Hindu youth hacked to death while returning from work in Bangladesh's Jhalakathi

Case Summary
Amidst Hindu minorities facing terror in Bangladesh by Islamist fanatics, a Hindu man named Sudeb Haldar was murdered in Jhalakathi, Bangladesh while returning home after closing his shop, he was stabbed several times causing deep wounds on his neck and head. On the 7th of January, the locals and his family found his hacked body lying in a crop field one kilometre away from his home and informed the police. The police investigated the issue and stated that it was a murder. The Jhalakathi Superintendent of Police Ujjwal Kumar Roy stated that, “A blow to the head was found. It is believed to be a murder. The body will be sent to Jhalakathi Sadar Hospital morgue for an autopsy. A murder case will be filed in this regard.” According to Sudeb's father, Sudeb had no enemies. He demanded the case be investigated and his son's murderers be punished. Sudeb’s father, Subodh Halder, stated that “My son has no enemies. I don’t understand who killed my son and why. I want the police to uncover the truth and ensure that the killers are brought to justice.” Bangabandhu Prakasholi Parishad Secretary Sushanta Dasgupta stated that, "Every day, murders are happening in Bangladesh, somewhere or the other. We have investigated and found that Sudev Haldar, who was killed, had no personal enmity with anyone. We believe that he was killed only because he was a Hindu. By killing Hindus in this way, a message is being sent that this Bangladesh does not belong to Hindus. He was killed to scare Hindus into leaving Bangladesh."
Why it is Hate Crime ?
This case has been added to the tracker under the category of- Attack resulting in death. The sub-category selected within this 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 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. Here, it becomes important to understand that 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 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 1
- Female 0
- Third Gender 0
- Unknown 0
Caste
- SC/ST 0
- OBC 0
- General 0
- Unknown 1
Age Group
- Minor 0
- Adult 1
- Senior Citizen 0
- Unknown 0

Case Status
Complaint filed

Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Unknown
Perpetrators Range
Unknown
Perpetrators Gender
unknown