Hindu youth arrested by police in Feni, Bangladesh, over unverified allegations of blasphemy

Case ID : 30a90f2 | Location : Feni District, Bangladesh | Date of Incident : Thu, 18 June, 2026

Case ID : 30a90f2

Feni District, Bangladesh

18 June, 2026

Hindu youth arrested by police in Feni, Bangladesh, over unverified allegations of blasphemy

Attack not resulting in death

Attacked over 'Blasphemy'

Case Summary

In Chhagalnaiya, Feni District, Chattogram Division, Bangladesh, a Hindu youth, Srijan Das Pranto, was arrested by Bangladeshi police over unverified allegations of blasphemy. Local Muslims claimed that he had posted offensive and derogatory comments on social media regarding Prophet Muhammad, his daughter Fatimah, Hajar-e-Aswad (the Black Stone, a revered Islamic relic embedded in the Kaaba in Mecca), and various Islamic religious practices. The arrest took place following a police raid conducted at approximately 2:00 a.m. on 19 June 2026 at Anil Doctor House in West Chhagalnaiya village of Chhagalnaiya Upazila. Srijan Das Pranto, son of Priti Lal Das and a resident of the same area, was arrested from his home with the assistance of local residents, students, and members of the public. According to local residents and police, unverified allegations emerged that a Facebook account named "Srijon Das" had published derogatory, provocative, and indecent comments concerning Prophet Muhammad, members of his family, and various Islamic religious practices. As the content circulated on social media, it triggered anger and strong reactions among local Muslims and generated widespread outrage both locally and online. Upon receiving information about the allegations, police launched an investigation and subsequently identified and detained the accused. Authorities stated that the arrest was carried out to prevent tensions from escalating and to maintain law and order in the area. Md. Shahin Mia, Officer-in-Charge of Chhagalnaiya Police Station, claimed that the comments posted on Facebook concerning religious values and Prophet Muhammad had created the potential for unrest and heightened tensions in the locality. Considering the situation, police arrested Srijan Das Pranto from his residence with the assistance of local residents. A case was filed against the accused on 19 June 2026, and he was subsequently produced before the court and sent to judicial custody. Feni District Superintendent of Police Pratuj Kumar Majumder stated that digital evidence connected to the allegations had been examined and that legal proceedings had been initiated against the accused. Following the arrest, demonstrations and protest rallies were organised in Chhagalnaiya by Muslim residents, students, and worshippers after Friday prayers (Jummah). Processions marched through the main roads of the municipality before gathering at the Chhagalnaiya Central Shaheed Minar grounds, where speakers demanded exemplary punishment and strict legal action against those accused of hurting Islamic religious sentiments. Among those who addressed the gathering were Maulana Ruhul Amin, Principal of Chhagalnaiya Azizia Madrasa, Mufti Shoaib, Ataullah Sifat, Miraj Hossain, and Rabiul Hossain Rabi. The speakers called for stringent punishment for the accused and urged authorities to take firm action. Separately, Rafiqul Alam Majnu, Member of Parliament for the Feni-1 constituency, urged residents to maintain communal harmony, peace, and order in the area. Referring to the incident, he stated that the accused had already been brought before the law and called upon the public to remain patient and avoid any unrest. Authorities further stated that social media activities and other evidence connected to the incident were being examined as part of the ongoing investigation. Police remained deployed and on alert in the area to maintain law and order and prevent any further escalation of tensions. 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 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 51 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. The third phase of violence was unleashed 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 has been added to the tracker under the primary category of: Attack not resulting in death. Within it, the sub-category 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 is fundamentally based on animosity for Hindus and their faith, owing to religious supremacist ideologies; therefore, such attacks would be documented as religiously motivated hate crimes under this category. This case has been added to the tracker because it involved the targeting and arrest of a Hindu youth in Bangladesh following unverified allegations of blasphemy. The incident demonstrated how accusations linked to blasphemy or perceived criticism of Islam are frequently weaponised against religious minorities, particularly Hindus, in Muslim-majority countries such as Bangladesh. In this case, Srijan Das Pranto, a Hindu youth from Feni District, was accused of making derogatory remarks on social media regarding Prophet Muhammad, his daughter Fatimah, Hajar-e-Aswad (the Black Stone), and various Islamic religious practices. The allegations originated from claims made by local Muslims concerning