What TV doesn't, print can't; we deliver.
What TV doesn't, print can't; we deliver.
In two separate corners of Bangladesh, within days of each other, the rule of law was tested and found wavering.
One man was beaten for trying to stop illegal bird hunting. A minority family was attacked for protesting vandalism.
Different districts. Different triggers but the same message that intimidation works when enforcement hesitates.
These are not isolated disturbances.
Ashok Mistri, the son of Lakkhan Mistri and a resident of Ward No. 7 of Askar village under Agailjhara Upazila of Barisal District had objected to illegal bird hunting near a fish enclosure in the Askar Sakkin area on February 21.
He saw individuals attempting to hunt migratory birds unlawfully and decided to intervene. Ashok was brutally assaulted by Milon Hawlader, Faku Hawlader and their two unidentified accomplices. He sustained serious injuries and was admitted to the Upazila Health Complex. A written complaint has been filed.
What unfolded in Ward No. 27 of Sylhet City Corporation under the Gotatikor Paittypara area on 20th February carries even graver implications.
Four members of the Ray family : Rajesh, Rahul, their elderly mother, and Rahul’s wife Laboni, allege that a group of Islamists led by individuals described in the complaint as Jamaat-e-Islami–affiliated local strongmen had forcibly entered their home and assaulted them.
Those named in the complaint include Sunam Ahmad, Akhtar Ahmad, Siraj Ahmad, Enam Ahmad, Khusrau and Rumel Mia.
According to the complaint, the confrontation began when Rajesh Ray objected to a 12-year-old Muslim boy damaging his motorcycle seat with a blade. That should have ended the matter.
Instead, after Iftar, a group reportedly attacked the Ray residence and neighboring houses. The complaint states that communal remarks were made during the assault, including the assertion that being a Hindu in a country of 90% Muslims means a life without basic human dignity.
The attack reportedly continued for nearly two hours.
These incidents do not occur in a vacuum.
Hindu Voice has documented 82 instances of atrocities against Hindus during November–December 2025, directly affecting 317 victims. In January 2026 alone, a further 51 incidents were recorded. At least 31 Hindus were killed across those three months.
The Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council has documented 522 communally motivated attacks against Hindus in 2025.
Even allowing for case-by-case verification, the scale is undeniable. The numbers describe not sporadic tension, but sustained vulnerability.
In that context, the assaults at Sylhet and Barishal fit a documented trajectory.
And trajectories, if unchecked, become norms.
Bangladesh’s Constitution guarantees equality before the law and protection of life, property, and faith. Those are not ceremonial assurances. They are operational obligations.
Transparent investigations are not optional. Arrests cannot be selective. Minority security cannot be reactive.
