Hindu youth abducted and tortured by Muslim mob over 'blasphemy'

Case ID : b45f550 | Location : Chittagong, Chittagong Division, Bangladesh | Date of Incident : Tue, 31 December, 2024
Case ID : b45f550
location Chittagong, Chittagong Division, Bangladesh
date 31 December, 2024
Hindu youth abducted and tortured by Muslim mob over 'blasphemy'
Attack not resulting in death
Attacked for Hindu identity
Attacked over 'Blasphemy'

Case Summary

A Hindu man named Pranto Talukder was abducted by a Muslim mob from his residence in the Patenga Kathgarh area in Chittagong city of Bangladesh. The extremists tortured and thrashed him mercilessly. The young Hindu man was severely injured. The incident reportedly stemmed from a Facebook post. The mob of Islamists falsely accused him of making derogatory remarks about Jamaat on the social media platform Facebook, even though his post contained no such comments. Acting on information, police located Pranto in the parking lot of Lalkhan Bazar Amin Center under Khulshi Police Station. He was surrounded and injured by a group of people. Police rescued him and admitted him to Chittagong Medical College Hospital for treatment. Officer-in-Charge Mojibur Rahman stated that Pranto was beaten, though the exact reason was under investigation. Preliminary accounts suggested the assault stemmed from perceived insults on social media. Police sources confirmed that an organized group carried out the abduction. Following the fall of Sheikh Hasina’s Awami League government on August 5, 2024, Bangladesh experienced severe political instability. Islamist extremists exploited the chaos, launching widespread violence against the Hindu community. Hindu homes were targeted, set ablaze, and women abducted amid the unrest. Several Hindu temples were destroyed, symbolizing a brutal crackdown on the minority community. The escalating violence reflected a growing atmosphere of anarchy, leaving the Hindu population in fear and uncertainty as Islamist mobs acted with impunity.

Why it is Hate Crime ?

This case has been added to the tracker under the primary category of- Attack not resulting in death. Under this, two sub-categories have been selected- 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 relevant here 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 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, reports have emerged that a Hindu youth named Pranto Talukder had been abducted and tortured by a Muslim mob over '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 liberally 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, the Hindu youth was abducted and beaten mercilessly for false 'blasphemy' charges. Reports clearly mention that the mob of Islamists had falsely accused him of making derogatory remarks about Jamaat on the social media platform Facebook, even though his post contained no such comments. Therefore, it is reasonable to conclude that the Hindu youth, in this case, was attacked primarily due to his religious identity. The attack appears to be a deliberate act targeting him because of his affiliation with Hinduism, which is often a tactic used to send a broader message of hostility towards the community. Such incidents reflect an underlying animosity towards Hindus and serve to intimidate and disrupt the cohesion of the community. Consequently, this case is categorized as a hate crime and included in the tracker.

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 Background
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Case Status


Complaint registered

Case Status Background
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Perpetrators Details

Perpetrators


Muslim Extremists

Perpetrators Range


From 10 to 100

Perpetrators Gender


male

Case Details SVG
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