Hindu wedding targeted by Muslim gang demanding extortion money, guests beaten and robbed, Hindu homes attacked amid ongoing persecution of Hindus in Bangladesh

Case ID : 30a746f | Location : Chandpur District, Bangladesh | Date of Incident : Wed, 18 March, 2026

Case ID : 30a746f

Chandpur District, Bangladesh

18 March, 2026

Hindu wedding targeted by Muslim gang demanding extortion money, guests beaten and robbed, Hindu homes attacked amid ongoing persecution of Hindus in Bangladesh

Attack not resulting in death

Attacked for Hindu identity

Case Summary

Three Hindu individuals attending a wedding ceremony in Rayerkandi village, Matlab Uttar Upazila, Chandpur district, Bangladesh, were attacked, beaten, and robbed by a Muslim gang led by Mohan, son of Nabir Hossain, who arrived at the Hindu wedding demanding extortion money. The gang beat the groom's father, Babulal Bishwas, and his brother, Trinath Bishwas, snatched gold chains from their necks, vandalised furniture at the wedding venue, and attacked neighbouring homes. All three injured victims received initial treatment at Matlab Uttar Upazila Health Complex before returning home. The wedding ceremony of Sembu Nath, son of Babulal Bishwas, was underway at the home of Jiban Chandra Das in the Nompara area of Rayerkandi village on Thursday night at approximately half past nine when Mohan, aged twenty-five and son of Nabir Hossain from a neighbouring area, arrived at the Hindu wedding venue leading a gang of youths. The gang initially demanded one lakh taka in extortion money from the Hindu wedding party. When the Hindu wedding party did not meet the full demand, the gang reduced it to 30,000 taka. In an attempt to defuse the situation and protect the wedding guests, the groom's side offered three thousand taka to the gang. The gang accepted the three thousand taka but remained unsatisfied and proceeded to attack the Hindu wedding guests regardless. The gang beat the groom's father, Babulal Bishwas, and the groom's brother, Trinath Bishwas. Trinath Bishwas, who had returned from abroad specifically to attend his brother's wedding, stated that the gang attacked him while he was playing carrom at the venue during the ceremony. The gang snatched the gold chain from Trinath Bishwas's neck and also snatched the gold chain from his younger brother's neck. Trinath Bishwas sustained a head injury during the assault. The gang also vandalised tables and chairs at the wedding venue and extended their attack to neighbouring homes in the area. Local residents Raghunath Bishwas and Jibankrishna Sarkar expressed deep fear and alarm at the incident and demanded exemplary punishment for those responsible. Union Parishad member Mohammed Selim Molla stated that he had been attending Tarawih prayers, the nightly congregational prayers observed during the holy month of Ramadan, at the time of the incident and was informed of it afterwards, following which police were contacted and arrived promptly at the scene to bring the situation under control. Matlab Uttar police station Investigation Inspector Pradeep Mondal confirmed that legal action would be taken on the basis of the complaint and stated that strict measures would be taken against those involved in extortion or violence of this nature, and that no one stood above the law. The victims confirmed that preparations were underway to file a formal case. A fresh wave of anti-Hindu violence followed the 13th National Parliamentary Election 2026 in Bangladesh, reinforcing a recurring pattern of post-poll violence targeting Hindu minorities. Within days of the announcement of results, Hindu families in districts such as Noakhali, Rangpur, Nilphamari, Sylhet, Thakurgaon, and Dinajpur reported coordinated attacks involving arson, looting, assault, and vandalism of temples and homes. In several instances, Hindu homes were selectively targeted, looted, and families were threatened with displacement. This escalation of violence against Hindus in Bangladesh unfolded in three distinct phases: first, following the ouster of Sheikh Hasina’s government in August 2024; second, after the death of Sharif Osman Bin Hadi in December 2025; and third, in the immediate aftermath of the 13th National Parliamentary Election 2026. This electoral violence unfolded against the broader backdrop of sustained anti-Hindu hostility that had persisted since the ouster of the Sheikh Hasina government in August 2024. During that period, multiple reports documented attacks on Hindu homes, temples, and religious institutions, alongside intimidation campaigns, arson, and mob assaults targeting minority neighbourhoods. The Hinduphobia tracker has recorded 336 such incidents against the Hindu minority, underscoring the scale and persistence of anti-Hindu violence during this period. A further escalation occurred following the death of Sharif Osman Bin Hadi, a Muslim political activist and student leader known for his anti-Hindu and anti-India rhetoric. Hadi had been involved in political unrest after the fall of the Hasina government and was killed in Dhaka on 18 December 2025 during clashes. In the aftermath of his death, Hindu communities were blamed and subsequently targeted in retaliatory violence. Hindu homes were selectively set ablaze in multiple localities, forcing families to flee and leaving many displaced. The attacks appeared patterned rather than sporadic, with Muslim mobs focusing on Hindu neighbourhoods, properties, and religious symbols. Among the victims was Dipu Chandra Das, who was lynched to death and his body was set ablaze by a Muslim mob over false blasphemy allegations. The Hinduphobia tracker documented several incidents of anti-Hindu violence in the period following Hadi’s death alone. Such incidents underscore the vulnerability of the Hindu minority amid rising communal hostility and the weaponisation of religious accusations. Reports further indicated that posters and written materials calling for the extermination of Hindus were displayed in public spaces, signalling an alarming normalisation of genocidal rhetoric. When combined with acts of arson, vandalism, assault, and targeted intimidation, these developments suggest a coordinated environment of hostility aimed at terrorising the Hindu community and reinforcing majoritarian dominance.

