Hindu shops vandalised by Muslim mob, victim's say efforts being made to throw them out of the area
Gazipur District, Bangladesh 
18 February, 2025
Case Summary
In a video shared by Hindu Voice on X, Hindus residing in the Gazipur district, Bangladesh, are heard expressing their distress over Islamist mobs vandalising their shops in Kapasia Bazaar and pressuring them to leave the area. They describe the hostile environment as unbearable, making it difficult for them to continue living there. Additionally, they accused the Bangladesh police of failing to take any action against the perpetrators. This incident is amongst several such incidents of persecution of Hindus that have been taking place at the hands of Islamists since the ouster of Sheikh Hasina on August 5, 2024. Since the fall of Sheikh Hasina’s Awami League government Bangladesh has plunged into chaos as Islamist extremists have taken advantage of the political turmoil to unleash a wave of terror and violence against the Hindu community. The Islamist mobs have attacked Hindu homes, burned them to the ground, and abducted women in a horrific descent into anarchy. Several temples have been destroyed in various parts of the Islamic country in a major crackdown on Hindus. Further, the arrest of three Hindu priests, attempts to ban the Hindu organisation ISKCON and stifling Hindu protests with cases of ‘sedition’ highlight systematic persecution under the interim government of Muhammad Yunus. There have been multiple instances of attacks on Hindus under the pretext of ‘blasphemy.’ The recent cases of Hridoy Pal, Utsab Mandal, Partha Biswas Pintu, Akash Das, Pranta Talukder and Utsab Kumar Gian are shining examples of targeted persecution. So far, there have been many attempts to downplay violence against Hindus as ‘fake‘, ‘exaggerated‘ or ‘politically motivated‘. Now, this recent incident of vandalisation serves as a stark reminder of the increasing vulnerability faced by Hindu minorities amidst rising hostility in the Islamic state of Bangladesh.
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 first 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. The second sub-category selected here is- Attacked to induce migration from non-Hindu dominated area. There have been cases where the Hindus living in an area, often with a majority dwelling belonging to non-Hindus or those harbouring animosity towards the Hindu faith, the Hindu residents experience threats and violence. The violence is employed with the aim of making the Hindus leave the area and relocate, so the area could be turned into an exclusive ghetto for adherents of the non-Hindu faith or those who harbor animosity towards the Hindu faith. In several cases, the aim of exodus is explicit. However, in several cases, the demand for exodus of Hindu residents is not explicit, however, violence by non-Hindu residents leaves the Hindu residents no option but to leave the area, thereby, turning the area into an exclusive ghetto of non-Hindu residents. In such cases, there are instances violence against the Hindu residents explicitly. For example, in the Hauz Qazi case of 2019, the Muslim residents claimed that mob violence against the Hindu residents had been triggered by a parking dispute. However, the violence did turn religious with a temple being desecrated and was directed specifically against the Hindu residents. The Hindu residents of the area were clear that the violence was religiously motivated and one of the motives was to affect an exodus of the Hindu residents. In such cases, even though the perpetrators have not explicitly expressed the aim of affecting exodus, the given circumstances and violence and precedent point to the intention of exodus and therefore would be categorized under this sub-category. Such crimes are religiously motivated and therefore are hate crimes. The removal of Sheikh Hasina from power in Bangladesh on August 5, 2024, escalated the persecution and marginalisation of the Hindu minority in the predominantly Islamic nation, intensifying what can be described as a silent genocide. Since her ouster, Islamists have carried out unchecked atrocities against Hindus, including physical violence, the destruction of temples and religious symbols, and the systematic displacement of Hindus from their ancestral lands. Hundreds of attacks on Hindu temples, shops, and businesses have been recorded following Sheikh Hasina's removal as Prime Minister. Many Hindus have been brutally murdered or injured in these assaults. Amid this, Hindus residing in the Gazipur district, Bangladesh, expressed their distress over Islamist mobs vandalising their homes and shops in Kapasia Bazaar and pressuring them to leave the area. This targeted vandalism of Hindu-owned shops in Kapasia Bazaar, coupled with the pressure on Hindu residents to leave the area, highlights a deliberate attempt to drive them out of a non-Hindu-dominated region. Such acts of intimidation are not random but stem from an evident hostility towards their religious identity. The continuous persecution, including attacks on their homes and businesses, serves as a systematic effort to weaken the Hindu presence in the region. Furthermore, the inaction of local authorities reinforces the sense of insecurity among the victims, effectively enabling the perpetrators. This incident aligns with the pattern of attacks aimed at forcing Hindus to migrate from areas where they are a religious minority, making it a clear case of a hate crime motivated by religious animosity. Since this incident bears multiple religious markers that clearly establish it as a religiously motivated hate crime, it has been added to the tracker.
Case Status
Unknown
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Muslim Extremists
Perpetrators Range
Unknown
Perpetrators Gender
unknown
Sources 
