Hindu family's ancestral land forcefully occupied by Madrasa teacher amidst ongoing persecution of Hindu minorities in Bangladesh

Case ID : 30a8cf8 | Location : Barisal District, Bangladesh | Date of Incident : Thu, 4 June, 2026

Case ID : 30a8cf8

Barisal District, Bangladesh

4 June, 2026

Hindu family's ancestral land forcefully occupied by Madrasa teacher amidst ongoing persecution of Hindu minorities in Bangladesh

Attack not resulting in death

Attacked for Hindu identity

Attacked to induce migration from non-Hindu dominated area

Case Summary

A Hindu family in Uzirpur Upazila of Barishal district, Bangladesh, faced the forcible occupation of their ancestral land by a local madrasa teacher and Chormonai-linked leader, creating fear and uncertainty regarding the future of their property and security. The incident involved land belonging to a Hindu minority family, who stated that a portion of their inherited property was occupied and construction activities were initiated on the site without their consent. According to family members Asim Kumar Das, Surat Kumar Das, and Sushanta Kumar Das, they were the lawful owners of approximately 11 decimal land situated under Dag No. 408, within Khatian No. 42 of Jutia Mouza in Uzirpur Upazila. The family stated that they had inherited and possessed the property through ancestral succession and had been using the land peacefully for many years. The family stated that a local influential individual, identified as madrasa teacher and Chormonai-affiliated leader Masud Hasan Firoz, illegally occupied the land and began constructing a multi-storey building on the property. According to the family, the construction activities commenced without their approval and despite their objections. They further stated that concerns raised before relevant authorities did not result in immediate intervention, while work on the structure continued. Family members stated that they had long maintained possession of the land and regarded it as part of their ancestral property. They said the sudden commencement of construction on the disputed land raised significant concerns about the preservation of their ownership rights. They further stated that pressure and intimidation accompanied the occupation of the land, contributing to an atmosphere of insecurity for the family. According to the family, the occupation of the property threatened their continued control over land that had remained within the family for generations. They expressed fears that failure to secure timely administrative intervention could result in the permanent loss of the ancestral property. The family, therefore, sought official assistance to restore possession of the land and establish the legitimacy of their ownership through documentary records and legal verification. The affected family indicated that they were preparing to submit complaints to the local administration, land authorities, and law enforcement agencies. They requested an investigation into the ownership records and sought the removal of the encroachment from the property. They also called for administrative measures to protect their land rights and prevent further occupation. The incident occurred against the backdrop of continuing insecurity faced by Hindu minorities in Bangladesh, particularly in disputes involving ancestral property, land ownership, and territorial encroachment. For many Hindu families, ancestral land constitutes not only an economic asset but also a vital link to family heritage, community continuity, and long-standing residence in a locality. The occupation of such land often generates concerns regarding displacement, loss of inheritance, and erosion of minority security. This escalation of violence against Hindus in Bangladesh has 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. Following the ouster of Sheikh Hasina, 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 18th 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 51 incidents of anti-Hindu violence in the period following Hadi’s death alone. Such incidents underscored 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 suggested a coordinated environment of hostility aimed at terrorising the Hindu community and reinforcing majoritarian dominance. The third phase of violence unfolded after the 13th National Parliamentary Election 2026. 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.

Why it is Hate Crime ?

