Hindu Freedom Fighter, Wife Murdered in Bangladesh; Awami League Blames Interim Regime for Rising Minority Attacks

A 75-year-old Hindu freedom fighter of the 1971 Liberation War, Jogesh Chandra Roy, and his wife Suborna Roy were found brutally murdered at their home in Rangpur, Bangladesh, their throats slit in what has sparked fresh alarm over rising attacks on minorities under the country’s interim administration.

The elderly couple, who lived alone, were discovered by neighbours on Sunday morning after repeated knocks went unanswered. Their bodies were found in separate rooms—Suborna in the kitchen and Jogesh in the dining area—according to reports from Bangladeshi media outlets including BSS and Prothom Alo.

Police say the killings took place around 1 am, but no arrests have been made, and no case had been filed as of Sunday afternoon. The couple’s two sons, both serving officers in the Bangladesh Police, were not present when the attack occurred.

Killing Sparks Outrage Amid Surging Minority Attacks

The murders come at a time when Bangladesh has witnessed a disturbing escalation in violence targeting religious minorities, particularly Hindus, since the ouster of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in August 2024. Rights groups say the situation has worsened under the interim regime led by Muhammad Yunus, with thousands of incidents of communal violence reported over the past year.

Awami League leader Mohammad Ali Arafat, now in exile, condemned the killings and accused Yunus’s administration of enabling anti-Hindu violence in partnership with Jamaat-e-Islami, a group long criticised for its anti-liberation stance.

“Freedom fighters in Bangladesh are facing humiliation, attacks and even killings under Yunus’s rule,” Arafat said, warning that veterans and minority communities are becoming increasingly vulnerable.

Investigation Underway, Motive Still Unknown

Police have said they found no record of disputes involving the Roy family and have not confirmed whether the murders were linked to robbery, communal tensions, or political targeting.

A forensic team has been deployed, and an autopsy has been ordered. Local freedom fighter groups and community leaders have demanded swift arrests, warning of protests if the case is not pursued urgently.

Minority Communities Under Pressure

Bangladesh has seen multiple violent incidents since 2024, including:

• Over 2,000 cases of communal attacks within weeks of Hasina’s ouster

• Nine Hindu deaths and dozens of temple attacks documented by the Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council

• Large-scale vandalism of Hindu homes and places of worship in several districts

• Mass Islamist protests demanding a ban on ISKCON

Despite this, interim leader Muhammad Yunus has dismissed reports of anti-Hindu violence as “exaggerated propaganda.”

The shocking murder of Jogesh Chandra Roy—himself a liberation war hero—has deepened fears among Hindu minorities, who say they increasingly feel unsafe in the absence of a fully functioning police force since the 2024 unrest, which saw dozens of officers lynched and many others disappear.

The killings now add to the growing pressure on the Bangladeshi interim government to restore law and order amid mounting international concern.