Shops of two Hindus forcefully grabbed by Muslims in Bangladesh

Case ID : 90a092e | Location : Khulna Division, Bangladesh | Date of Incident : Wed, 26 February, 2025

Case ID : 90a092e

Khulna Division, Bangladesh

26 February, 2025

Shops of two Hindus forcefully grabbed by Muslims in Bangladesh

Attack not resulting in death

Attacked for Hindu identity

Attacked to induce migration from non-Hindu dominated area

Case Summary

In Harinarayanpur, Kushtia, in Bangladesh, the shops of two Hindus were seized and locked up by Muslims who were part of the Jamaat-e-Islami group. Bangladeshi Hindus on social media consider it as a part of a larger effort to drive Hindus out of Bangladesh. An X account named 'HinduVoice' posted a video on X platform regarding this incident. 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 various parts of the Islamic country in a major crackdown on Hindus. Further, the arrest of Hindu priests has exacerbated the situation, with Hindu minorities protesting across Bangladesh and seeking justice.

Why it is Hate Crime ?

This case has been added to the tracker under the prime category of- Attack not resulting in death and within this, the first sub-category 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 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. The second sub-category chosen here is- Attack to induce migration from non-Hindu dominated area. There have been cases where the Hindus living in an area, often with a majority dwelling belonging to non-Hindus or those harbouring animosity towards the Hindu faith, the Hindu residents experience threats and violence. The violence is employed with the aim of making the Hindus leave the area and relocate, so the area could be turned into an exclusive ghetto for adherents of the non-Hindu faith or those who harbor animosity towards the Hindu faith. In several cases, the aim of exodus is explicit. However, in several cases, the demand for exodus of Hindu residents is not explicit, however, violence by non-Hindu residents leaves the Hindu residents no option but to leave the area, thereby, turning the area into an exclusive ghetto of non-Hindu residents. In such cases, there are instances violence against the Hindu residents explicitly. For example, in the Hauz Qazi case of 2019, the Muslim residents claimed that mob violence against the Hindu residents had been triggered by a parking dispute. However, the violence did turn religious with a temple being desecrated and was directed specifically against the Hindu residents. The Hindu residents of the area were clear that the violence was religiously motivated and one of the motives was to affect an exodus of the Hindu residents. In such cases, even though the perpetrators have not explicitly expressed the aim of affecting exodus, the given circumstances and violence and precedent point to the intention of exodus and therefore would be categorized under this sub-category. Such crimes are religiously motivated and therefore are hate crimes. The incident in Harinarayanpur, Kushtia, where two Hindu-owned shops were seized and locked up by members of the Islamist group Jamaat-e-Islami, exhibits clear religious markers that justify its classification as a religiously motivated hate crime against Hindus. The first key indicator is that the victims were specifically Hindu shopkeepers rather than a mix of religious groups, suggesting deliberate targeting based on religious identity. If the act were merely a business dispute or land conflict, it would not be exclusive to Hindus. However, the fact that only Hindu-owned establishments were targeted highlights a religious motive. Additionally, the perpetrators belong to Jamaat-e-Islami, an Islamist organisation known for its history of hostility towards religious minorities, particularly Hindus, in Bangladesh. The group has previously been implicated in acts of anti-Hindu violence, reinforcing the perception that the attack was motivated by religious animosity rather than personal or economic reasons. Furthermore, the targeting of Hindu businesses directly threatens the financial stability of the affected families, potentially forcing them to relocate. This pattern of pressuring Hindus through economic suppression and intimidation aligns with a broader trend of systemic efforts to diminish the Hindu population in Bangladesh. Importantly, this incident aligns with the ongoing persecution of Hindus in Bangladesh, which has intensified since the ousting of Sheikh Hasina on August 5, 2024. The timing and nature of the attack reinforce that the targeting of these two Hindu shopkeepers was not an isolated event but part of a broader pattern of hostility towards Hindus in Bangladesh. Since Hasina’s removal, Islamist groups, particularly Jamaat-e-Islami, have gained confidence in their aggressive push to marginalise Hindus through economic, social, and physical intimidation. At least 205 attacks on Hindu temples, shops, and businesses were reported within just three days of Dhaka’s fall. Reports have exposed how Muslim students forced around 60 Hindu teachers, professors, and government officials to resign. Exiled Bangladeshi activist Asad Noor has also revealed that the minority Hindu community is now being coerced into joining Jamaat-e-Islami. Hindu religious events have been repeatedly targeted. On 6th September, a procession carrying Lord Ganesha’s idol was attacked in Chittagong. Ahead of Durga Puja, multiple incidents of idol vandalism occurred, including attacks in Mymensingh, Pabna, Rajshahi, Kishoreganj, and Dhaka. On 29th November, a violent Muslim mob attacked three temples in Patharghata, Chittagong, immediately after Jumma Namaz. The crackdown on Hindu voices has also escalated. On 30th November, Hindu journalist Munni Saha was arrested in Dhaka. ISKCON leader Chinmoy Krishna Das Prabhu and his aides have been targeted, while attempts to ban ISKCON and suppress Hindu protests through sedition charges highlight systematic persecution under Muhammad Yunus’s interim government.