A 25-year-old Hindu man was burned to death in Bangladesh’s Narsingdi district, triggering fresh concerns over the safety of religious minorities in the country. The victim, identified as Chanchal Bhowmik, was asleep inside a garage when a fire broke out late on Friday night, according to local authorities.
Narsingdi Police Superintendent Abdullah Al Faruque said CCTV footage collected from the area shows suspicious movement near the site around the time of the incident. “We have observed a person moving around in the footage. We are investigating whether the fire was caused by an external factor or an electrical fault,” he told news agency ANI.
Officials said the fire started inside the shop where Bhowmik was sleeping. Fire service personnel reportedly broke open the shutter in an attempt to rescue him, but he had already succumbed to the flames. His body was found severely charred. As of Sunday, no arrests have been made, and police said multiple angles are being examined.
The incident comes amid a reported rise in attacks on Hindu communities in Bangladesh. In recent weeks, several violent episodes have been reported. In one case, a man named Dipu Chandra Das was lynched and set on fire following rumours of blasphemy that were later found to be false. In another, a Hindu grocery shop owner in Narsingdi city was killed in a sharp-weapon attack by unidentified assailants. In Naogaon, a Hindu man, Mithun Sarkar, died after jumping into water to escape a mob accusing him of theft.
The Indian government has repeatedly expressed concern over the treatment of religious minorities in Bangladesh. The situation has gained added attention ahead of Bangladesh’s national elections scheduled for February 12, 2026, with rising political tensions and communal sensitivities.
According to police data shared by Chief Adviser Mohammad Yunus, 645 incidents involving minority communities were reported across Bangladesh in 2025. Of these, 71 were classified as communal in nature, while 574 were labelled non-communal.
The death of Chanchal Bhowmik has once again highlighted fears over minority security, with calls growing for a thorough and transparent investigation into the circumstances surrounding the fatal fire.
