A land dispute in the northern part of Bangladesh escalated into violence on Monday, 26th January, resulting in the death of an elderly Hindu man in a clash with his neighbours in Kurigram district. The killing has again highlighted worries about the security of minority groups and the way in which crimes committed against minorities are classified by the authorities.
The man who lost his life has been identified as Madhu Chandra Shil, who was 60 to 62 years old. He resided in Joydev Malsabari village in Umar Majid Union of Rajarhat upazila in Bangladesh. According to media reports, he had been involved in a dispute with his Muslim neighbour, Abed Ali, over the boundary of their joint land for several years.
#Bangladesh: The killing of an elderly Hindu man in Kurigram has once again highlighted growing concerns over the safety of religious minorities in Bangladesh, amid a series of violent incidents reported in recent months.
Madhu Chandra Shil (62) was killed on Monday after being… pic.twitter.com/pqQ2r2bDv6
— DD News (@DDNewslive) January 28, 2026
Dispute turns violent while planting saplings
Family members said tensions flared on Monday afternoon at around 12:30 pm when Madhu Shil was planting saplings in front of his house. This reportedly upset his neighbours. Ashraf Ali, the son of Abed Ali, objected to the planting and asked Shil to stop.
According to Shrishti Rani, the wife of Shil’s son, the situation quickly worsened when Abed Ali uprooted the newly planted saplings. An argument broke out soon after. “Ashraf Ali, his wife, Lucky Begum, and some others pushed my father-in-law during the argument,” she said. “He lost balance and fell on a cemented structure near a tube well.”
A 62-year-old Hindu man, Madhu Chandra Shil, was killed in Kurigram, #Bangladesh, after being allegedly pushed during a land dispute in #Rajarhatupazila. Police have arrested the main accused, while others involved are yet to be detained. pic.twitter.com/1VxD9PiTNL
— All India Radio News (@airnewsalerts) January 28, 2026
Shil collapsed and was immediately taken to Kurigram General Hospital by locals, where doctors declared him dead on arrival. His body was later returned to the village, leaving the local Hindu community in shock and grief.
Police action and arrest
Police officials reached the spot on the same day. A group of police officials, led by Rajarhat Police Station Officer-in-Charge Abdul Wadud, retrieved the body and sent it to the Kurigram morgue for a post-mortem examination.
In the initial investigation, Ashraf Ali was arrested and taken into custody. “We are treating this as a serious criminal case,” said a police official. “Legal action is being taken under the relevant sections of the law.”
Madhu Shil’s family has demanded strict punishment for those responsible. His son, Palash Shil, said the family is devastated by the loss. “My father was a simple, innocent man,” he said. “We want justice so that something like this does not happen to anyone else.”
The land dispute had been going on for several years, according to the villagers. They also think that if the local administration had intervened in time, the situation would not have escalated to violence.
Minority groups express concern
The death has caused a stir in the minority rights groups, who claim that incidents like this are a manifestation of the insecurity faced by minorities in Bangladesh, particularly in the rural areas, where land disputes are common.
Manindra Kumar Nath, the acting general secretary of the Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council, said that the death should not be treated as an isolated incident. “This death again proves how insecure minority communities are,” he said. “The administrative inaction led to the escalation of the long-pending dispute into violence.”
He stressed that while punishing the accused is important, authorities must also examine why no preventive steps were taken earlier. “Without accountability, this will become just another number,” he warned.
