Bangladesh police on the hunt for arsonists after Hindu-owned house torched, announce reward

Bangladesh police have announced a reward for information leading to the identification and arrest of attackers who set fire to a Hindu-owned house near the southeastern port city of Chattogram, as incidents of mob violence and arson continue to raise alarm in the country’s changed political landscape.

Chattogram Range Deputy Inspector General Ahsan Habib offered the reward on Wednesday night during a visit to the burned house of Shukh Shil and Anil Shil, expatriate workers based in Qatar, in the Raozan area on the outskirts of the city, according to Ittefaq newspaper. The amount of the bounty was not disclosed.

According to police and media reports, unidentified miscreants set the house on fire late on Tuesday night. All eight members of the two families escaped unharmed, though the property was extensively damaged.

Family members said they woke up in the predawn hours after sensing heat and smoke but initially could not exit as the doors had been locked from outside. They eventually escaped by cutting through tin sheets and bamboo fencing surrounding the house.

The incident is part of a series of arson attacks targeting Hindu households in the Raozan area over the past week. Citing police sources, The Business Standard reported that houses belonging to seven Hindu families were burned in three localities within five days.

Raozan Police Station officer-in-charge Sajedul Islam said five suspects have been arrested so far, while raids and manhunts are continuing to trace others. Police have also formed a special security team to enhance safety in the affected neighbourhoods.

Authorities said meetings have been held with local community leaders and influential residents to promote interfaith harmony and encourage vigilance against perpetrators of what police described as “heinous crimes”.

The attacks come against the backdrop of heightened concern over mob violence across Bangladesh. Last week, a mob lynched 28-year-old Hindu factory worker Dipu Chandra Das in central Mymensingh over allegations of defaming religion. Police said at least 12 people have been arrested in that case. The interim government led by Muhammad Yunus has said it will take responsibility for the welfare of Das’s minor child, wife and parents.

Concerns have further intensified following the death of Sharif Osman Hadi, a leader of Inqilab Mancha, who succumbed to gunshot injuries in a Singapore hospital days after being shot by masked assailants in Dhaka. On the same evening, mobs set fire to offices of the Daily Star and Prothom Alo, and attacked cultural institutions Chhayanot and Udichi Shilpi Goshti.

In a statement on Tuesday, Yunus’s office said that “allegations, rumours or differences of belief can never excuse violence,” asserting that no individual has the right to take the law into their own hands.

Rights group Ain o Salish Kendra has said at least 184 people were killed in mob violence across Bangladesh in 2025, while Amnesty International this week condemned the trend and urged the interim government to ensure accountability through fair trials.

International media have also flagged the situation. American publication The New York Times earlier noted that the ouster of former prime minister Sheikh Hasina in the July Uprising created a political vacuum that allowed radical forces to gain ground, while The Guardian on Wednesday ran an analysis warning of fading hopes amid rising street violence.