Hindu teacher jailed in Bangladesh over blasphemy allegation, says he was framed by Muslim colleague

Case ID : b507416 | Location : Sunamganj District, Bangladesh | Date of Incident : Sun, 17 November, 2024

Case ID : b507416

Sunamganj District, Bangladesh

17 November, 2024

Hindu teacher jailed in Bangladesh over blasphemy allegation, says he was framed by Muslim colleague

Attack not resulting in death

Attacked over 'Blasphemy'

Case Summary

In Sunamganj district, Bangladesh, 26-year-old Akash Kumar Singha, a Hindu coaching center teacher, was arrested under the Digital Security Act following allegations of blasphemy. The complaint, filed by Khairul Islam, accused Akash of making derogatory comments about Islam and Prophet Muhammad. Akash denied the charges, stating he was framed due to a personal dispute with Khairul over class scheduling. The case began when Islamists lodged a complaint at Dharmapasha Police Station on November 18, demanding Akash's arrest. Police detained him and presented him in court, where he was sent to jail. Reports suggested that local Hefajat-e-Islam leaders supported the complaint. Hindu activists said Akash was innocent, stating that a fake Facebook profile was created in his name to incite Muslim mobs. The lack of concrete evidence, as admitted by Khairul, raised concerns about the legitimacy of the case.

Why it is Hate Crime ?

The case has been added to the tracker under the prime category of- Attack not resulting in death. Under this, the sub-category selected is- Attacked for '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. This case highlights the misuse of blasphemy laws to target minority Hindus, reflecting deep-seated religious prejudice and intolerance. Akash Kumar Singha, a Hindu teacher, was falsely accused of blasphemy due to a personal dispute, with allegations supported by fabricated evidence, as admitted by the complainant. The lack of proof underscores how these laws can be weaponized as tools of oppression, leading to false accusations, mob violence, and social ostracization of Hindus. Such cases are common in Muslim-majority countries like Pakistan and Bangladesh, where blasphemy laws are disproportionately applied against minorities. Alarmingly, this trend has extended to India, where Islamist groups exploit these laws to settle personal vendettas and target Hindus for their religious identity. The framing of the Hindu youth in this case exemplifies how religious bigotry drives the abuse of these laws, resulting in systemic persecution and the perpetuation of hatred against Hindus. This incident is a clear manifestation of religious intolerance, justifying its inclusion in the tracker.