Paris, August 26, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
Justice Makers Bangladesh in France (JMBF), an international human rights organisation, has condemned the killing of four members of a Hindu family in Bangladesh’s Rangpur city and called for an independent investigation into the possibility of religious extremist or militant involvement.
The organisation said the deaths of a Hindu minority family, including a woman and a child, should not be treated hastily as an ordinary or isolated criminal incident. It cited the victims’ religious identity, changes in the police account of the suspected motive and concerns raised by their relatives as reasons for a comprehensive investigation.
JMBF said the investigation should be independent, impartial, scientific and credible. It argued that possible extremist or militant links should neither be presumed nor ruled out without proper examination.
The killings reportedly took place on August 20, with police recovering the bodies of all four family members on the night of August 22. The deceased were identified as retired Rangpur Zilla School teacher Ganapati Chakraborty, 65, his wife Pritilata Chakraborty, 50, their daughter Agami Chakraborty Prarthi, 23, and their 12-year-old son Priyam Chakraborty.
Bangladesh Police arrested two young men on Monday in connection with the killings. The accused were identified as 23-year-old Siddhartha Das and 19-year-old Mugdha Das, who were detained from the Dakhiganj cremation ground in Rangpur.
According to local media reports, police suspect the two accused killed the family after the retired teacher allegedly objected to their use of yaba, an illicit methamphetamine-based drug, on the rooftop.
JMBF’s call for a wider probe comes against the backdrop of a recent UN Security Council warning that Al-Qaida in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS) has been attempting to use Bangladesh as a base to establish terrorist cells.
The finding was contained in the 38th report of the UN Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team, submitted to the Security Council committee dealing with Islamic State, Al-Qaida and associated groups.
JMBF acknowledged that the UN report does not directly connect the Rangpur killings with AQIS or any other militant organisation. However, it said the warning made it important to examine all possible motives and connections in the case.
The rights body also criticised remarks reportedly made by Bangladesh Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed after the UN report was published. According to JMBF, the minister said the government was not taking the report into account and had reportedly not read it when making the statement.
JMBF urged Bangladesh’s government to order an independent, high-level investigation rather than relying solely on the ongoing police inquiry. It said investigators should examine every possibility, including a communal motive, religious extremist or militant involvement, premeditation, robbery, personal dispute and links to a wider criminal network.
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