Hindu man handcuffed by police, dragged and attacked by Muslim mob over unsubstantiated blasphemy allegation in Bangladesh

Case ID : 30a7fdf | Location : Khulna, Khulna District, Bangladesh | Date of Incident : Tue, 21 April, 2026

Case ID : 30a7fdf

Khulna, Khulna District, Bangladesh

21 April, 2026

Hindu man handcuffed by police, dragged and attacked by Muslim mob over unsubstantiated blasphemy allegation in Bangladesh

Attack not resulting in death

Attacked over 'Blasphemy'

Case Summary

A Hindu man was violently assaulted in Khulna, Bangladesh after accusations related to religious insult surfaced against him. He was already in police custody when the attack escalated. Despite being restrained, he was dragged and beaten in public. The brutality unfolded in full view, intensifying fear within the local Hindu community. On 22nd April 2026, a Hindu man identified as Shamol Gain, a resident of Patakhali village in Dumuria upazila of Khulna district, was taken into custody by local police following allegations that he had made remarks concerning Prophet Muhammad. The information about the allegations spread rapidly across the locality, leading to the gathering of a large number of people. By approximately 11:00 am, Shamol Gain was in police custody near the Mondal Jute Mill area. Despite being restrained and handcuffed, a mob assembled and surrounded him. As tensions escalated, members of the mob began physically assaulting him with sticks. The Hindu victim was beaten repeatedly while still under police control. The violence intensified as the mob dragged him across muddy fields. He remained restrained during the entire sequence of events and was unable to defend himself. The assault continued in public view, with multiple individuals participating in the attack as he was moved through the area. The Hindu victim sustained injuries during the assault. He was eventually recovered from the mob in an injured condition. Police later transported Shamol Gain to Khulna Medical College Hospital for treatment. A case process was initiated against him in relation to the allegations. Additional police forces were deployed in the area to control the situation and prevent further escalation. The situation was brought under control, and investigations remained ongoing.

Why it is Hate Crime ?

This case has been added to the tracker under the primary category - Attack not resulting in death. Within this, the subcategory selected is - Attacked over 'Blasphemy'. Blasphemy essentially refers to the desecration of anything which is held sacred/holy to a group of people. However, for religious supremacist groups, the elements of ‘blasphemy’ are ever-changing, shifting and expanding – leading to infringement on the rights of other religious groups, freedom of speech and expression, threats and even physical violence. There are instances where blasphemy is also used as a dog whistle to target Hindus owing to intrinsic animosity towards Hinduism. There are several instances where stating truths as mentioned in the non-Hindu doctrine itself has led to unmitigated violence against Hindus. There have also been instances where non-Hindus have themselves created a ‘blasphemous’ situation, like placing a Quran in a temple, to use it as an excuse to attack Hindus. Essentially, Blasphemy charges are often made up and/or are used to shut down any form of criticism of non-Hindu faiths and as a tool to target Hindus. Any physical violence over Blasphemy charges against Hindus are foundationally based on animosity for Hindus and their faith owing to religious supremacist ideologies, therefore, such attacks would be documented as religious motivated hate crimes under this category. This case qualified as a religiously motivated hate crime because a Hindu man was violently assaulted by a mob after accusations of blasphemy were raised against him. The perpetrators targeted him on the basis of a religious allegation and inflicted physical violence despite him being in police custody. The nature of the accusation, the collective mobilisation, and the method of assault demonstrated that religion was the central factor driving the attack. The Hindu victim was harmed in a manner intended to punish and intimidate him on religious grounds. The incident involved a physical attack that did not result in death but was carried out with sustained violence. What happened was that the Hindu victim, while handcuffed and under police custody, was beaten with sticks and dragged through muddy fields by a mob. For the Hindu victim, this constituted a direct and severe physical assault that stripped him of safety even under state protection. The perpetrators chose to attack him in a restrained state, ensuring that he could not defend himself or escape. This deliberate choice maximised his vulnerability and prolonged the violence inflicted upon him. This revealed that the perpetrators intended not just to harm but to publicly punish the Hindu victim, demonstrating a clear intent to inflict suffering on him because of the accusation tied to his religious identity. The religious marker here was that the attack was explicitly triggered by accusations of blasphemy. The information spread that the Hindu victim had made remarks concerning Prophet Muhammad, which led to the rapid mobilisation of a mob that physically assaulted him. For the Hindu victim, such accusations carry severe consequences in a religiously sensitive environment, where perceived insults are treated as grave offences. The perpetrators chose to act collectively on this accusation without waiting for any legal process, using it as immediate justification for violence. This choice showed that the accusation itself was weaponised to incite and legitimise the attack. It revealed that the perpetrators deliberately used a religious allegation as a trigger to target the Hindu victim, indicating that his identity and the perceived violation of religious boundaries were central to their intent. This incident was not an isolated occurrence but reflected a broader pattern where Hindu individuals were subjected to mob violence following accusations of blasphemy. As seen in several cases, this law is often used as a tool of oppression and violence, leading to false accusations, mob justice, and social ostracisation of Hindus. This law, which is liberally used in Muslim-majority countries like Pakistan and Bangladesh to attack minority Hindus residing there, has become increasingly common in India too, where bloodthirsty Islamists often twist and use these laws to settle their scores with Hindus. The misuse of blasphemy laws against Hindus is often motivated by religious prejudice. Hindus are targeted because of their religious identity. In this case also, the targeting of the Hindu man on the basis of a religious allegation demonstrated how such accusations were used to justify immediate collective punishment outside legal processes. The manner in which the mob assembled, assaulted him despite police custody, and inflicted public violence indicated a deliberate effort to intimidate and punish him for perceived transgression against another religion. Such acts created an atmosphere of fear among Hindus, reinforcing their vulnerability and signalling that even unverified religious accusations could lead to violent retribution. Given that this case met the parameters of a religiously motivated hate crime, it was added to the hate crime database of the tracker.