Another chilling incident has reinforced fears among Bangladesh’s Hindu community, coming just days after the arrest of a young Hindu man over a social media post and the brutal lynching of another over false blasphemy allegations.
On December 31, Khokon Das, a 50-year-old Hindu medical shop owner, was attacked by a violent mob in Shariatpur district of Bangladesh. Das was allegedly intercepted while returning home after closing his shop, assaulted with sharp weapons, beaten on the head, and then set on fire. He sustained serious injuries in the attack.
Recounting the horror, Das’ wife said her husband was a simple man with no enmity towards anyone. “They stabbed him, hit him on the head and set him on fire. I don’t know who did this. We just want justice,” she said, adding that her husband had never harmed anyone.
The attack on Khokon Das comes amid a disturbing sequence of events targeting Hindus in Bangladesh. Just days earlier, on December 26, Joy Sarkar, a 22-year-old Hindu youth from Faridpur district, was arrested by police for allegedly posting “religiously offensive” content on social media. Sarkar had commented on a Facebook post, writing, “Sanatana Dharma is the oldest religion,” a remark that triggered accusations of blasphemy and swift police action.
According to police sources, the controversy began after a post related to Islamic history was shared on Facebook under the username “Arafatul Ashik” at around 8:05 pm. Sarkar, son of Shankar Kumar Sarkar, made his comment in the replies, which some individuals deemed “blasphemous.” Screenshots of the exchange were soon circulated in a Messenger group named “Loge achi.com” and rapidly went viral, fuelling online outrage and local tensions.
Authorities said that as the situation escalated, Sarkar was taken into custody by Kotwali Police on the same evening to maintain law and order. A day later, 19-year-old Mohammad Sarafat Ahmed Shubho lodged a formal complaint at the Kotwali Police Station, claiming to do so “on behalf of all citizens of Faridpur district.” Police confirmed that Sarkar remains in custody and that the allegations are under investigation, with the officer-in-charge warning of “strict legal action” if the charges are proven. The police also reiterated a zero-tolerance policy towards any act that “hurts religious sentiments.”
Sarkar’s arrest had taken place barely a week after a far more gruesome incident. On December 18, 25-year-old Dipu Chandra Das was lynched by a mob in Mymensingh following false blasphemy allegations levelled by a co-worker. After beating him to death, the mob reportedly hung his body from a tree and set it on fire. Another Hindu youth, 29-year-old Amrit Mondal, was also allegedly lynched on December 24 in the Hossaindanga area of Kalimohar Union.
With Khokon Das now added to this list, the Shariatpur attack marks the fourth assault on a Hindu individual in less than two weeks and 8 in December. The spate of incidents has intensified concerns about the safety of minorities under the interim administration led by Muhammad Yunus, drawing criticism from human rights groups and civil society observers.
