Hindu jeweller attacked by robbers, gold Jewellery looted amidst attack on Hindu minorities in Bangladesh

Case Summary
On the night of January 29, 2025, armed robbers broke into the home of Pranab Kumar, a gold trader from Hatiya Upazila in Noakhali district, and looted 350 grams of gold. Kumar, who owns a jewellery shop in Charchenga Market, suffered significant losses in the attack. This incident occurred amidst ongoing unrest following the fall of Sheikh Hasina’s Awami League government on August 5, 2024. The political instability allowed Islamist extremists to exploit the situation, leading to a surge in violence against the Hindu community. Reports detailed widespread attacks on Hindu homes, with many set on fire and women subjected to abduction and sexual violence. Beyond individual attacks, extremists have also targeted Hindu religious sites, destroying several temples and escalating fears among the minority community. The continuous wave of violence has highlighted the increasing vulnerability of Hindus in Bangladesh during times of political turmoil.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
This case has been added to the tracker under the prime category of- Attack not resulting in death and within 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. Here, robbers broke into the home of Pranab Kumar, a gold trader from Hatiya Upazila in Noakhali district, and looted 350 grams of gold. While the available details do not explicitly indicate a religious motive, the broader context cannot be ignored. 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.

Case Status
Complaint filed

Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Unknown
Perpetrators Range
Unknown
Perpetrators Gender
unknown