Hindu man beaten to death during broad daylight robbery amidst ongoing persecution of Hindus

Case ID : f6646d7 | Location : Dhaka, Dhaka District, Bangladesh | Date of Incident : Fri, 14 February, 2025

Case ID : f6646d7

Dhaka, Dhaka District, Bangladesh

14 February, 2025

Hindu man beaten to death during broad daylight robbery amidst ongoing persecution of Hindus

Undecided cases

Attacked/Killed for Hindu identity

Case Summary

In the Dakshin Khan area of Dhaka, Bangladesh, a 40-year-old Hindu man, Sumon Kumar Pal, was murdered by three robbers in broad daylight. One of the accused is Muslim. Pal worked as a bKash agent at a pharmacy named Bhai Bhai Medical Hall. Around 12:30 pm, three men entered his shop and began looting cash from the register. When Sumon tried to stop them, they struck him repeatedly on the head. He was rushed to Kurmitola General Hospital, where doctors declared him dead. Locals managed to catch one of the robbers, identified as Karim Mia. He was beaten by residents before being handed over to the police, while the other two fled. Eyewitness Saiful Islam stated that 10,000–15,000 taka was recovered from Mia. Since the fall of Sheikh Hasina’s Awami League government on August 5, 2024, 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 Hindu priests has exacerbated the situation, with Hindu minorities protesting across Bangladesh seeking justice.

Why it is Hate Crime ?

This case has been categorised under the ‘Undecided’ database in the Hinduphobia Tracker, as there is currently no conclusive evidence confirming a religious motivation behind the crime. However, it is important to consider the broader context in which the incident occurred. The crime took place in Bangladesh, where the Hindu minority has historically faced systemic persecution and violent attacks by the Muslim majority. This trend has intensified significantly following the ousting of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on 5th August 2024. Since her removal, there has been a marked surge in violence against the Hindu community, including reports of rapes, forced conversions, mob lynchings, assaults, temple desecrations, and the displacement of Hindus from their ancestral properties. Given the worsening situation, it is entirely possible that the Hindu men in this case were targeted by the perpetrators because of their religious identity. At the same time, there is also a possibility that the attack was motivated by financial gain, with the robbery serving as the primary objective and the murder committed to eliminate resistance. Therefore, in the absence of any definite evidence pointing to a religious motive, the case will remain categorised as ‘Undecided’. If any further information emerges that showcases that the crime was motivated by religious hostility, then this case will be reassessed and added to the hate crime database. Disclaimer: Out of the three perpetrators involved, the identity of only one has been confirmed. Therefore, the perpetrator count for this case is recorded as one.