DHAKA, March 19, 2025 (BSS) - Bangladesh fact-checking body BanglaFact debunked Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Oikya Parishad (BHBCOP)'s recent claim of killing 11 persons in a total of 92 incidents of violence targeting minority people in January and February of this year. 

The Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council in a press release recently claimed that 11 people were killed in a total of 92 incidents of violence targeting "minorities and indigenous people" in January and February of this year.

BanglaFact and media research team of the Press Institute Bangladesh (PIB) did not find reliable information that religious minorities were being "targeted" in attacks or that the victims were subjected to violence due to communal hatred.

Acting General Secretary of Oikya Parishad, Manindra Kumar Nath, provided BanglaFact with a 39-page "Documentary on Communal Violence: January 2025" and a 42-page "Documentary on Communal Violence: February 2025". These two reports have included news of various violence, theft, robbery, etc. that minorities have been victims of. But, even no allegations of communal violence have been made in those news.

BanglaFact has reviewed the killings based on the sources of the reports, various related news, statements of relatives of the deceased and information received so far from the police of the concerned police station. 

It has been initially reported that out of the 11 killings, 3 were due to previous enmity, 6 were due to theft and robbery, 1 was due to kidnapping and 1 was due to unknown reason.

No communal link was found in any of them, and no such allegations were made by even the families of the victims.

Based on the sources of the reports, various related news reports, statements of relatives of the deceased and information received so far from the police of the concerned police station, the murders are highlighted here.

1. A mobile phone trader named Sudev Halder (28) was hacked to death on his way home from his shop in Jhalakathi around 11 pm on January 7, 2025. Sukesh Halder, the elder brother of the deceased Sudev Halder, told Daily Kaler Kantho that Sudev had recently had a fight with some people over mobile phone servicing. It is believed that this is why Sudev was killed. Jhalakathi Sadar Police Station OC Moniruzzaman told BanglaFact that their investigation is ongoing in this regard. He did not give details for the sake of the investigation, but confirmed that there is no possibility of any communal motive behind the murder.

2. On January 10, 2025, a retired teacher named Dilip Kumar Roy (71) was found dead in the pool of blood in his house in Netrakona. His relatives told Daily Prothom Alo that they do not understand how such an incident happened. However, they believe that miscreants entered the house with the intention of theft or robbery and hacked him to death. Netrakona Additional Superintendent of Police Shahed Ali Pathan said that the investigation is not over yet. He believes that Dilip Kumar might have been killed after witnessing an attempt of theft or robbery. He also believes that it has nothing to do with communalism.

3. A schoolboy named Anoy Chandra Modak (13) went missing in Belabo Upazila of Narsingdi on January 14. Later, his parents were informed over phone that their son had been kidnapped. It was also said that their son would be released after paying a ransom of 1 lakh taka. But a day after the ransom was paid, Anoy's body was found in the Arial Khan River on the afternoon of January 19. Belabo Thana Officer-in-Charge (OC) Mir Mahbubur Rahman said the kidnapping and murder incident has no connection with communal conflict. Anoy Chandra's body was found in the Arial Khan River five days after his disappearance. He confirmed that the police are continuing the investigation.

4. On January 24, 2025, Khulna University student Arnab Kumar Sarkar (26) was shot dead by unidentified assailants. Daily Prothom Alo quoted eyewitnesses as saying that Arnab was drinking tea sitting on a motorcycle in front of a tea shop at Tentultala intersection in Sonadanga area of ??Khulna city at night. At that time, miscreants came to the spot on several motorcycles and shot him and fled. Khulna Metropolitan Police (KMP) Additional Police Commissioner (Crime and Operation) Md. Qutub Uddin told BanglaFact, "Arnab was not killed for any communal reasons. He was shot and hacked to death mainly to establish dominance in the area. Nine suspects have already been arrested." He added, "The murder took place as a result of a conflict between top terrorist Grenade Babu and the Kala Lablu-Palash group in Khulna. The deceased Arnab was a friend of Kala Lablu-Palash."

