Minor Sourabh Chandra Roy Dragged Into Mosque and Brutally Beaten Over Alleged Theft Charge in Kaliganj, Police Accused of Shielding Key Perpetrators as Journalist Faces Backlash for Exposing Assault

On 27th August, minor Sourabh Chandra Roy was allegedly dragged inside the Chaparhat Al-Hera Jame Masjid in Kaliganj under Lalmonirhat District of Bangladesh after being accused of theft, a charge his family, local residents and local journalist Assaduzzaman Sazu describe as fabricated.

Sourabh was tied up and beaten before being untied, dragged to the mosque verandah and subjected to another brutal assault. Photographs and accounts of the incident indicate multiple visible injuries.

But Sourabh’s own words are perhaps the most disturbing account of all.

“They tortured me brutally after confirming my Hindu identity,” he told L News while showing some of his injuries.

As of 30th August, police have not made any arrests of the alleged principal perpetrators and only one accomplice has been detained. Sourabh’s family and local residents have further alleged that sections of the police are shielding the principal accused and attempting to derail the case.

Overcome with grief, Sourabh’s mother Shantona Rani sobbed :

“There is no one here to provide us justice.”

Journalist Asaduzzaman Sazu, who brought the incident into public view, is facing intense social-media backlash. His critics accused him of being “a disgrace in the name of a Muslim,” of “hurting religious sentiments,” and of “provoking local Muslims.”

This is precisely where the international human-rights community must stop treating such incidents as isolated local disturbances. Bangladeshi Hindus do not need sympathy after every attack. They need equal protection under the law.

The international community should not wait until Bangladesh’s minorities are reduced to statistics, scattered families and abandoned homes.