content allegedly posted from a Facebook account bearing his name. At the time of his arrest, the accusations remained unverified and were based primarily on claims circulating among local residents and on social media. Nevertheless, the allegations quickly generated widespread anger and public outrage, resulting in police intervention and the arrest of the Hindu youth. The speed with which the accusations escalated into a criminal matter reflected the precarious position of Hindus in Bangladesh, where allegations relating to blasphemy against Islam rapidly transform into a threat to the liberty and safety of members of the Hindu minority. The incident reflected the vulnerability of Hindus to Muslim mob pressure and communal hostility once accusations of religious offence emerge. In this case, the allegations spread rapidly across social media and provoked strong reactions among local Muslims. The resulting atmosphere of tension prompted a police operation in which Srijan Das Pranto was detained from his home during a late-night raid. Following his arrest, demonstrations, protest marches, and public rallies were organised by Muslim residents, students, and worshippers demanding exemplary punishment. The communal mobilisation surrounding the allegations illustrated how unverified claims of blasphemy quickly generate collective pressure against a Hindu individual and create an environment in which due process becomes secondary to public outrage. Blasphemy-related allegations in Muslim-majority countries such as Bangladesh are frequently weaponised to persecute Hindus and other minorities. Such accusations often rely on hearsay, selective interpretation, disputed digital content, or unverified claims, yet they are capable of provoking public outrage, communal mobilisation, and police intervention before any impartial investigation takes place. In many cases, merely being accused becomes sufficient grounds for mob violence, social humiliation, ostracism, arrest, threats of violence, or long-term persecution. The reaction in this case, where allegations circulating on social media rapidly triggered public anger, protest rallies, and legal proceedings against a Hindu youth, highlighted the unequal environment in which Hindu minorities are frequently denied the presumption of innocence. Muslim extremist groups have historically exploited blasphemy accusations to intimidate religious minorities, particularly Hindus, silence dissent, and reinforce social control. Hindus in Bangladesh remain especially vulnerable because allegations involving Islam frequently trigger collective outrage and public vigilantism regardless of whether the accusations have been independently verified. Such allegations have repeatedly preceded Muslim mob attacks, destruction of Hindu homes and temples, forced displacement, arrests, and other forms of persecution across Bangladesh. Consequently, accusations of blasphemy against Hindus cannot be viewed in isolation from the broader environment of anti-Hindu hostility in which they occur. Furthermore, the response of the authorities exposed the systemic vulnerability faced by Hindus in Bangladesh. Rather than first establishing the veracity of the allegations through a transparent and impartial investigation, police swiftly detained the Hindu accused following public anger and concerns about law and order. The sequence of events demonstrated that the arrest was driven at least in part by the need to appease outrage from local Muslims rather than by the outcome of a completed investigation. Such responses showcase that allegations of blasphemy involving Islam are sufficient to trigger punitive action against Hindus before the facts have been conclusively established. The demonstrations and rallies that followed the arrest further reinforced the climate of intimidation surrounding the case. Muslim groups, including students and local residents, organised processions after Friday prayers and publicly demanded exemplary punishment for the accused Hindu youth. While framed as lawful demonstrations, such collective Muslim mobilisation contributes to an atmosphere in which the Hindu individual is publicly stigmatised and subjected to intense social pressure before any judicial determination of guilt has been made. For members of the Hindu minority, such public campaigns generate fear and insecurity extending beyond the immediate victim to the wider community. Such responses reinforce an atmosphere of fear and insecurity for Hindus, who remain highly vulnerable to anti-Hindu hostility and communal targeting. When allegations of blasphemy are sufficient to trigger public outrage, police action, and organised demonstrations demanding punishment before the completion of an impartial investigation, it sends a message that members of the Hindu minority can be deprived of the presumption of innocence whenever accusations of blasphemy involving Islam arise. This dynamic emboldens those who seek to weaponise religious sentiments and encourages the use of blasphemy allegations as a means of intimidation, coercion, and persecution. Overall, as this case met multiple parameters of a religiously motivated offence, it is being included in the Hinduphobia Tracker's hate crime database.