Why it is Hate Crime ?

The primary category for this case is "Attack not resulting in death". The sub-category for this case 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. This incident bears markers of a religiously motivated hate crime as the victims were Hindu individuals targeted during a wedding ceremony, a significant social and cultural gathering within the Hindu community. The attack was not limited to extortion but escalated into physical violence, robbery, and vandalism even after money was handed over, indicating that the intent went beyond financial gain. The targeting of a Hindu wedding, a space where members of the community gather in a vulnerable and celebratory setting, reflects the selection of a soft target associated with a specific religious group. At the same time, even if the incident appears on the surface to be driven by extortion, the broader context of sustained anti-Hindu violence in Bangladesh cannot be ignored. The Hindu minority in Bangladesh has, over time, faced repeated incidents of targeted violence, including attacks on homes, temples, and community gatherings. Such incidents have not occurred in isolation but as part of a recurring pattern where Hindu spaces and events are disproportionately targeted. While the available details do not explicitly indicate a religious motive, the broader context cannot be ignored. When there is an ongoing ethnic cleansing based on religious identity, every crime in and of itself is assumed to be motivated by the same religious animosity even if there is a lack of specific religious marker in the immediate crime. During an ongoing ethnic cleansing, the dehumanisation of people based on their religious identity and the normalisation of religious hostility drives the crimes committed against them even when there is a lack of stated religious motive. For the purpose of documenting the 2024 ethnic cleansing of Hindus in Bangladesh, the Hinduphobia Tracker is assuming religious motivation ab initio. If a case is specifically and beyond reasonable doubt proven to be driven by motivations other than religious hostility, it will post-facto be removed from the hate crime database. The circumstances of this case further align with this broader pattern. The victims were attacked in a setting where they were socially and physically vulnerable, the violence continued despite partial compliance with extortion demands, and neighbouring Hindu homes were also targeted. Such escalation suggests that the victims were not merely incidental targets but part of a wider environment where hostility against Hindus has been normalised. Taken together, the targeting of a Hindu social gathering, the escalation of violence beyond monetary demands, and the larger context of sustained anti-Hindu persecution in Bangladesh demonstrate that this incident cannot be viewed in isolation. It reflects the conditions under which crimes against Hindus occur within an environment shaped by persistent religious hostility. Accordingly, this case has been recorded in the Hinduphobia Tracker database as a religiously motivated hate crime.