Minor Hindu girl raped by elderly Muslim man in Bangladesh amidst rampant persecution of Hindus
Khulna Division, Bangladesh 
13 July, 2025
Case Summary
In Bazar Radhanagar area located in the Mohammadpur Upazila of Bangladesh, an eight-year-old Hindu girl was raped by a Muslim man. The accused was identified as Mohammad Syed Atar Ali, aged 65. According to media reports, the Hindu victim had visited her neighbour’s house to play. At that time, the house was empty except for the Muslim accused, who was present inside. During this time, he raped the Hindu victim. Following the assault, on 19th July 2025, the Hindu victim became very unwell. She was admitted to the Magura 250-Bed hospital for treatment. Subsequently, the police were informed about this incident. A case was registered against the Muslim accused. He was then arrested by the police. Tarique Rahman, the chairman of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), instructed local leaders to stand in solidarity with the Hindu victim and her family. Following this, Rabiul Islam Noyon, the member secretary of the Dhaka Metropolitan South Jubo Dal, the youth wing of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), visited the hospital to see the victim. He spoke with the victim’s family and stated that the girl would be taken to Dhaka for better treatment. Regarding the incident, Mohammadpur police station Officer-in-Charge Abdur Rahman stated that the accused had been arrested and was in jail. He also stated that a rape case had been filed against the accused. This incident is one of the several incidents of the continued persecution of Hindus in Bangladesh, which has only increased manifold since the fall of Sheikh Hasina’s Awami League government on August 5, 2024. After her violent ouster, Bangladesh plunged into chaos as Islamist extremists have taken advantage of the political turmoil to unleash a wave of terror and violence against the Hindu community. The Islamist mobs have attacked Hindu homes, burned them to the ground, and abducted women in a horrific descent into anarchy. Several temples have been destroyed in various parts of the Islamic country in a major crackdown on Hindus. Reports have exposed how Muslim students forced around 60 Hindu teachers, professors, and government officials to resign. Exiled Bangladeshi activist Asad Noor has also revealed that the minority Hindu community is now being coerced into joining ‘Jamaat-e-Islami’. Hindu religious events have been repeatedly targeted. On 6th September, a procession carrying Lord Ganesha’s idol was attacked in Chittagong. Ahead of Durga Puja, multiple incidents of idol vandalism occurred, including attacks in Mymensingh, Pabna, Rajshahi, Kishoreganj, and Dhaka. On 29th November, a violent Muslim mob attacked three temples in Patharghata, Chittagong, immediately after Jumma Namaz. The crackdown on Hindu voices has also escalated. On 30th November, Hindu journalist Munni Saha was arrested in Dhaka. Muslim mob attacks have increased in Bangladesh. For example, on 22nd May 2025, a Muslim mob carried out arson attacks selectively on Hindu homes in Dahar Mashihati village in Abhaynagar upazila in Jessore district of Bangladesh. Even ISKCON leader Chinmoy Krishna Das Prabhu and his aides have been targeted, and attempts have been made to ban ISKCON and suppress Hindu protests through sedition charges. These arbitrary actions point to a systematic pattern of persecution of Hindus under Muhammad Yunus’s interim government.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
This case has been categorised under the ‘Undecided’ database in the Hinduphobia Tracker, as there is currently no conclusive evidence confirming a religious motivation behind the crime. However, it is important to consider the broader context in which the incident occurred. The crime took place in Bangladesh, where the Hindu minority has historically faced systemic persecution and violent attacks by the Muslim majority. This trend has intensified significantly following the ousting of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on 5th August 2024. Since her removal, there has been a marked surge in violence against the Hindu community, including reports of rapes, forced conversions, mob lynchings, assaults, temple desecrations, and the displacement of Hindus from their ancestral properties. Given this worsening situation, it is entirely possible that the Hindu girl in this case may have been targeted by the Muslim perpetrator due to her religious identity. At the same time, there remains the possibility that the attack was opportunistic, without a direct religious motive. In the absence of any definite evidence pointing to a religious motive, the case will remain categorised as ‘Undecided’. If any further information emerges that showcases that the crime was motivated by religious hostility, then this case would be added to the hate crime database.
Victim Details
Total Victim
1
Deceased
0
Gender
- Male 0
- Female 1
- Third Gender 0
- Unknown 0
Caste
- SC/ST 0
- OBC 0
- General 1
- Unknown 0
Age Group
- Minor 1
- Adult 0
- Senior Citizen 0
- Unknown 0
Case Status
Arrested
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Muslim Extremists
Perpetrators Range
One Person
Perpetrators Gender
male
Sources 
