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Who was the man seen near the shop before a Hindu youth was burnt to death in Bangladesh’s Narsingdi? CCTV footage has now surfaced, prompting police to probe whether the deadly fire was caused deliberately.
Hindu youth burnt to death in Bangladesh
New Delhi: A 25-year-old Hindu man, Chanchal Bhowmik, was burnt to death in Bangladesh’s Narsingdi district late Friday night, with CCTV footage now emerging as a key lead in the investigation. Police confirmed that surveillance cameras captured a person moving suspiciously near the site shortly before the deadly fire broke out.
Bhowmik was asleep inside a garage-shop when the blaze erupted. Fire service officials rushed to the location after receiving an alert, but by the time they broke open the shutter, the fire had already engulfed the structure. His body was later found completely charred inside the shop.
Narsingdi Police Superintendent Abdullah Al Faruque said investigators have secured CCTV footage that shows an unidentified individual loitering near the shop around the time of the incident.
“We have collected footage from the CCTV cameras and observed a scene showing a person moving around the area. We are investigating whether the fire was caused by some external factor or by an electrical fault,” Faruque told news agency ANI.
Police officials said the fire originated from inside the shop, a detail that has intensified scrutiny over the possibility of arson. The suspect seen in the footage is yet to be identified, and authorities are examining whether the individual is directly linked to the fire.
Despite the suspicious CCTV visuals, no arrests have been made so far. Police said forensic analysis and witness statements are being gathered to establish whether the fire was accidental or deliberately set. “We are investigating all angles,” the Superintendent said, adding that nothing has been ruled out at this stage.
The killing has reignited concerns over the safety of Hindu minorities in Bangladesh, amid a series of violent incidents reported in recent months. In December, a Hindu man named Dipu Chandra Das was lynched, tied to a tree, and set on fire over blasphemy rumours that were later proven false.
In another case in Narsingdi, a 40-year-old Hindu grocery shop owner was killed after being attacked with a sharp weapon by unidentified assailants. Similarly, in Naogaon district, a Hindu man, Mithun Sarkar, died after jumping into water while fleeing a mob accusing him of theft, police said.
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Bangladesh is facing heightened political volatility ahead of national elections scheduled for February 12, 2026. With rising communal tensions and concerns over law and order, minority protection has become a growing domestic and international issue.
According to police data shared earlier this month by Chief Adviser Mohammad Yunus, 645 incidents involving minority communities were reported across the country in 2025, with 71 identified as communal in nature. The Indian government has repeatedly voiced concern over the security of minorities in Bangladesh.
