Case Summary

In Sitakunda, Chattogram, Bangladesh, a Hindu boy named Bijoy Debnath faced death threats and was brutally assaulted by a Muslim mob after wishing human rights activist Asad Noor on his birthday on Facebook. Asad Noor was a Bangladeshi human rights activist and an ex-Muslim, known for his outspoken criticism of religious fundamentalism. He advocated for LGBTQ+ rights in Bangladesh. His work often challenged extremist views, which made him a controversial figure among Muslim conservative groups. Asad Noor, an atheist blogger, has been living in exile. The incident began when Bijoy Debnath posted a birthday greeting for Asad Noor on Facebook, calling him a fearless warrior standing for truth, along with a picture of Asad Noor smoking a cigarette. The Muslim mob considered Asad Noor's act blasphemous and claimed that the cigarette had the word “Bismillah” written on it, and Asad Noor burnt the paper containing Arabic words with a cigarette. They accused Asad Noor of blasphemy and insulting Islam. The Muslim mob further objected to the Hindu boy expressing support for him. The mob dragged Bijoy out of his shop and brutally assaulted him. They accused him of supporting the so-called anti-Islamic posts of Asad Noor. After the attack, the mob handed him over to the police and demanded strict action. Those involved in the assault, along with the violent Muslim group ‘Tawhidi Janta’, took out a protest march demanding the killing of the 25-year-old Hindu boy, accusing him of hurting religious sentiments. The group also released a video describing the whole incident. In the video, they further stated that ISKCON has no place in Bangladesh. Meanwhile, Asad Noor publicly condemned the attack, stating that Bijoy was brutally beaten by local NCP members, falsely charged, and handed over to the police for simply posting a birthday wish. Asad Noor highlighted that, as a non-religious person, the local government under Yunus appeared to oppose anyone expressing support for him and called for Bijoy’s unconditional release, emphasising the violation of religious freedom and human rights in Bangladesh. This incident reflects a troubling and recurring pattern across Bangladesh, where blasphemy accusations, often unverified or entirely fabricated, are weaponised to target Hindu minorities. Such cases are frequently followed by orchestrated campaigns of intimidation, social exclusion, and, in some instances, outright violence. The use of blasphemy as a tool for communal targeting not only endangers individual lives but also undermines the safety and rights of entire minority communities.

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Why it is Hate Crime ?

This case has been added to the tracker under the primary category of - Attack not resulting in death. Within it, the sub-category selected is - Attacked over '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. The other sub-category relevant here is - Attack 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. This case has been added to the tracker because of the distinct religious marker present. The Hindu boy was given death threats and brutally assaulted by a Muslim mob over fabricated blasphemy allegations. There is precedent for how the Muslims in Bangladesh have often used some pretext or other to incite communal violence and assert Islamic dominance over a vulnerable Hindu minority. Such patterns of targeting Hindus under the guise of “hurting religious sentiments” are alarmingly frequent in Bangladesh. In this case, the attack was triggered by the Hindu boy expressing support for Asad Noor. Apostasy is considered blasphemous in Islam, and the boy’s support for Asad Noor was viewed as an affront to Islam, leading to the violent assault. Islamists have historically used blasphemy charges as a tool to incite violence, settle personal scores, or intimidate Hindus into silence and submission. The disproportionate targeting of Hindus under blasphemy allegations is not accidental but stems from deep-rooted religious prejudice, with blasphemy serving as a weapon of social control and communal oppression. More often than not, especially during these waves of targeted violence, Islamist groups just need an excuse to attack Hindus. And that excuse is frequently ‘blasphemy’. It has become a common and convenient trigger, fabricated or exaggerated, to justify mob action against Hindus. The criteria for what constitutes blasphemy keep shifting, and in many cases, there's no actual offence, just a pretext born out of deep-seated animosity toward Hindus and their beliefs. The flexibility and vagueness of what constitutes blasphemy allow extremists to weaponise it at will, making Hindus and other minorities easy targets. This case, therefore, is not an isolated episode but part of a deeply entrenched pattern of religiously motivated hate and persecution. Such incidents are not isolated but occur within a broader context of systematic discrimination and violence against Hindus in Bangladesh. The use of blasphemy allegations to incite mob violence and demand extreme punishments disproportionately affects religious minorities, particularly Hindus, and serves to intimidate and suppress them and their faith. This case, therefore, is not an isolated episode but part of a deeply entrenched pattern of religiously motivated hate and persecution of the Hindu community in Bangladesh. Therefore, this case is being added to the hate crime database.