Hindu man tortured by two Jamaat-e-Islami members in Bangladesh

Case ID : 90a08c8 | Location : Bangladesh | Date of Incident : Sun, 23 February, 2025

Case ID : 90a08c8

Bangladesh

23 February, 2025

Hindu man tortured by two Jamaat-e-Islami members in Bangladesh

Attack not resulting in death

Attacked for supporting/being part of perceived Hindu party/org or working for Hindu community

Case Summary

A Hindu man named Sukant was subjected to brutal torture by two members of the Jamaat-e-Islami group in Bangladesh. He was abducted from his home and mercilessly assaulted for being associated with the Chhatra League, the student wing of the Bangladesh Awami League, which was founded by Sheikh Mujibur Rahman on 4 January 1948. An X account named ‘Nilsavehindus’ shared a distressing video depicting the horrific ordeal, where Sukant was seen tied to a tree and severely beaten by Jamaat-e-Islami members. The video highlights the growing violence and persecution faced by Hindus in Bangladesh. Since the fall of Sheikh Hasina’s Awami League government on 5 August 2024, Bangladesh has descended into turmoil, with Islamist extremists exploiting the political instability to unleash terror against the Hindu community. Hindu homes have been attacked and set ablaze, women have been abducted, and numerous temples have been vandalised in a widespread crackdown on Hindus. Additionally, the systematic arrest of Hindu priests has further intensified the crisis, prompting widespread protests among Hindu minorities who continue to demand justice amidst escalating hostilities.

Why it is Hate Crime ?

This case has been added to the tracker under the prime category of- Attack not resulting in death and under this, the sub-category selected is- Attacked for supporting/ being part of perceived Hindu party/org or working for Hindu community. In several cases, Hindus are attacked specifically or tangentially for their association with parties or organisations perceived to be pro-Hindu and/or for working in favour of the Hindu community. One of the classic cases was the attack against a Bharatiya Janata Party Yuva Morcha (BJYM) worker Praveen Nettaru. Nettaru was attacked and hacked to death for his association with Hindu organizations and his work for the Hindu community. He was murdered by PFI, a terror organization which aimed to commit a genocide of Hindus, target Hindu leaders specifically and turn India into an Islamic Nation. In such cases, it is possible that the immediate trigger for the violence is non-religious – either according to the perpetrator or the police. However, there are surrounding circumstances from which the conclusion can be reached that the victim was attacked for his association with a Hindu organization. In a similar case, Rinku Sharma was attacked by radicals. He was a member of Bajrang Dal and regularly worked for the Hindu community. While the police cited a different non-religious trigger for the attack, it is true that he was associated with a Hindu organization and the family of Rinku Sharma specifically attributed his gruesome murder to him working for Bajrang Dal and raising Jai Shree Ram slogans. Such cases are intrinsically driven by religious hate and would therefore be documented as a hate crime under this category. This case qualifies as a hate crime due to the targeted attack on the Hindu youth Sukant for his association with the Chhatra League, which is perceived as being aligned with the Awami League—a party that has historically been seen as more favourable to Hindu minorities in Bangladesh compared to other political parties, particularly the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and Pakistan-linked Jamaat-e-Islami (JeI) Bangladesh. His abduction and brutal torture by Jamaat-e-Islami members reflects a pattern of violence against individuals who are linked to organisations perceived as pro-Hindu or opposed to Islamist dominance. The manner in which Sukant was tied to a tree and mercilessly beaten not only indicates religious and political persecution but also serves as a warning to others in the Hindu community, aiming to silence and intimidate them from participating in political or social groups that challenge Islamist influence. This aligns with the broader trend of increasing hostility toward Hindus in Bangladesh, particularly since the ousting of Sheikh Hasina’s government, where Islamist groups have intensified their efforts to marginalise and terrorise the minority community. Given the clear targeting based on Sukant’s perceived affiliation with a group linked to Hindu interests, this case has been categorised as a hate crime.