Hindu man murdered in broad daylight amidst rising communal violence in Bangladesh

Case ID : f664541 | Location : Natore District, Bangladesh | Date of Incident : Fri, 31 January, 2025
Case ID : f664541
location Natore District, Bangladesh
date 31 January, 2025
Hindu man murdered in broad daylight amidst rising communal violence in Bangladesh
Attack resulting in death
Attacked for Hindu identity

Case Summary

A Hindu man was murdered in Lalpur, Natore, where his body was found on the side of the road with his throat slit. The victim, Sukumar Sarkar, 30, was from Gopalpur Bahadipur village. His body was discovered on February 1, in Chamtia village. Police suspected that miscreants may have killed him and stolen his auto van. The police were alerted about the body around 3:30 pm after locals reported finding a man with stab wounds on his neck. Upon arriving at the scene, the police found Sukumar's lifeless body with deep stab marks and a sharp weapon lying next to him. Sukumar had left his home around 2 pm that afternoon after lunch, driving his van. However, his van was not found near the body, leading authorities to believe the murder was committed with the intention of robbing him. A sharp knife was found nearby, further supporting this theory. Officer-in-Charge Md. Nuruzzaman of the Lalpur Police Station confirmed that the motive of the murder was being investigated and stated that the body was being sent to the Natore Modern Sadar Hospital for an autopsy. His family members, including his aunt Sushila Rani, confirmed that he had left home earlier that day, but they were unaware of the tragic event until the body was discovered. This murder came amid rising political instability in Bangladesh, following the fall of Sheikh Hasina’s Awami League government in August 2024. Since then, the country faced widespread violence, with Islamist extremists targeting religious minorities, particularly the Hindu community. Reports of mob attacks on Hindu homes, arson, and the destruction of temples have created an environment of fear and insecurity.

Why it is Hate Crime ?

The 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. Here, a Hindu man was murdered mercilessly with his throat slit. 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.

Victim Details

Total Victim

1

Deceased

1


Gender

  • Male 1
  • Female 0
  • Third Gender 0
  • Unknown 0

Caste

  • SC/ST 0
  • OBC 0
  • General 1
  • Unknown 0

Age Group

  • Minor 0
  • Adult 1
  • Senior Citizen 0
  • Unknown 0
Case Status Background
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Case Status


Complaint registered

Case Status Background
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Perpetrators Details

Perpetrators


Unknown

Perpetrators Range


Unknown

Perpetrators Gender


unknown

Case Details SVG
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