Hindu men attacked in Bangladesh by unidentified individuals amidst ongoing persecution of Hindus
Bangladesh 
25 July, 2025
Case Summary
In Mirsharai Upazila, situated in the Chattogram district of Bangladesh, two Hindu men were shot by unidentified individuals. One of the victims, Anirban Chowdhury Rajib, served as the president of the Mirsharai Durga Puja Committee. The other Hindu victim was identified as Amal. According to media reports, the incident took place on the Dhaka-Chittagong highway, as Anirban was travelling on a motorcycle with his friend Amal. During this, the perpetrators fired bullets towards them. Anirban sustained two bullet wounds to his waist, while Amal was shot in the leg. Local residents rescued the injured men and rushed them to the Mirsharai Upazila Health Complex. Anirban was subsequently admitted to the Chittagong Medical College Hospital, where he remained in a critical condition. Anirban was also the former general secretary of the Jubo League, the youth wing of the Awami League. Following this, the police were promptly informed of the incident. Subsequently, they launched an investigation into this matter. 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 the worsening situation, it is entirely possible that the Hindu men in this case were targeted by the perpetrators because of their religious identity. At the same time, there is also a possibility that the attack was politically motivated, as one of the Hindu victims was a former general secretary of the Jubo League, the youth wing of the Awami League. Considering the removal of Sheikh Hasina and her Awami League from power, it is plausible that the crime had political motives. However, this also raises important questions: were the Hindu men attacked for their political affiliation, their religious identity, or a combination of both? Therefore, 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 will be reassessed and added to the hate crime database.
Victim Details
Total Victim
2
Deceased
0
Gender
- Male 2
- Female 0
- Third Gender 0
- Unknown 0
Caste
- SC/ST 0
- OBC 0
- General 1
- Unknown 1
Age Group
- Minor 0
- Adult 1
- Senior Citizen 0
- Unknown 1
Case Status
Complaint filed
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Unknown
Perpetrators Range
Unknown
Perpetrators Gender
unknown
Sources 
