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UP TO 71 incidents related to blasphemy allegations against Hindu minorities were reported in Bangladesh from June to December this year.
According to a report by the Human Rights Congress for Bangladesh Minorities (HRCBM), at least five houses of a Hindu family were set on fire in Dumritala village in the nation's Pirojpur district, in what is suspected to be a targeted attack on minorities.
NDTV reported that the incident occurred on December 28, over a week after 29-year-old garment worker Dipu Chandra Das was attacked by a mob, lynched, and his body set on fire.
This was allegedly over blasphemy allegations in Mymensingh on December 18. According to local authorities, the exact cause of the fire has not yet been confirmed.
Reports claimed attackers allegedly stuffed cloth into one of the rooms and set it ablaze, causing the fire to spread rapidly through the house.
NDTV which spoke to the Saha family said all eight members of the two affected families managed to escape by cutting through tin sheets and bamboo fencing. However, their houses and belongings were completely charred to ashes, along with their pets, who were killed.
The place where the incident took place is about 240 km from the capital, Dhaka. Mohammad Manzur Ahmed Siddiqui, Superintendent of Police, Pirojpur, visited the scene of a fire and assured the complainants that the incident would be investigated promptly.
Local police have arrested five suspects, while efforts are ongoing to nab the remaining accused as the investigation continues.
The HRCBM documented cases from more than 30 districts, including Chandpur, Chattogram, Dinajpur, Lalmonirhat, Sunamganj, Khulna, Comilla, Gazipur, Tangail and Sylhet.
The rights group said that the spread and similarity of these cases showcase the systemic vulnerability of minorities to religiously framed allegations, rather than isolated incidents.
According to the report, blasphemy allegations in Bangladesh frequently led to police action, mob violence and punishment.
The South Asian nation, with a population of around 175 million, has allegedly seen a growing shift toward religious conservatism amid a prolonged period of political instability. – December 30, 2025