New Delhi, Jan 30, 2026
The Rights & Risks Analysis Group (RRAG), a New Delhi-based rights body, on Saturday alleged that 16 houses belonging to minority Hindus, including seven in the past week, were set ablaze. It also reported that 17 Hindus were killed in Bangladesh since December 1, 2025.
In its latest report released on Saturday, the RRAG claimed that Hindu minorities are facing targeted violence, particularly arson and murder, in the name of election-related violence allegedly perpetrated by Islamist groups.
The report stated that houses, temples, and other assets belonging to at least 16 Hindus, including seven incidents in the past week, were burnt in Mirsarai, Raozan, Pirojpur, and Sylhet between December 1, 2025, and January 31, 2026.
The Hindu minorities whose houses were allegedly set ablaze include Tapan Dhar, Amio Dhar, Kanu Nath, Ashok Dhar, Anup Dhar, and Mridul Saha from Mirsarai in Chittagong district; Sukh Shil, Anil Shil, Bimal Talukdar, Rubel Das, Sadhan Barua, Sona Pal, and Kamini Mohan Pal from Raozan in Chittagong district; one person with the surname Saha in Pirojpur; and Bikash Ranjan Deb in Sylhet.
Explaining the alleged modus operandi, RRAG Director Suhas Chakma said, “Fires were deliberately set to temples, residential homes, and haystacks. The doors of Hindu and Buddhist homes were locked from the outside before being set on fire, with the intention of burning the occupants alive. The Chittagong region has witnessed the highest number of arson attacks, particularly in Mirsarai and Raozan.”
Chakma further alleged that at least 17 Hindu minorities were murdered in targeted attacks between December 1, 2025, and January 1, 2026.
“Earlier, a number of murders were committed in a Taliban-style manner by slitting throats, including those of Rana Pratap Bairagi, Shanto Chandra Das, Jogesh Chandra Roy, and Suborna Roy. Chanchal Chandra Bhowmik was allegedly murdered after being set on fire in the garage where he was sleeping,” the RRAG Director said.
The RRAG also published details of the 17 minority Hindus allegedly murdered since December 1, 2025. Chakma claimed that Bangladeshi authorities, including Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus, have repeatedly dismissed any religious motive in the attacks on Hindu minorities.
In September 2024, Yunus had reportedly stated that there was a perception that most Hindus supported the deposed Awami League government led by Sheikh Hasina, and that those associated with it had faced attacks.
Further, on January 19, 2026, Yunus stated that from January to December 2025, there were about 645 incidents involving members of minority communities, but “the overwhelming majority of cases were criminal in nature rather than communal”.
“This denial of any religious angle by the authorities has emboldened religious fundamentalists. Out of fear of reprisals, victims often describe targeted arson attacks as ‘accidents’ or ‘foul play’, despite attempts to burn them alive or leave them destitute by destroying all their assets and belongings,” Chakma alleged.(Agency)
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