Burnt to death: 7-year-old girl killed as BNP leader’s house set on fire in Bangladesh

The incident occurred around 1:00 am at the residence of Belal Hossain, a local businessman and assistant organising secretary of the Bhabaniganj Union unit of the BNP, police told The Daily Star.

Belal’s daughter, Ayesha Akter, 7, died in the blaze at West Char Mansa village under Bhabaniganj Union, Officer-in-Charge (OC) of Lakshmipur Sadar Model Thana Md Wahid Parvez said.

Belal Hossain and his two other daughters—Salma Akter, 16, and Samia Akter, 14—sustained severe burn injuries. Belal is undergoing treatment at Lakshmipur Sadar Hospital, while the two teenage girls have been shifted to Dhaka for advanced medical care.

Sharing details of the attack, Belal’s mother, Hazera Begum, told The Daily Star that she woke up around 1:00 am after noticing flames engulfing her son’s tin-shed house.

“I ran outside screaming but found both doors locked from the outside. I couldn’t enter,” she said. “Eventually, my son managed to break the door and escape. His wife, Nazma, also got out with their four-month-old infant and six-year-old son.”

She said Belal’s three daughters were asleep in one of the rooms. “Two of them were rescued with severe burns, but the youngest, Ayesha, was burnt to death inside. Belal was also badly injured.”

Dr Arup Pal, residential medical officer of Lakshmipur Sadar Hospital, told the newspaper that Belal and his two daughters were brought to the emergency department around 2:00 am.

“Belal Hossain has been admitted here, while the two girls were referred to the National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery in Dhaka as their condition is critical,” he said, adding that 50–60 per cent of their bodies were burnt.

Police said an investigation is underway to determine who carried out the attack and the motive behind it.

The incident comes amid growing concerns over law and order in Bangladesh following a series of violent attacks, including the recent lynching of a Hindu man in Mymensingh district.

Investigators probing the killing of Dipu Chandra Das, a 25-year-old Hindu man lynched over alleged blasphemy, have found no evidence that he made any remarks hurting religious sentiments, officials said.

Das was beaten to death by a mob outside a garment factory in Bhaluka after rumours spread that he had made derogatory comments about Islam. His body was later hung from a tree and set on fire, with videos of the incident circulating widely on social media.

A company commander of the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) told The Daily Star that investigators found no proof that Das posted offensive content on Facebook or made blasphemous remarks.

“Local residents and his colleagues could not point to any such activity,” the officer said. “No one has been found who personally heard or saw him hurting religious sentiments.”

According to media reports, rumours alleging that Das had insulted Prophet Muhammad spread rapidly, triggering anger among factory workers. Officials said that when tensions escalated, Das was pushed out of the factory premises in an attempt to protect the establishment.

He was then assaulted by the mob with sticks and locally made weapons before being hanged from a tree on the Dhaka–Mymensingh highway median and set ablaze.

So far, at least 10 people have been arrested in connection with the killing.