As attacks on religious minorities continue unabated in Bangladesh, the house of a Hindu teacher in Sylhet district was set on fire, triggering fear and outrage within the local Hindu community and beyond. The incident, which took place in Gowainghat Upazila of Sylhet, has once again highlighted the deteriorating security situation for minorities in the neighbouring country.
The targeted house belonged to Birendra Kumar Dey, a schoolteacher widely known in the area as Jhunu Sir. According to local residents, the fire broke out suddenly, forcing family members to flee to safety as flames rapidly engulfed the house. A video of the incident, now circulating on social media, shows people running in panic as the blaze spreads, underscoring the intensity of the attack.
While no injuries were reported, the incident has left the family traumatised and the surrounding minority community deeply unsettled. Authorities are yet to confirm how the fire was started, and no arrests have been made so far. The identities of those responsible remain unknown.
The arson attack in Sylhet is not an isolated incident. It comes amid a disturbing pattern of violence against Hindu families across different regions of Bangladesh in recent weeks. On December 28, a Hindu household in Dumritala village of Pirojpur district was set on fire in what was suspected to be a targeted attack. This incident occurred shortly after the brutal lynching of Dipu Chandra Das, a 29-year-old garment worker, who was killed by a mob over alleged blasphemy charges in Mymensingh on December 18. His body was reportedly set on fire, sparking nationwide and international outrage.
Earlier, on December 23, the homes of two expatriate Hindu families in Raozan, Chittagong, were torched in the early hours of the morning. According to reports, attackers allegedly locked the families inside their houses before setting them on fire. Around eight people narrowly escaped death by breaking through tin roofs and bamboo fencing. These incidents marked at least the sixth arson attack targeting Hindus in the area within a span of five days.
Survivors of the Chittagong attacks recounted harrowing experiences, saying they were jolted awake by smoke filling their homes and found their exits blocked. “We escaped by cutting through the tin roof,” one survivor told local media.
The latest attack in Sylhet has renewed fears among Bangladesh’s Hindu minority, many of whom say they feel increasingly vulnerable amid what rights groups describe as “relentless” violence. Community members have demanded a thorough investigation, strict punishment for the perpetrators, and concrete steps from the government to ensure the safety of minorities.
International attention has also intensified, with global human rights bodies and political leaders expressing concern over the situation. Reports have flagged over a hundred deaths linked to minority-targeted violence in the past several months, putting Bangladesh under growing global scrutiny.
The wave of attacks has also begun to strain New Delhi-Dhaka relations. India has strongly criticised the Muhammad Yunus-led interim government in Bangladesh, accusing it of downplaying and attempting to whitewash the communal nature of the violence. Indian officials have described the attacks as part of a “disturbing pattern” targeting Hindus and other minorities.
In response, the Yunus-led administration has sought to dismiss the allegations, claiming that reports of targeted communal violence are exaggerated and part of a campaign to “destroy communal harmony through false propaganda.”
As investigations into the attack on Birendra Kumar Dey’s house remain inconclusive, minority communities across Bangladesh wait anxiously, fearing that justice may once again be delayed, even as violence continues to cast a long shadow over their daily lives.
