Flames rise high, justice runs dry: communal arson attack on Hindus in Bangladesh under Yunus regime

Sanjoy Kumar Barua

In the quiet sanctity of a religious festival—where prayers and communal harmony ought to reign—a merciless blaze of hatred and vengeance tore through the lives of the vulnerable.

What should have been a solemn occasion of spiritual solace for the Matua Hindu community in Barenda Para in Jashore’s Abhaynagar upazila, nestled along the deltaic plains of southwest Bangladesh, instead metamorphosed into a nightmarish tableau of violence, loss, and despair.

Families were left reeling as their ancestral homes were reduced to ashes—cherished memories and hard-earned belongings consumed in a ruthless act of retaliatory violence.

“They did not just burn our houses,” said 65-year-old Mrinal Biswas, his voice cracking as he sifted through the remains of his life. “They burned our gods. They burned our peace.”

The attack, which unfolded on the evening of 22 May, came in the wake of a murder that had nothing to do with the victims.

Torikul Islam Sardar, a local opposition BNP leader, was killed in a dispute over a jointly owned fish enclosure — a business conflict, police said.

But within hours, a mob descended on the adjacent Hindu-majority village, looting, vandalizing, and setting homes ablaze with terrifying precision.

For nearly four hours, the night sky burned with an eerie crimson glow The air filled with smoke, screams, and the crackle of bamboo and tin as fire devoured the community, said the victims.

As men, women, and children fled barefoot into nearby fields, their attackers — reportedly Islamic hardliners — carried out the assault with impunity

“They came with purpose,” said Bikash Chandra Biswas, a retired headmaster whose elderly mother narrowly escaped the flames.

“They looted gold, cash, and appliances. Then they doused our home with some kind of chemical. My mother pleaded for mercy. They ignored her cries — and lit the match anyway.”

Despite the scale of the violence, not a single arrest has been made.

As of Monday — four days after the attack — police have yet to register a formal case.

“The investigation is ongoing,” said Md. Abdul Alim, Officer-in-Charge of Abhaynagar police station.

But neither the victim’s family nor the affected villagers have lodged complaints, raising concerns about intimidation and institutional apathy.

Eyewitnesses allege that the response by law enforcement and fire services was grossly inadequate — and possibly obstructed.

“The fanatics barricaded the main road,” said Mr. Biswas. “They prevented fire service personnel from entering, while the police remained passive. Some semblance of order returned only after the army was deployed”, said another victim.

As of 26 May, villagers remain displaced — many living in makeshift shelters or with distant relatives.

The yajna grounds are now a wasteland of ashes. Children have stopped going to school. The temple bell hasn’t rung since the night of the fire.

“We go back only during the day,” said one woman who lost her home. “At night, we hide. We’re too afraid.”

The attack marks yet another chapter in the alarming uptick of communal violence unfolding under the interim leadership of Nobel laureate Dr. Muhammad Yunus, who assumed office in August 2024 amid a fragile transition toward democratic restoration.

“While Yunus’s global stature as a microfinance pioneer initially inspired optimism, his interim administration now faces mounting criticism for its failure to safeguard Bangladesh’s religious minorities — particularly Hindus, who constitute nearly 8% of the population

According to the Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council (BHBCUC), over 2,000 incidents of communal violence have been recorded in the first five months of the Yunus administration — including 23 murders, nine rapes, dozens of arson attacks, and widespread land grabbing.

“Increasingly, mobs are acting with confidence that they will face no consequences,” said a Dhaka-based human rights monitor. “And too often, that confidence proves justified.”

The tragedy of Barenda Para has become emblematic of a broader crisis unfolding in Bangladesh — where communal tensions are intensifying, state protection is eroding, and minority voices are being steadily extinguished by flames, fear, and official indifference.