Opinion | Bangladesh Polls: Crossroads For Secular Identity Or Descent Into Fundamentalism? |
In the quiet industrial town of Bhaluka in Mymensingh district, 25-year-old factory worker Deepu Das met a gruesome end on December 18, 2025. Accused without evidence of making derogatory remarks about Islam during a workplace event, Das was dragged from his garment factory by a frenzied mob. He was beaten severely, hanged from a tree, doused in kerosene, and set ablaze while still alive.
Investigations later revealed no proof of the alleged blasphemy, pointing instead to workplace rumours that escalated into deadly violence. This horrific act was not isolated; it ignited a wave of targeted attacks against Hindus, underscoring a pattern of unchecked communal aggression.
Within a month, at least five Hindus were killed in similar mob-driven assaults. On December 2, 42-year-old Prantos Karmakar was gunned down in Narsingdi district amid escalating tensions. On December 24, Amrit Mondal was beaten to death in Rajbari’s Pangsha upazila, labelled as extortion-related but fitting the broader trend of minority targeting. A 42-year-old garment factory guard was shot dead on December 30 in Mymensingh, marking the third killing in that area within two weeks. Then, on December 31, 50-year-old businessman Khokon Chandra Das was stabbed, doused in petrol, and set on fire in Shariatpur; he succumbed to his injuries on January 1, 2026. These deaths, often justified under pretexts like blasphemy or personal disputes, reveal a systematic erosion of safety for Hindus.
Compounding the terror, a 40-year-old Hindu widow was gang-raped on January 5, 2026, in Kaliganj, Jhenaidah district. Two men, Shahin and Hasan, stormed her home, assaulted her after she refused to pay extortion money, tied her to a tree, cut off her hair, and filmed the act for further humiliation. She was rescued by locals and hospitalised, with police confirming the abuse and arresting the perpetrators. This incident, occurring on the same day as Das’s fatal attack, highlights the vulnerability of Hindu women to sexual violence amid the........