In continuation of rising Islamist persecution against Hindu minorities in Bangladesh, a Hindu father and his son were brutally assaulted by an Islamist mob in broad daylight on June 22 in the Lalmonirhat district. The attack, based on unverified and allegedly imaginary blasphemy allegations, is the latest in a series of such incidents that have gripped Bangladesh in the wake of increasing radicalism following the fall of the Sheikh Hasina-led government.
Dragged from home, beaten mercilessly
The victims, identified as Paresh Chandra Shil and his son Bishnu Chandra Shil, residents of the Goshala market area in Lalmonirhat, were reportedly dragged out of their home by a mob of Islamists who accused them of making “obscene remarks” against the Prophet Muhammad, an allegation that local sources claim is entirely baseless and fabricated.
Bangladesh 🇧🇩 : Old Hindu man and his song brutIIy beaten by a Musl!m mob over a false blasphemy allegation .
Army arrested the 2 innocent Hindus later .
Location 📍Lalmonirhat,Rangpur. pic.twitter.com/jMF2A7lkjO— 🇧🇩🕉️ News (@SanataniHinduBD) June 22, 2025
According to eyewitness accounts, rumours spread rapidly in the market area during the afternoon of June 22, alleging that the Shils had insulted the Prophet. As word spread, a mob of radical Islamists gathered outside their home. Despite the duo’s repeated pleas and insistence that they had said no such thing, they were assaulted in full public view for over 30 minutes.
A local shopkeeper, requesting anonymity for fear of reprisals, told reporters: “They were pulled out of their house and beaten without mercy. People were hitting them with sticks, fists, and whatever they could grab. They kept screaming that they didn’t say anything, but no one listened.”
Police intervention and arrest
After half an hour of sustained violence, local police reached the scene and managed to rescue the father-son duo from the mob’s clutches. However, the ordeal did not end there. Shockingly, after a complaint was lodged by a local Islamist, police detained and later arrested Paresh Chandra Shil, the elderly father.
Pattern of persecution
This case is not an isolated one. Since the fall of the Awami League government, radical Islamist groups have intensified their targeting of Hindu minorities across the country. From fabricated blasphemy charges to violent social boycotts, the community faces increasing threats with little to no state protection.
Notably, many of these attacks are reported to be revenge-driven, carried out by Muslim subordinates against Hindu individuals in government jobs or respectable positions in society. Teachers and professors, too, have been terminated based on similar accusations, often without evidence.
Another Case: Death threats over Facebook post
A parallel case is developing in Parbatipur, located in the Dinajpur district, where 24-year-old Sohag Das, a Hindu resident of Jaliapara village, Chandipur Union, is facing death threats over an alleged Facebook post deemed offensive to Prophet Muhammad.
On June 16, Sohag was accused of blasphemy by members of an Islamist group after a screenshot of his alleged post circulated online. In response, massive protests broke out the very next day, led by Al Insaf Islami Sangh and other Islamist organisations at the Bashirbania Hat College intersection.
Demonstrators carried banners demanding Sohag’s execution and chanted slogans such as “We want Sohag Das to be hanged.” Protest leaders openly threatened more unrest unless the young man was sentenced to death.
One speaker declared during the protest: “We love the Prophet more than our lives. Hurting His honour is hurting the entire Muslim Ummah. We demand capital punishment for this criminal.”
Among those leading the protest were Hafez Md. Jahangir Alam, Md. Mokarram Hossain, Md. A. Quddus, and Tofazzal Haque, influential figures associated with local mosques and Islamist youth organisations.
Demand for death penalty law
Protestors further urged the interim government, led by Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus, to introduce a new blasphemy law with provisions for the death penalty, echoing demands long pushed by extremist factions in the country.
Videos of the protests circulated widely on social media, showing crowds shouting slogans and calling for immediate action, raising fears over Sohag’s safety and the broader implications for freedom of expression in Bangladesh.
Minority groups live in fear
The alarming rise in such incidents has left Bangladesh’s Hindu community in deep fear. Rights organisations have flagged the situation as a potential humanitarian crisis in the making, as minorities are being systematically harassed, framed, or even lynched based on hearsay or social media rumours.
Despite the clear pattern of religiously motivated violence, international human rights bodies have so far remained largely silent. Hindu advocacy groups and diaspora organisations are now calling upon global forums, including the United Nations Human Rights Council, to take cognisance of these alarming developments and pressure the Bangladesh government to ensure the safety and rights of its religious minorities.
As Bangladesh struggles to maintain social harmony amidst growing radicalisation, the voices of the country’s minorities, pleading for protection, justice, and dignity, remain stifled under the noise of extremist outrage.
Blasphemy as a Weapon?
A disturbing pattern is emerging across India and beyond, where alleged acts of blasphemy, later discovered to be internally orchestrated by Islamists are being weaponised to incite communal tensions, often putting Hindu lives and property at risk.
The repercussions of such accusations are often fatal. In Pakistan, Priyantha Diyawadana, a Sri Lankan national, was lynched and burned by a mob in Sialkot in 2021 after false accusations of blasphemy. The mob chanted religious slogans and recorded videos as they carried out the gruesome act.
Even in the West, similar incidents have occurred. In France, teacher Samuel Paty was beheaded in 2020 after false allegations circulated that he had shown derogatory images of Prophet Muhammad. The student who initiated the false claim hadn’t even attended the class. Yet, Paty paid with his life.
From Uttar Pradesh to Bangladesh, Pakistan to France, a troubling trend is evident, weaponising blasphemy as a pretext to unleash violence, particularly targeting Hindu and non-Muslim minorities. These incidents often follow a similar pattern: false flag acts involving desecration, quick mobilisation of mobs, and the attempted framing of minorities.
