In a distressing incident, arsonists set fire to the home of a Hindu family in Farabari Mandirpara village, located in the Akcha union of Thakurgaon Sadar upazila, on Tuesday evening. The attack occurred just hours after Yunus Muhammad, Chief Advisor to the interim government, assured the minority community that perpetrators targeting minorities would be punished.
The house, belonging to Kaleshwar Barman, who has no political affiliations, was torched around 7:30 pm, according to local authorities. Fortunately, the local community responded swiftly, managing to control the fire, and the occupants escaped unharmed.
This attack is the latest in a series of targeted incidents against the Hindu minority community in Bangladesh, which has seen a surge in violence since the fall of the Sheikh Hasina-led government on August 5, 2024. The Bangladesh National Hindu Grand Alliance reported that the minority community has been attacked or threatened in 278 locations across 48 districts since the government’s collapse, describing the situation as an “assault on the Hindu religion.”
The Officer-in-Charge of Thakurgaon Police Station, ABM Firoz Waheed, confirmed that police are investigating the incident and are working to identify those responsible. A similar arson attack was reported just days earlier in the same union, where another Hindu family’s home was destroyed.
The attacks have sparked fear among the Hindu community in the Thakurgaon district, with many residents living in uncertainty and distress. The district has previously seen attempts by hundreds of Hindus to cross into India, following the rise in violence.
Yunus Muhammad, who recently assumed his role as Chief Advisor, visited the Dhakeshwari temple in Dhaka, urging the Hindu community to “exercise patience” and promising justice for the victims. He attributed the current unrest to “institutional decay” and vowed to uphold the rights of all citizens.
