A Hindu Matua community village in Bareda Para of Dahramsiahati village in Abhaynagar upazila of Jessore was attacked on Thursday (May 22, 2025), burning down 18 houses, vandalizing and looting them while a religious festival was underway. The incident is alleged to have been over the murder of a local BNP leader.
Located within the Beel (watershed) of the Bhabadah region, the village is home to a minority Hindu community, most of whom are from the Hindu Matua community. On Thursday evening, Tariqul Islam Sardar, president of the Nawa Para Municipal Krishak Dal in the same upazila, was killed in the village. It is reported that the attack, looting and arson of houses took place in the context of that incident.
Located within the Beel (watershed) of the Bhabadah region, the village is home to a minority Hindu community, most of whom are from the Hindu Matua community. On Thursday evening, Tariqul Islam Sardar, president of the Nawa Para Municipal Krishak Dal in the same upazila, was killed in the village. It is reported that the attack, looting and arson of houses took place in the context of that incident.
It was learned from talking to police, journalists and locals that a meal was being prepared for about five to six hundred people on the occasion of the annual yagna of the Hindu Matua community that day. In the meantime, the attack took place. The houses in this village have been burning in the fire for about four hours. There is still no electricity connection in the village. However, even after three days, no case has been filed in the murder and attack, said Abhaynagar Police Station Officer-in-Charge Md. Abdul Alim. The family of the deceased has not yet filed a case in the murder.
The police have not filed any case in the attack. No one has been arrested. The police said that the investigation is still ongoing. Meanwhile, even though it has been more than two days since the attack, the people of that community are still living in fear. The victims said that they are not staying at their homes at night. They are staying at the homes of relatives in nearby villages. However, the OC of Abhaynagar police station claims that the law and order situation is good now. The police have claimed that there is no political connection with this.
How did the incident begin?
Local journalists said that Tariqul Islam Sardar, the president of the Nawapara Municipal Farmers’ Party, had a business relationship with a person from the minority community of Bareda Para for a fish enclosure.
The Bhabadah area in Jessore has been a waterlogged area for a long time. The two of them jointly owned this fish enclosure there.
The deceased Mr. Sardar wanted to take the lease of the fish enclosure in the context of the political change after August 5. The conflict between the two started over this incident.
Local journalist Sazed Rahman Bakul told BBC Bangla, “On the day of the murder, the person told Tariqul that he would write a fish enclosure. It is alleged that Tariqul called him and said that he would take him away by making a deed (contract).”
The deceased Tariqul went to Bareda Para before Thursday evening. At some point in the evening, the murder occurred.
The OC of Abhaynagar Police Station told BBC Bangla that the murder took place around a fish enclosure and that the arson, looting and vandalism followed. After news of Tariqul Islam’s murder spread, his supporters set fire to houses in the Bareda neighborhood, along with looting and vandalism.
What victims are saying-
The house in Bareda Para where the murder is alleged to have taken place is quite a distance from the other houses that were set on fire, but those houses were also attacked later. On Thursday evening, when the Municipal Krishak Dal President Mr. Sardar was killed, the annual religious yagna festival of the Matua community was going on in the neighboring house. The three-day festival was supposed to last from Thursday to Saturday. A meal was arranged for five to six hundred people on the occasion of the yagna.
The house of Manab Biswas, a resident of the same village, was also burnt, looted and vandalised. “They took over one lakh taka in cash, a gold chain. They vandalised the TV and fridge. They have become completely useless. They also vandalised the cupboard and dressing table. Then they set fire to my house,” said Mr. Biswas. He said that a total of 18 houses in the village were burnt down. The murder took place at approximately 6:10 pm and the fire was set at 6:45 pm, he said. Although the fire burned for about four hours, Mr. Biswas claimed that the local administration and fire service arrived after 11 pm.
“After setting the fire, no one from the administration came for almost four hours. Whether they could come or not is their business. They have been looting and setting fire for four hours,” said Mr. Biswas. He said that no one understood the killings due to the sound of microphones and drums due to the yagna that day. Later, when two or three women came running from that neighborhood, everyone came to know about the killings. But in the meantime, hundreds of people started attacking the village. However, initially the villagers were in their own houses, but when the fire started, they took shelter in the fields around the beel (Watershed) to save their lives.
Mr. Biswas said, “There was cooking going on for five to six hundred people. They launched the first attack there. They overturned the cooking pots and pans. They started beating everyone, from women to the elderly.” Mr. Biswas alleged that everyone who came to join the festival was beaten. Later, the attackers also allegedly looted and vandalized several shops in the nearby Sundali Bazaar.
