Hindu boy hounded over blasphemy allegation by Muslim men in Bangladesh

Case ID : ea34a38 | Location : Jhalokati, Barisal District, Bangladesh | Date of Incident : Sat, 3 May, 2025

Case ID : ea34a38

Jhalokati, Barisal District, Bangladesh

3 May, 2025

Hindu boy hounded over blasphemy allegation by Muslim men in Bangladesh

Attack not resulting in death

Attacked over 'Blasphemy'

Attacked for Hindu identity

Case Summary

In the Jhalkathi district of Bangladesh, a Hindu boy named Apon Acharya has been accused of blasphemy by a group of Islamists. Protesters have taken to the streets in Kirtipasha Upazila, demanding strict action against him, alleging that he insulted Islam and the Prophet Muhammad. 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.

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 selected here 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. This case has been added to the tracker because of the hostile and anti-minority environment that continues to exist in Bangladesh. Religious minorities, especially Hindus, are often treated with contempt and hatred, and this has only intensified after the fall of Sheikh Hasina’s regime. In the political vacuum that followed, there has been a noticeable increase in anti-Hindu violence across the country. This case needs to be seen in that context, as part of a broader pattern of rising religious intolerance and targeted hate. Even in this case, most protestors likely have no idea what the Hindu boy actually said, but that hardly matters. They rally behind the crowd, driven more by deep-rooted bias against Hindus. Demands for the harshest punishments, including death, echo through the streets without any evidence being examined. Instead of letting the police investigate and due process take its course, it is street justice that prevails. More often than not, especially during these waves of targeted violence, Islamist groups just need an excuse to attack non-Muslims. 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.