At least 16 houses belonging to Hindu minorities were set on fire and 17 people were killed in targeted attacks across Bangladesh since December 2025, the Rights & Risks Analysis Group has alleged, accusing authorities of downplaying the communal nature of the violence
The Rights & Risks Analysis Group has accused authorities of downplaying the communal nature of attacks on minorities. Representational pic
At least 16 houses belonging to members of the Hindu minority community in Bangladesh have been set ablaze since December 1, 2025, while 17 Hindus were killed in targeted attacks during the same period, the Rights & Risks Analysis Group (RRAG) said in a report released on Friday.
According to the rights body, seven of the arson attacks took place in the past one week alone, amid what it described as election-related violence marked by targeted attacks on Hindu minorities, particularly arson and murder by Islamist groups. The incidents were reported from Mirsarai and Raozan in the Chittagong region, as well as from Pirojpur and Sylhet.
The report named victims whose houses were allegedly set on fire in Mirsarai, including Tapan Dhar, the family of late Amio Dhar, Kanu Nath, Ashok Dhar, Anup Dhar and Mridul Saha. In Raozan, the affected families include Sukh Shil, Anil Shil, Bimal Talukdar, Rubel Das, Sadhan Barua, Sona Pal and Kamini Mohan Pal. One member of the Saha family in Pirojpur and Bikash Ranjan Deb in Sylhet were also reported to have lost their homes in similar attacks.
Explaining the alleged modus operandi, RRAG Director Suhas Chakma said the attacks involved deliberate arson. “Fires were deliberately set on temples, residential homes and haystacks. The doors of Hindu and Buddhist homes were locked from the outside before being set on fire. The aim was to burn them alive,” Chakma said, adding that the Chittagong region had witnessed the highest number of such incidents, particularly in Mirsarai and Raozan.
The report further alleged that at least 17 Hindu minorities were murdered in targeted violence between December 2, 2025 and January 23, 2026. Some of the killings were described as having been carried out in a “Taliban-style” manner, including throat-slitting, while in one case, Chanchal Chandra Bhowmik was allegedly killed after the garage where he was sleeping was set on fire.
Those killed during the period include Chanchal Chandra Bhowmik (January 23, 2026); Samir Das and Prolay Chaki (January 11, 2026); Joy Mohapatra (January 10, 2026); Mithun Sarkar and Sarat Mani Chakraborty (January 6, 2026); Rana Pratap Bairagi (January 5, 2026); Khokon Chandra Das (December 31, 2025); Bajendra Biswas (December 29, 2025); Amrit Mondal (December 24, 2025); Dipu Chandra Das (December 18, 2025); Shanto Chandra Das (December 12, 2025); Jogesh Chandra Roy and Suborna Roy (December 7, 2025); and Prantosh Kormokar and Utpol Sarkar (December 2, 2025).
Rights group flags denial of communal angle, cites Yunus’ remarks on minority attacks in Bangladesh
RRAG also criticised the Bangladeshi authorities for repeatedly dismissing any religious motive behind the attacks. The report referred to statements by Bangladesh’s Chief Adviser Dr Muhammad Yunus, who has previously said that many incidents involving minorities were linked to political perceptions and criminal activity rather than communal violence.
In September 2024, Yunus had stated that there was a perception that many Hindus supported the deposed Awami League government led by Sheikh Hasina, and that those associated with it had faced attacks. More recently, on January 19, 2026, he said that of around 645 incidents involving minority communities reported between January and December 2025, the “overwhelming majority” were criminal in nature rather than communal.
“This denial of any religious angle by the authorities has emboldened religious fundamentalists,” Chakma said, alleging that many victims, fearing reprisals, described the targeted burning of their homes as accidents or acts of foul play despite losing all their assets or narrowly escaping death.
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