Anxiety and panic don’t go away-
Three houses in the house of another resident of the same village, retired headmaster of Hatgachha Secondary School, Bikash Chandra Biswas, were also set on fire. His elderly mother was present at the house at the time. Mr. Biswas had gone to a house in a neighboring village for a party. He said that his elderly mother had requested the attackers not to take their belongings and set the house on fire. But the attackers threatened to burn him too at that time. “My mother was at home. She was saying, ‘What did they do with a stick and then set it on fire. They set it on fire with gunpowder,'” said Mr. Biswas. At that time, four to five people had burned three houses in their house. “The old man, my mother, was telling me to take everything, don’t burn it. They were beating and abusing me. They were saying, ‘I will burn you too,'” said Mr. Biswas. The teacher said that he is still not staying at home due to fear.
“I am in panic after the house was burnt down. I don’t stay at home at night because of fear. I go here and there to my relatives’ houses. I only come home during the day. Now I am wondering how long I can go on like this,” said Mr. Biswas. He claimed that three Bhari (34.8 grams) of jewelry and 50,000 taka in cash were looted from his house. He said that despite the police’s assurances, the panic has not subsided.
As a reason, he said, “Nobody respects the authority of the police. On the day of the incident, the police were also prevented from entering by barricading the road. The fire service was also prevented. Later, the army came…. and later a fire service team from Mariampur came and put out some of the fire.” Later, he said, the Superintendent of Police and Upazila Executive Officer visited the scene. The 18 affected people were given 16 pieces of tin, 30 kg of rice and a check of 6,000 taka from the Upazila Executive Officer’s office. In addition, two blankets were also given.
What the police are saying-
Police have confirmed that the incident of setting houses on fire in Baredapara was triggered by the murder of Municipal Krishak Dal President Tariqul Islam Sardar. However, the police claim that this incident is not a political incident. Abhaynagar Police Station OC Mr. Alim told BBC Bangla, “This is not a political violence. There is a fish enclosure next to it. The murder occurred due to that fish enclosure.” He said that at least 15 to 20 houses were set on fire. The police officer said that no one has filed a complaint with the police station so far. However, the police are in the process of legal proceedings, claimed Mr. Alim. Asked whether the police will file a case, he said, “We will take action as per the provisions of the law. We will continue our activities subject to investigation.” He said that police patrols have been strengthened for the safety of the villagers.
The farmers’ party suspects political animosity-
Although the murder was initially believed to be a business dispute, Jessore District Krishak Dal President Professor Maqbul Hossain has called on the law enforcement agencies to investigate whether the murder was politically motivated. Mr. Maqbul told BBC Bangla, “We initially thought it was a business matter. But since there are 17 cases against Tariqul from the Awami League era.” “That is why we have demanded that the administration thoroughly investigate whether a third party has acted politically behind the issue of the business matter,” said Mr. Maqbul. But when asked about the allegations that BNP leaders and activists had set fire to and looted the houses of Hindus, Mr. Maqbul said, “When a person is killed, it is difficult to understand what the agitated crowd did from any side. However, we have heard of one or two houses being set on fire.”
The deceased Tariqul was also stabbed after being shot and had 34 stab wounds on his body. And because of this brutality of the murder, people got excited and started arson, Mr. Maqbul claimed. However, later, the central leaders of Khulna divisional BNP came to know about the incident and controlled the situation, Mr. Maqbul claimed. Mr. Maqbul claimed that the arson was committed only in the house where the murder took place, not in the place of the Matua community’s yagna festival. Since those who committed the murder are strangers, he said that the family is still delaying in filing a case so that the law enforcement agencies can identify the real killers.
Hindu leaders are not afraid of the situation deteriorating-
Since August 5, there have been allegations of torture, arson and looting of Hindus in Bangladesh at various places. In such a context, India expressed concern about the security of minority communities in Bangladesh. In the first few months of the interim government, a conflict arose with India on this issue. The Bangladesh government has repeatedly denied these allegations. In such a context, the incident in Abhaynagar, Jessore, will further complicate the situation, said Dipankar Das Ratan, president of the Puja Udjavan Parishad of Jessore district.
Dipankar Das Ratan told BBC Bangla, “The biggest problem is that the electricity connection system has not been repaired yet. Naturally, when it gets dark, they are traumatized and panicked. That is why the problem is that they do not have the courage to return home.” He said that the situation is gradually returning to normal. He said that he visited the village with the Deputy Commissioner and the Superintendent of Police on Sunday afternoon to allay the panic of the villagers. News Source–BBC Bengali. More details in the Video.
