Hindu cricketer humiliated and targeted with racial slurs by Muslim crowd in Bangladesh

Case Summary
Litton Das, the only Hindu cricketer in the Bangladesh national cricket team, was humiliated and targeted with derogatory remarks such as “Bhua.. Bhua” (meaning ‘Fake’) by a Muslim audience. This was due to his Hindu identity. Typically, Hindu minorities in Bangladesh, including Liton, face harassment from the majority Muslim population, who often refer to them as “Indians” and “Malauns” (an insulting term). Liton Das, who is an accomplished cricketer, experienced this racial and religious targeting during his professional career, highlighting the challenges faced by the Hindu community in a predominantly Muslim country. Despite his achievements, the discriminatory treatment he received reflected the broader issues of Hindu minority harassment in Bangladesh.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
This case has been added to the tracker under two prime categories. The first category selected here is- Attack not resulting in death. Under this, the sub-category selected is- Attacked for Hind 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 category selected here is- Hate speech against Hindus and within this, the sub-category chosen is- Anti-Hindu slurs, mocking faith. Anti-Hindu slurs and the deliberate mocking of the Hindu faith owing to religious animosity involve the usage of derogatory terms, stereotypes, or offensive references to religious practices, symbols, or figures. One of the common anti-Hindu slurs used against Hindus is “cow-worshipper” and “cow piss drinker”. The intention of using this term is to demean and mock Hindus as a group and their religious beliefs since Hindus consider the cow holy. Additionally, some symbols and the slurs attached to them have a historical context that exacerbates the insult, hate, stereotyping, dehumanisation and oppression against Hindus. Cow worship has been used for centuries to denigrate Hindus, insult their faith and oppress Hindus specifically as a religious group. There has been overwhelming documentation about how cow slaughter has been used to persecute Hindus with cow meat being thrown in temples and places of worship. There has also been overwhelming documentation where cow meat (beef) has been force-fed to Hindus to either forcefully convert them to Islam or denigrate their faith. Apart from cow worship, the Swastika – which holds deep religious significance for the Hindus – has also been misinterpreted and distorted to use as a slur against Hindus. Similarly, the worship of the Shivling has been used by supremacist ideologies and religions to denigrate Hindus owing to religious animosity. Such slurs and denigration stem out of inherent animosity and hate towards Hindus and their faith, therefore, it is categorised as hate speech targeted at Hindus specifically owing to their religious identity. The removal of Sheikh Hasina from power in 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. Following a pattern of attacks on Hindu individuals and religious institutions, ISKCON members have increasingly become targets of aggression in the Muslim-majority nation. These incidents are marked by physical assaults, intimidation, and systemic neglect by authorities, leaving victims without recourse to justice. Amid this, reports emerged that Bangladesh’s accomplished wicketkeeper-batsman, Litton Das, faced harassment from the Muslim crowd present during a match in the 2025 Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) in Chittagong. It is important to emphasise that the attack on the Hindu cricketer was entirely unprovoked, with his religious identity being the sole trigger for it. Moreover, such attacks can be perceived as a larger attack on the entire Hindu community, as the purpose is clearly to send a broader message of hostility towards the community. It is a tactic to intimidate the community; instil fear and disrupt the cohesion and morale of the community. Such attacks are a form of symbolic aggression against the Hindu community that stems from an innate hatred for Hinduism.
Victim Details
Total Victim
1
Deceased
0
Gender
- Male 1
- Female 0
- Third Gender 0
- Unknown 0
Caste
- SC/ST 0
- OBC 0
- General 1
- Unknown 0
Age Group
- Minor 0
- Adult 1
- Senior Citizen 0
- Unknown 0

Case Status
Unknown

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