Body of Hindu man found hanging from tree amidst ethnic cleansing of Hindus in Bangladesh

Case ID : f6644b3 | Location : Satkhira District, Bangladesh | Date of Incident : Fri, 24 January, 2025

Case ID : f6644b3

Satkhira District, Bangladesh

24 January, 2025

Body of Hindu man found hanging from tree amidst ethnic cleansing of Hindus in Bangladesh

Attack resulting in death

Attacked for Hindu identity

Case Summary

The body of a 35-year-old Hindu man, Animesh Sarkar, was found hanging from a neem tree in Sreeula Union, Satkhira district, Bangladesh. Sarkar, a bicycle mechanic, was survived by his wife, a 4-year-old son, and an 8-month-old daughter. While it remained unclear if the incident was a murder or suicide, Sarkar’s family suspected foul play, alleging that he was murdered and then hanged. They pointed to the presence of mud on his body and feet as evidence. The police recovered the body and sent it for autopsy, initiating an investigation into the case. This incident occurred during a period of political unrest in Bangladesh following the fall of Sheikh Hasina’s Awami League government on August 5, 2024. The instability had created an environment where extremist violence against the Hindu minority escalated. Reports indicated a surge in mob attacks targeting Hindu homes, many of which were set ablaze. Women were reportedly abducted and raped during these violent events. Additionally, multiple temples, including the historic Manasa Mata temple, were destroyed, further amplifying fear within the Hindu community.

Why it is Hate Crime ?

This 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 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, cases where the attack led to the death of the Hindu victim/s would be documented. When there is an ongoing ethnic cleansing based on religious identity, every crime in and of itself is assumed to be motivated by the same religious animosity even if there is a lack of specific religious marker in the immediate crime. During an ongoing ethnic cleansing, the dehumanisation of people based on their religious identity and the normalisation of religious hostility drives the crimes committed against them even when there is a lack of stated religious motive. For the purpose of documenting the 2024 ethnic cleansing of Hindus in Bangladesh, the Hinduphobia Tracker is assuming religious motivation ab initio. If a case is specifically and beyond reasonable doubt proven to be driven by motivations other than religious hostility, it will post-facto be removed from the hate crime database.