Bangladesh: Hindu priest murdered in Gopalganj, temple looted
Dhaka Division, Bangladesh 
2 March, 2024
Case Summary
On March 3rd, the body of 70-year-old Hindu priest Hashilata Biswas was found at Malibata Bishwabandhu Sevashram in Gopalganj district, Bangladesh. She had slept at the temple on March 2nd night. Locals found the temple doors open the next morning and discovered her body with a tied mouth and hands. The temple's cupboard and donation box were broken and looted, suggesting she was killed during a theft. Biswas had been conducting puja at the temple for a year, succeeding her late husband, Dipin Biswas, who held the position for 10 years.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
In this case, a Hindu priest was indeed murdered inside the Temple premises in a Muslim-majority country, presumably by a Muslim perpetrator. It is important to note that the identity of the perpetrator is not clear yet. In Muslim-majority countries like Pakistan and Bangladesh, Hindus are often targeted based on their religious identity of being a Hindu. This case could be a religiously motivated hate crime, especially since it was in a Muslim-majority country and the victim was a Hindu priest, killed inside the Temple premises, however, since the identity of the perpetrator is not known and on the face of it, there seems to be no explicit religious motivated, it is being added in the undecided category. If more information surfaces, this case would be added in the hate crime database.
Victim Details
Total Victim
1
Deceased
1
Gender
- Male 0
- Female 1
- Third Gender 0
- Unknown 0
Caste
- SC/ST 0
- OBC 0
- General 0
- Unknown 1
Age Group
- Minor 0
- Adult 1
- Senior Citizen 0
- Unknown 0
Case Status
Complaint registered
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Unknown
Perpetrators Range
N/A
Perpetrators Gender
unknown
Sources 
