Hindu family violently attacked, house vandalised and forcibly evicted by Muslim mob in Jessore, Bangladesh

Case ID : 30a93b4 | Location : Jessore District, Bangladesh | Date of Incident : Tue, 21 April, 2026

Case ID : 30a93b4

Jessore District, Bangladesh

21 April, 2026

Hindu family violently attacked, house vandalised and forcibly evicted by Muslim mob in Jessore, Bangladesh

Attack not resulting in death

Attacked for Hindu identity

Case Summary

In Jessore, Bangladesh, a Hindu family was attacked and forcibly evicted from their homestead by a mob of local Muslim political leaders and their associates under the pretext of a land dispute. The perpetrators vandalised the family's home, assaulted them, threw their belongings onto the road, and repeatedly drove them off their property despite administrative intervention. The victims later held a press conference demanding justice and questioning whether they had been targeted because they were Hindus. On 29 June 2026, at a press conference held at the Jessore Press Club, Sujon Kumar Sikdar, a resident of Osmanpur village in Kashimpur Union under Jessore Sadar Upazila, stated that his family had been attacked, evicted from their homestead, and subjected to vandalism. In his written statement, Sujon Kumar Sikdar stated that his father, Subol Sikdar, had long resided on land obtained through an oral exchange arrangement. The family initially built a mud house on the land and later constructed a four-room brick house at a cost of approximately 2 million taka, where they had been living ever since. He further stated that local Awami League leader Golam Mostafa, after failing to purchase the land, resorted to various means to have it registered in another person's name through Sujon's uncle. Subsequently, on 22 April 2026, Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) leader Shahidul Islam, along with Mithu, Billal, and 20 to 30 others, arrived at the family's house and forcibly drove them out. According to the victim, the attackers smashed the windows of the house and threw furniture and other household belongings onto the road, causing damage estimated at around 200,000 taka. Although the family later returned to their home with the assistance of the administration, the dispute remained unresolved. On 22 June 2026, Golam Mostafa, Shahidul Islam, and several others again arrived at the family's house, assaulted them, and forcibly evicted them from the property. When the victims attempted to resist, some local Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) leaders were threatened, and a false case was filed against one individual on the same day. At the press conference, Sujon Kumar Sikdar stated that since 22 June 2026, he and his elderly parents had been living under the open sky in inhuman conditions. He asked, "Were we evicted only because we are Hindu?" He appealed to Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman, local political leaders, and the administration to ensure justice, provide security, and enable the family to return to and live on their homestead. Also present at the press conference were Sujon Kumar Sikdar's father, Subol Sikdar, his mother, Ichamoti Sikdar, and his wife, Susmita Sikdar. The attack occurred against the backdrop of continuing violence and insecurity faced by the Hindu minority community in Bangladesh. 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 in 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 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 in 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 ?

In this case, the primary category selected is: Attack not resulting in death. The subcategory selected 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 the 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 hate crimes under this category. In this case, a Hindu family was violently attacked, their house was vandalised, and they were forcibly evicted from their homestead by local Muslim perpetrators in Jessore, Bangladesh. The attack, carried out under the pretext of a land dispute, resulted in the family's displacement, destruction of their property, and prolonged homelessness. In the prevailing environment of anti-Hindu hostility and insecurity in Bangladesh, the incident aligns with the broader pattern of violence, intimidation, land-grabbing, and targeting faced by vulnerable Hindu minorities. While some may argue that the available details point towards local criminal activities and do not explicitly establish a religious motive, the broader context of anti-Hindu hostility, persecution, and insecurity in Bangladesh remains relevant for classification. During periods marked by sustained violence, intimidation, land-grabbing, extortion, and targeting of Hindus based on their religious identity, the Hinduphobia Tracker applies a contextual presumption that attacks on Hindu victims may be faith-targeted, even when immediate reports attribute the violence to criminal or financial motives and do not record an explicit religious motive. In such circumstances, the vulnerability of Hindu communities and the normalisation of hostility towards religious minorities can contribute to attacks occurring without perpetrators openly expressing religious intent. For the purpose of documenting the 2024–2026 ethnic cleansing of Hindus in Bangladesh and the subsequent persecution following the political exile of Sheikh Hasina, the death of Sharif Osman Hadi, and the 13th National Parliamentary Election 2026, the Hinduphobia Tracker records such incidents as likely 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. The incident generated concern among local Hindus because the victims belonged to a vulnerable religious minority community. According to the victims, after failing to acquire their land through purchase, the perpetrators used coercive means to have the land transferred into another person's name before twice forcibly evicting the family, vandalising their home, assaulting them, and throwing their belongings onto the road. Even after the family briefly returned with administrative assistance, they were attacked and evicted again, leaving them homeless and living under the open sky. The repeated targeting of the family, coupled with the destruction of their home and continued dispossession, reinforced existing fears among Hindus living in an environment already characterised by recurring incidents of anti-Hindu hostility, land-grabbing, intimidation, and violence. This incident must also be viewed within Bangladesh's broader anti-Hindu environment, where Hindu minorities frequently face insecurity, intimidation, land-grabbing attempts, forced displacement, social pressure, and violence. Attacks on Hindus are often attributed to ostensibly non-religious causes such as land disputes, property conflicts, criminal activity, personal disagreements, or other local disputes, thereby obscuring the possibility of underlying religious hostility. In many instances, such explanations can divert attention from the broader pattern of discrimination and violence faced by Hindu minorities. The attack on this Hindu family, their repeated eviction from their homestead, and the destruction of their property contributed to feelings of insecurity within the local Hindu community and reinforced the reality of their vulnerability, irrespective of whether the perpetrators explicitly stated a religious motive. Given the prevailing anti-Hindu persecution environment in Bangladesh and the continuing pattern of violence affecting vulnerable Hindu minorities, this case meets the threshold for inclusion in the Hinduphobia Tracker's hate crime database. Disclaimer: The Hinduphobia Tracker records the incident date based on when the victim first suffered the ordeal, rather than when the incident was reported in the media or when subsequent developments occurred. Although the victim and his family were attacked and evicted again on 22 June 2026, the persecution first began on 22 April 2026, when they were initially forcibly driven out of their homestead. Therefore, the date 22 April 2026 has been recorded as the incident date for documentation purposes.