Mother of Sanatan Jagaran Mancha official murdered by Muslim extremists amid ethnic cleansing of Hindus in Bangladesh

Case ID : 5954955 | Location : Khagrachhari, Chittagong Division, Bangladesh | Date of Incident : Wed, 4 December, 2024
Case ID : 5954955
location Khagrachhari, Chittagong Division, Bangladesh
date 4 December, 2024
Mother of Sanatan Jagaran Mancha official murdered by Muslim extremists amid ethnic cleansing of Hindus in Bangladesh
Attack resulting in death
Attack against Hindu devotees
Attacked for Hindu identity

Case Summary

A Hindu woman named Chumki Rani Das was brutally murdered at her residence in Khagrachari Sadar Upazila, located in Bangladesh's Chittagong Division. Chumki, 40 years old, was the mother of Pranto Das, the coordinator of the Khagrachari unit of Sanatan Jagaran Mancha, a Hindu organization. The Sanatan Jagaran Mancha had recently faced attacks from Islamist groups, which led to the arrest of its leader, Chinmoy Krishna Das Prabhu. Pranto Das had also been receiving threats from radical Muslims on social media. On the day of the incident, unidentified extremists forcibly entered Chumki’s home. They killed her brutally, leaving severe injuries on her head and body. The attackers also looted gold ornaments and a sacred tulsi garland from her. Muslim extremist Mohammad Russell was arrested by police as a suspect in the murder. Some reports have indicated that the murder was a result of a financial dispute. Since the fall of Sheikh Hasina’s Awami League government on August 5, 2024, Bangladesh has plunged into chaos as Islamist extremists have taken advantage of the political turmoil to unleash a wave of terror and violence against the Hindu community. The Islamist mobs have attacked Hindu homes, burned them to the ground, and abducted women in a horrific descent into anarchy. Several temples have been destroyed in the area in a major crackdown on Hindus. Further, the arrest of three Hindu priests has exacerbated the situation with Hindu minorities protesting across Bangladesh seeking justice.

Why it is Hate Crime ?

This case has been added to the primary category 'attack resulting in death' under two distinct sub-categories. The first sub-category 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, cases where the attack led to the death of the Hindu victim/s would be documented. The second sub-category is 'Attack against Hindu devotees'. Hindu devotees are a few of the easiest targets of religiously motivated hate crimes because during the festival/procession/puja etc, for non-Hindus it is easy to profile their victims on the basis of religion. Hindu devotees come under attack on several occasions by individual non-Hindus or mobs of non-Hindus owing to their animosity against Hinduism, its symbols, and traditions/practices. There are several instances of Hindu devotees being attacked while they worship in temples or temporary religious structures, during religious processions, doing bhajan/kirtan/puja in their own homes, in the residential society, etc. These attacks are perpetrated by non-Hindus primarily because of their animosity towards Hindus and their faith. In some cases, the trigger for the violence may be non-religious, however, there are two elements that make these hate crimes. First, the Hindus who come under attack are attacked violently while indulging in religious activity. Whether they are in a place of worship or not is immaterial to the crime. When individuals are attacked while indulging in religious practices, the attack in itself is a hindrance to their freedom to practice religion and therefore constitutes a hate crime. Secondly, religious supremacist doctrines and ideologies deem the religious practices of Hindus to be offensive ab initio since they are considered “sinful” by these ideologies, worthy to be annihilated by force or coercion. Driven by these religious supremacist ideologies and doctrines, the attacks against Hindu devotees stem from intrinsic animosity towards Hinduism. In some cases, the trigger for the violence may be non-religious, however, it develops into a religiously motivated crime during the course of the violence. Since these attacks stem from animosity towards Hindus and Hinduism, they are considered religiously motivated hate crimes. Under this category, cases where the attack led to the death of the Hindu victim/s would be documented. In this case, the Hindu woman was brutally murdered by a Muslim extremist. The Hindu woman was the mother of Pranto Das, associated with Sanatan Jagaran Mancha. Das had been getting threats from Muslim extremists since the ethnic cleansing of Hindus started in Bangladesh post the ouster of Sheikh Hasina. Bangladesh Sanatan Jagaran Manch, an organisation formed by the heads of various Hindu religious sects, mutts, monasteries and orders and represents the Hindu saint community of Bangladesh. Earlier, Hindu priest Chinmoy Krishna Das Brahmachari, spokesperson of the Bangladesh Sanatan Jagaran Mancha and head of Pundarik Dham was illegally jailed by the Bangladesh establishment simply for speaking against the ethnic cleansing of Hindus in the Islamic state. Widespread protests had followed and Hindus across the globe held protest marches demanding the release of the saint. Lawyers representing the saint were also attacked by Muslim extremists. Extremists had also demanded a ban on the Hindu organisation, including on ISKCON, owing to their animosity towards Hinduism and its representations. The victim woman, being the mother of an official of the Sanatan Jagaran Mancha, being murdered by Muslim extremists amid the ongoing ethnic cleansing and threats to the organisation and its official raises the question of the plight of Hindus in the Islamic nations. It is pertinent to note that Pranto Das was already under threat by Muslim fundamentalists for his association with the Hindu organisation. As such, this case is one of an attack on a Hindu devotee and one where the attack was motivated by the Hindu religious identity of the victim. Further, there are some reports that claim that the preliminary investigation by the Bangladesh police pointed towards a financial dispute as the possible motive for the murder. First and foremost, the Bangladesh police is an extension of the Bangladesh govt which has actively participated in the persecution and ethnic cleansing of Hindus. Therefore, it is expected that the Bangladesh police would participate in the downplaying and whitewashing of the religiously motivated crimes against Hindus. Further, when there is an ongoing ethnic cleansing based on religious identity, every crime in and of itself is assumed to be motivated by the same religious animosity even if there is a lack of specific religious marker in the immediate crime. During an ongoing ethnic cleansing, the dehumanisation of a people based on their religious identity and the normalisation of religious hostility drives the crimes committed against them even when there is a lack of stated religious motive. For the purpose of documenting the 2024 ethnic cleansing of Hindus in Bangladesh, the Hinduphobia Tracker is assuming religious motivation ab initio. If a case is specifically and beyond reasonable doubt proven to be driven by motivations other than religious hostility, it will post-facto be removed from 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 1
  • Unknown 0

Age Group

  • Minor 0
  • Adult 1
  • Senior Citizen 0
  • Unknown 0
Case Status Background
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Case Status


Arrested

Case Status Background
Gavel Icon

Perpetrators Details

Perpetrators


Muslim Extremists

Perpetrators Range


One Person

Perpetrators Gender


male

Case Details SVG
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