Hindu homes looted in broad daylight in Chandannish, Bangladesh

Case Summary
In Chandannish, Bangladesh, Hindu homes were looted in broad daylight, leaving families to spend the cold night outdoors. This incident highlighted the escalating violence against the Hindu community since the fall of Sheikh Hasina’s Awami League government on August 5, 2024. The political turmoil created a vacuum that allowed Islamist extremists to target minorities with impunity. Hindu homes were systematically attacked, looted, and burned, forcing many families into homelessness. Reports also indicated women being abducted, contributing to the fear and insecurity in the community. Temples in the region were vandalized and destroyed as part of a broader crackdown on Hindus. Adding to the unrest, three Hindu priests were arrested, leading to widespread protests across Bangladesh. Hindu minorities demanded justice and protection amid the chaos. The wave of violence and lawlessness underlined the vulnerability of the Hindu community in the face of ongoing political instability and extremist actions.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
The case has been added under two prime categories of the tracker. The first is- Attack not resulting in death. Under this, the 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 removal of Sheikh Hasina from power in Bangladesh on August 5, 2024, escalated the persecution and marginalisation of the Hindu minority in the 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 25 homes of Hindus and a temple were vandalised by Muslim mobs in Bangladesh's Bidyadharpur village. The Islamist mob beat several Hindus like Sukumar Pramanik, a schoolteacher who attempted to intervene. It is important to emphasise that the attack on the Hindus and their homes was entirely unprovoked, with religious identity being the sole trigger for the violence. Moreover, such attacks can be perceived as a larger attack on the entire Hindu community, as the purpose is clearly to send a broader message of hostility towards the community. It is a tactic to intimidate the community; instil fear and disrupt the cohesion and morale of the community. Such attacks are a form of symbolic aggression against the Hindu community that stems from an innate hatred for Hinduism and for this reason, this case has been documented in the tracker. It is also important to mention here that though the last update was that the miscreants were unknown, regardless, the action stemmed out of hatred against Hinduism and resulted in the desecration of the sacred temple and would therefore be considered a religiously motivated hate crime.

Case Status
Unknown

Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
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Perpetrators Gender
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