5. A rickshaw driver named Sukumar from Natore was found dead on the side of the road in Lalpur upazila on February 2, 2025. Citing eyewitnesses, the police said that his throat-slit body was found but his battery-powered rickshaw was not found. Officer-in-Charge (OC) of Lalpur Police Station Md. Nuruzzaman told BanglaFact that they believe that Sukumar Roy was killed for stealing his rickshaw. That is, there is no connection between the murder and any communal conflict or violence.

6. On February 7 this year, an elderly woman named Lakshmi Rani Bhakta (75), aged over seventy, was found dead in her bedroom in Nazirpur, Pirojpur. Her hands and feet were tied at the time. A neighbor said that the room in where she was found dead had a door cut. Lakshmi Rani's son, lawyer Tapas Kumar Bhakta, told Daily Prothom Alo about his mother's death that they had an old land dispute with a local family. Tapas Bhakta believes that his mother might have been killed over this. Nazirpur Police Station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Md. Mahmud Al Farid Bhuiyan said that the murder might have been committed over a previous enmity, but they did not find any communal conflict. He also said that five people have been arrested in the incident.

7. On February 10, a young man named Abhijit Kumar (26) was found dead on the side of the road in Basail, Tangail. Basail Police Station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Jalal Uddin said that Abhijit's house is in Kazipur, Sirajganj and he had been staying in Basail for four to five days before his death. Quoting locals, Jalal Uddin also said that Abhijit was suffering from some mental problems. He said a case of unnatural death has been filed in the incident. An autopsy was carried out to explore the cause of death, but the report has not yet reached the police, said the OC. He also said that according to the initial investigation report, no injury marks were found on the body of the deceased. No communal vendetta was found in the incident, said Jalal Uddin. OC Noor-e-Alam of Kazipur Police Station said that Abhijit's family has not made any complaint that the death was related to any communal dispute.

8. An autorickshaw driver named Palash (18) was found dead in Chapainawabganj on February 15. Sub-Inspector (SI) of Chapainawabganj Sadar Model Police Station Billal Hossain said that Palash's two friends killed him for money. The suspects have also been arrested. The police have completed the investigation and there is no communal motive behind the murder.

9. A bKash agent named Suman Kumar Pal (40) was killed by hitting him on the head with a hammer in the capital's Dakshinkhan area on February 15. In this regard, Officer-in-Charge of Dakshinkhan Police Station Taifur Rahman told BanglaFact that two suspects have already been arrested. He believes that the attack was carried out with the intention of looting money from Sumon's bKash shop. It has no relation to communal conflict.

10. On February 11, the police recovered the throat-slit body of an old man named Utpal Roy (62) from a house in Narayanganj. The deceased's son Ujjwal Roy told Daily Kaler Kantho that the miscreants had taken about 15 bhari gold ornaments and about one lakh taka from drawer.

This suggests that it was a robbery. In this regard, Narayanganj Sadar Model Police Station Inspector (Investigation) Mohammad Jalaluddin told BanglaFact that the deceased was a very ordinary person. He was killed while trying to loot money. There is no other reason behind this.

11. A businessman named Dilip Das (47) was hacked to death on March 9, 2025. The deceased's cousin Khokon Sarkar said, "Dilip Das was returning home with money and about 20 bhari gold in a bag after closing the shop as usual. But right in front of the shop, members of the robbers grabbed the bag from behind. When Dilip turned around, the attackers stabbed him with a machete. He was hacked in various parfts of his body including his face, chest, and fled in a private car with the bag." This is an incident of robbery and there is no connection of communal violence.

It is mentionable that 10 murder incidents were added to the January-February report of Oikya Parishad. But, this murder took place in March and it was also mentioned in the report. So, a total of 11 murder incident including Dilip Das were stated as communal in its January-February report.

Police crime statistics show that there were 294 murders in January and 300 in February, of which the Oikya Parishad has presented news of 11 Hindu victims in its report. In other words, they wanted to show the religious identity of the victim as "communal violence", without analyzing the reasons behind the killings. 

Above all, it can be said that the killings that the Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Oikya Parishad "wanted to show as communal violence", in reality, no communal reasons were found behind them. 

It is worth noting that in August 2024, the Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Oikya Parishad also had alleged nine Hindus were killed as part of "communal atrocities", and through an investigation by the Sweden-based investigative media Netra News showed that no truth was found in that claim either.