Attack on Hindus in Bangladesh since the ouster of Sheikh Hasina
OpIndia has been vetting and reporting cases of atrocities on Hindus since the ouster of Sheikh Hasina on 5th August 2024.
There have been at least 205 attacks on Hindu temples, shops and businesses within 3 days of the fall of Dhaka.
We previously exposed how Muslim students have forced as many as 60 Hindu teachers, professors and government officials to resign from their positions.
Human rights activist and exiled Bangladeshi blogger, Asad Noor, has recently revealed that the minority community is now being coerced into joining ‘Jamaat-e-Islami’.
On 6th September, a procession of Hindu devotees carrying the idol of Lord Ganesha came under attack in the Kadam Mubarak area in Chittagong city of Bangladesh.
Ahead of the Durga Puja celebrations, a radical Muslim man named Yasin Mia vandalised the idols of Goddess Durga and other Hindu deities in Gouripur town in the Mymensingh district of Bangladesh on 25th September.
In the latest series of attacks, idols of Goddess Durga and other Hindu deities were vandalised at the Rishipara Barwari Puja Mandap and the Manikadi Palpara Barwari Pujamandap on 28th September and 1st October respectively.
The attacks were carried out in Sujanagar upazila in Pabna district in Rajshahi Division of Bangladesh. While a total of 4 idols were defaced at the Rishipara Barwari Puja Mandap, another 5 Hindu idols were destroyed at the Manikadi Palpara Barwari Pujamandap.
On 3rd October, 7 idols of Hindu deities were destroyed at the Gopinath Jiur Akhara Durga Puja mandap in Kishoreganj, Dhaka Division, Bangladesh.
On 5th November, the Hindu community came under attack from police and law enforcement authorities in Hazari Goli in Chittagong city of Bangladesh.
On 29th November, a violent Muslim mob attacked Hindu minorities and vandalised 3 temples in Patharghata in Chittagong district of Bangladesh.
The Hindu religious sites that the Muslims targeted included the Shantaneshwari Matri Temple, the Shoni Temple, and Shantaneshwari Kalibari Temple. The attack took place immediately after the conclusion of Jumma Namaz.
On 30th November, a prominent Hindu journalist named Munni Saha was arrested by the police from Karwan Bazar in Dhaka city of Bangladesh.
A group of extremists attacked the Mahashmashan Kali Mata Mandir, vandalised 7 idols of deities and stole gold ornaments on 13th December 2024.
On 19th December, a Muslim man identified as Alal Uddin vandalised an idol at the Polashkanda Kali Temple and then attempted to create a fake alibi. The incident occurred in Haluaghat upazila in the Mymensingh district of Bangladesh.
Another 37-year-old Muslim man identified as Azharul vandalised several idols of deities in Haluaghat Upazila in the Mymensingh district of Bangladesh.
The recent arrest of Chinmoy Krishna Das Prabhu and his aides, attempts at banning Hindu organisation ISKCON and stiffling Hindu protests with cases of ‘sedition’ highlight systematic persecution under the interim government of Muhammad Yunus.
There have been multiple instances of attacks on Hindus under the pretext of ‘blasphemy.’ The recent cases of Hridoy Pal, Utsab Mandal, Partha Biswas Pintu, Akash Das, Pranta Talukder and Utsab Kumar Gian are shining examples of targeted persecution.
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