This case was added to the tracker under the primary category of attack not resulting in death. The sub-category selected 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. Another sub-category selected for this case - Attacked to induce migration from non-Hindu dominated area. There have been cases where the Hindus living in an area, often with a majority dwelling belonging to non-Hindus or those harbouring animosity towards the Hindu faith, the Hindu residents experience threats and violence. The violence is employed with the aim of making the Hindus leave the area and relocate, so the area could be turned into an exclusive ghetto for adherents of the non-Hindu faith or those who harbor animosity towards the Hindu faith. In several cases, the aim of exodus is explicit. However, in several cases, the demand for exodus of Hindu residents is not explicit, however, violence by non-Hindu residents leaves the Hindu residents no option but to leave the area, thereby, turning the area into an exclusive ghetto of non-Hindu residents. In such cases, there are instances violence against the Hindu residents explicitly. For example, in the Hauz Qazi case of 2019, the Muslim residents claimed that mob violence against the Hindu residents had been triggered by a parking dispute. However, the violence did turn religious with a temple being desecrated and was directed specifically against the Hindu residents. The Hindu residents of the area were clear that the violence was religiously motivated and one of the motives was to affect an exodus of the Hindu residents. In such cases, even though the perpetrators have not explicitly expressed the aim of affecting exodus, the given circumstances and violence and precedent point to the intention of exodus and therefore would be categorized under this sub-category. Such crimes are religiously motivated and therefore are hate crimes. In this case, a Hindu family in Uzirpur Upazila of Barishal district, Bangladesh, was subjected to the occupation of its ancestral land by an influential Muslim individual linked to a local madrasa and the Chormonai movement. The Hindu family stated that their inherited property was forcibly occupied and a multi-storey building was constructed on the land despite their objections. In the prevailing climate of anti-Hindu hostility in Bangladesh, this incident aligned with the wider pattern of pressure, dispossession, and intimidation faced by vulnerable Hindu minority families across the country. While the incident was presented through the framework of a land dispute, the broader context in which Hindu families experience land encroachment in Bangladesh remains highly relevant. The affected family belonged to a religious minority community and stated that the land inherited through generations was occupied by a locally influential Muslim figure. In an environment where Hindu families have repeatedly faced pressure over ancestral property, incidents involving the seizure of Hindu-owned land cannot be viewed in isolation from the wider pattern of anti-Hindu targeting that has accompanied the ongoing persecution of Hindus in Bangladesh. This incident must also be viewed within Bangladesh's documented anti-Hindu ecosystem, where land grabbing, encroachment, intimidation, and pressure surrounding Hindu-owned property have repeatedly accompanied broader patterns of communal hostility. Hindu families often face unique vulnerabilities because ancestral land represents not only economic value but also cultural continuity, family history, and a tangible link to their community's presence in the region. When such land becomes the focus of coercive occupation, the resulting insecurity can contribute to displacement pressures that are experienced disproportionately by Hindu minorities. The occupation of the Das family's ancestral property mirrored numerous incidents documented during this period in which Hindu families faced threats to their continued ownership and possession of land. The family's concerns about the permanent loss of inherited property reflected broader anxieties shared by many Hindu households across Bangladesh, where demographic vulnerability and recurring land disputes have increasingly become sources of insecurity. The incident, therefore, extended beyond a private disagreement and became part of a larger pattern affecting Hindu minorities and their ability to remain securely rooted in their traditional localities. Within the wider environment of anti-Hindu persecution in Bangladesh, the targeting of the Das family's ancestral land reinforced fears regarding the security of Hindu-owned property and the continued presence of Hindu families in Muslim-majority areas. The occupation of inherited land, the continuation of construction activities despite objections, and the resulting uncertainty faced by the family reflected the broader pressures confronting Hindu minorities across the country. Despite all these facts, even if for once, people argue that this incident was not driven by religious animosity but financial greed, for the purpose of documenting the 2024 to 2026 ethnic cleansing of Hindus in Bangladesh and the subsequent persecution after the political exile of Sheikh Hasina, the death of Sharif Osman Hadi, and the 13th National Parliamentary Election 2026, the Hinduphobia Tracker has been recording such incidents as religiously motivated at the point of entry. If any case is later established through credible investigation or court findings to stem from motivations other than religious hostility, it will be revised or removed from the hate crime database. Disclaimer: The Hinduphobia Tracker acknowledges that the impact of this incident extended to the wider Hindu household and affected the family's collective security, ownership rights, and continued possession of their ancestral property. However, as only Asim Kumar Das, Surat Kumar Das, and Sushanta Kumar Das were explicitly identified in available reports, the victim count has been recorded as three, while noting that the consequences of the land occupation and the resulting intimidation were experienced by the entire Das family. The source material did not specify the exact date on which the occupation of the Hindu family's ancestral land and the commencement of construction activities occurred. Accordingly, 5th June 2026, the publication date of the article, has been recorded as the incident date in the Hinduphobia Tracker for documentation and database management purposes only.