A 25-year-old Hindu man, Chanchal Bhowmik, was burnt to death in Bangladesh’s Narsingdi on Friday night, with the circumstances remaining under investigation, reported news agency ANI.
Bhowmik was asleep inside a garage when a fire broke out. While the blaze initially appeared accidental, CCTV footage from the area has raised suspicions of possible foul play. Narsingdi Superintendent of Police Abdullah Al Faruque told ANI that investigators are examining surveillance footage that shows suspicious movement near the site.
“We have collected footage from the CCTV cameras and observed that there is a scene showing a person moving around. We are investigating whether the fire was caused by some external factor or by an electrical fault,” the SP said.
He added that the fire originated inside the shop where Bhowmik was sleeping. Fire service personnel were forced to break open the shutter to rescue him, but by the time they reached him, his body had been charred beyond recognition.
“We are still investigating everything, and so far, no one has been arrested,” the police official said.
Authorities said the probe is focused on determining whether the blaze was the result of an electrical malfunction or deliberate human intervention. As of Sunday, no arrests had been made.
Concern over minority safety intensifiesThe incident comes amid growing concern over the security situation in Bangladesh as the country heads toward national elections scheduled for February 12, 2026. With the activities of the Awami League banned and its registration suspended, concerns over communal harmony and minority safety have intensified.
Human rights groups and government agencies have reported a sharp rise in attacks on religious minorities since the interim government, headed by Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus, assumed office in August 2024.
The deteriorating internal situation has also drawn sharp reactions from political leaders in exile. In her first address in India since fleeing Bangladesh following violent protests in August 2024, former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina accused the interim leadership of pushing the country into chaos.
She said Bangladesh “has plunged into an age of terror” and alleged that “there is a treacherous plot to barter away the territory and resources of Bangladesh to foreign interests.” Calling on citizens to resist the current dispensation, Hasina urged people to “overthrow the Yunus regime”.
In a longer pre-recorded audio message played at an event in New Delhi, Hasina said, “Bangladesh stands today at the edge of an abyss, a nation battered and bleeding, navigating one of the most perilous chapters in its history. The homeland won through the supreme Liberation War under the leadership of the Father of the Nation, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, is now ravaged by the monstrous onslaught of extremist communal forces and foreign perpetrators. Our once serene and fertile land has been reduced to a wounded, blood-soaked landscape. In truth, the entire country has become a vast prison, an execution ground, a valley of death.”
Persecution resonates globallyConcerns over minority persecution have also resonated internationally. In January, a large protest was held at Parliament Square in London, where demonstrators demanded global attention to what they described as continued torture, persecution and killings of minorities in Bangladesh.
The protest, organised by the Bangladesh Hindu Association and supported by INSIGHT UK and the Bengali Hindu Adarsh Sangha, drew more than 500 participants, including students, professionals, families and interfaith leaders.
As Bangladesh approaches its 13th National Parliamentary Election, reports indicate a surge in communal violence. In December alone, at least 51 incidents were recorded, according to the Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council.
These included 10 murders, 10 cases of theft and robbery, 23 incidents involving the occupation of homes, businesses, temples and land along with looting and arson, four cases of arrest and torture on allegations of religious defamation and being “agents of RAW”, one attempted rape, and three cases of physical assault.
India’s ministry of external affairs (MEA) has expressed serious concern over the killing of the Hindu youth in Bangladesh, linking the incident to broader issues of minority safety and law and order in the country.
The ministry noted that independent assessments have documented more than 2,900 incidents of violence against minorities during the tenure of the interim government led by Muhammad Yunus, including killings, arson attacks and cases of land grabbing.