130 homes of Hindus and 20 temples vandalised by Muslim mob over 'blasphemy' charges

Case Summary
Since the fall of Sheikh Hasina’s Awami League government on August 5, 2024, the Hindu minority community in Bangladesh has been targeted and 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. Amid the ongoing persecution of Hindus in the Muslim-majority nation, reports emerged that as many as 130 houses and 20 Hindu temples were vandalised by the Islamist mob in Doarabazar, Sunamganj area of Bangladesh. This was done over a Facebook post that local Muslims claimed was 'blasphemous,' causing insult to Islam. Social media posts claimed that a Hindu youth identified as Akash Das posted an alleged blasphemous remark against Islam, as a result of which the local Muslims got enraged and resorted to violence. Even though he deleted the post, screenshots spread widely, leading to violence in the area. The local police arrested Das immediately, but, amid concerns over his safety, the police transferred him to another station. On that day, the mob vandalised and damaged the homes, shops, and the local Loknath temple of the Hindu community. The situation was brought under control in the presence of the district SP, DC, army, and police. The police identified the accused involved in the incident and filed a case against 150 to 170 people, including 12 people named as plaintiffs. Those arrested in this incident are Alim Hossain (19), Sultan Ahmed Raju (20), Imran Hossain (31), and Shajahan Hossain (20), the statement said.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
This case has been added under two prime categories of the Hinduphobia tracker. The first is- Attack not resulting in death. Within this, two sub-categories have been chosen. The first is- Attacked over 'blasphemy'. Blasphemy essentially refers to the desecration of anything which is held sacred/holy to a group of people. However, for religious supremacist groups, the elements of ‘blasphemy’ are ever-changing, shifting and expanding – leading to infringement on the rights of other religious groups, freedom of speech and expression, threats and even physical violence. There are instances where blasphemy is also used as a dog whistle to target Hindus owing to intrinsic animosity towards Hinduism. There are several instances where stating truths as mentioned in the non-Hindu doctrine itself has led to unmitigated violence against Hindus. There have also been instances where non-Hindus have themselves created a ‘blasphemous’ situation, like placing a Quran in a temple, to use it as an excuse to attack Hindus. Essentially, Blasphemy charges are often made up and/or are used to shut down any form of criticism of non-Hindu faiths and as a tool to target Hindus. Any physical violence over Blasphemy charges against Hindus are foundationally based on animosity for Hindus and their faith owing to religious supremacist ideologies, therefore, such attacks would be documented as religious motivated hate crimes under this category. The second sub-category chosen within the abovementioned 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. Additionally, based on case details, this case has been also placed under another prime category of the tracker, which is- Attack on Hindu religious representations. Within this, the sub-category selected is- Attack on Temples. In Hinduism, a temple is the abode of the Deity. The Deity in the Temple is consecrated, thereby, making it a real, breathing entity. Hindus believe that not just the Deity but the temple premises itself are sacred to Hindus since Hindus hold the faith that the entire Temple space is an amalgamation of the divine energy of the deity. Given the central significance of Temples in Hindu Dharma, any attack against a Hindu Temple or its peripheral premises is an attack on the faith itself and is born out of animosity towards the faith, of which, the Temple is a central tenet. Any manner of attack against a Temple and/or its premises would therefore be considered a religiously motivated hate crime. The removal of Sheikh Hasina from power in Bangladesh on August 5, 2024, escalated the persecution and marginalisation of the Hindu minority in the predominantly Islamic nation, intensifying what can be described as a silent genocide. Since her ouster, Islamists have carried out unchecked atrocities against Hindus, including physical violence, the destruction of temples and religious symbols, and the systematic displacement of Hindus from their ancestral lands. Over 205 attacks on Hindu temples, shops, and businesses have been recorded following Sheikh Hasina's removal as Prime Minister. Many Hindus have been brutally murdered or injured in these assaults. Amid this, this report indicates, that as many as 130 homes of Hindus and 20 temples were vandalised by Muslim mobs in Bangladesh's Sunamganj area. This was done after Muslims accused a Hindu youth of 'blasphemy'. As seen in several cases, this law is often used as a tool of oppression and violence, leading to false accusations, mob justice, and social ostracisation of Hindus. This law, which is sparingly used in Muslim-majority countries like Pakistan and Bangladesh to attack minority Hindus residing there, has become increasingly common in India too, where bloodthirsty Islamists often twist and use these laws to settle their scores with Hindus. The misuse of blasphemy laws against Hindus is often motivated by religious prejudice. Hindus are targeted because of their religious identity. Here as well, Muslims took advantage of the situation to loot and vandalize approximately 130 Hindu homes and 20 temples under the guise of a blasphemy accusation. This blatant act of religious intolerance and hatred is why the case has been included in the tracker. It is important to highlight that the Muslims involved in the vandalism were fully aware that Hindu temples are sacred centres of worship for Hindus. By targeting these temples, they knowingly attacked the religious sentiments of the Hindu community. The purpose behind this was obviously to intimidate, harass, or provoke the Hindu worshippers. Furthermore, it was done primarily to target Hindus, making it a kind of religious harassment worthy of being listed in the tracker. Disclaimer: The details of this case indicate that over 130 Hindu homes were attacked. However, due to the absence of precise information about the number of individuals affected within these households, we have refrained from estimating the victim count based on household data. Consequently, we are considering only one victim in this case—the individual accused of blasphemy.
Victim Details
Total Victim
1
Deceased
0
Gender
- Male 1
- Female 0
- Third Gender 0
- Unknown 0
Caste
- SC/ST 0
- OBC 0
- General 0
- Unknown 1
Age Group
- Minor 0
- Adult 0
- Senior Citizen 0
- Unknown 1

Case Status
Case sub-judice

Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Muslim Extremists
Perpetrators Range
N/A
Perpetrators Gender
male