Hindu minority organisation office bearers attacked, houses looted and vandalised amid ethnic persecution of Hindus in Bangladesh

Case ID : 0b67780 | Location : Bangladesh | Date of Incident : Sun, 4 August, 2024

Case ID : 0b67780

Bangladesh

4 August, 2024

Hindu minority organisation office bearers attacked, houses looted and vandalised amid ethnic persecution of Hindus in Bangladesh

Attack not resulting in death

Attacked for Hindu identity

Case Summary

On August 5th, Bangladesh plunged into chaos after a successful coup ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, forcing her to flee the country as an enraged mob approached her residence. In the wake of the coup, Islamists exploited the unrest to launch violent attacks on the Hindu community, leading to numerous deaths, rapes, and the destruction of Hindu homes, shops, and temples, many of which were set on fire. In Jashore, three houses in Dhopaidi Palpara village of Abhayanagar were burnt. 22 shops including the warehouse of Babul Saha vandalised and looted in Narikel Bariya of Bagharpara, minority homes were attacked in Keshabpur, Bechpara and Barmanpara. In Satkhaira, minority shops were looted in Kolaroa, the house of Biswajit Sadhu, president of the District Unity Council was attacked, looted and burnt and the house of Dr Subrata Ghosh, central assistant organizational secretary of the Unity Council, was attacked and burnt.

Why it is Hate Crime ?

This case has been added to the tracker under the prime category of- Attack not resulting in death. Under 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 removal of Sheikh Hasina from power in Muslim-majority Bangladesh on August 5, 2024, escalated the persecution and marginalisation of the Hindu minority in the predominantly Islamic nation, intensifying what can be described as a silent genocide. Since her ouster, Islamists have carried out unchecked atrocities against Hindus, including physical violence, the destruction of temples and religious symbols, and the systematic displacement of Hindus from their ancestral lands. Over 205 attacks on Hindu temples, shops, and businesses have been recorded following Sheikh Hasina's removal as Prime Minister. Many Hindus have been brutally murdered or injured in these assaults. Amidst the chaos, in Jashore, entire villages like Dhopaidi Palpara faced arson attacks, while minority homes in areas such as Keshabpur, Bechpara, and Barmanpara were assaulted. A staggering 22 shops, including Babul Saha’s warehouse in Narikel Bariya, were systematically vandalized and looted, leaving livelihoods in shambles. In Satkhira, the violence was similarly ruthless. Islamists ravaged shops of Hindus in Kolaroa, while prominent Hindu leaders became primary targets. The house of Biswajit Sadhu, District Unity Council president, was attacked, looted, and burned. Dr Subrata Ghosh, a central assistant organizational secretary of the Unity Council, endured the devastation of his home being attacked and set ablaze. Disclaimer: The details of this case reveal that many Hindus were persecuted. However, since it is explicitly mentioned that the houses and shops of three Hindus were attacked and burnt, we have conservatively recorded the victim count as 3 in the database for accuracy and consistency.