Bangladesh: Devotees Attack Man at Sufi Shrine, Killing Him After He Resists Mob

Image: Jihad Watch

Once a bustling site of devotion, the shrine of Nura Pagla now lies silent and desolate. For nearly two months, the sacred grounds have been sealed off as a crime scene, following a violent mob attack on September 5 that claimed the life of a devoted follower and left dozens injured in the Rajbari district. What was once a center of spiritual gatherings, echoing with chants and prayers, now stands eerily empty, a stark testament to the tragedy that unfolded.

The assault was carried out by a group calling themselves Touhidi Janata, meaning “Believers in the Oneness of God.” Amid the chaos, Russel Molla, a 32-year-old van driver, was beaten to death as he, along with roughly 200 other devotees, attempted to defend the shrine from the attackers. The brutality left the local community shaken and mourning, highlighting the escalating threat to spiritual and religious spaces in Bangladesh.

This attack on Nura Pagla’s shrine is not an isolated incident but part of a broader pattern of assaults targeting Muslim Sufi shrines and followers across the country. Since August 2024, following the student-led uprising that toppled Bangladesh’s longest-serving secular government, the Awami League, human rights organizations report that more than 100 shrines have faced attacks, vandalism, or desecration.

The violence escalated further after Friday’s Jumma prayers, when the mob exhumed and burned the body of Nura Pagla, the revered Sufi saint who had been laid to rest only two weeks prior at the age of 85. Disturbing video footage of this desecration quickly circulated online, provoking widespread national and international condemnation.

With special permission from senior police officials, this reporter visited the shrine complex, encountering a haunting scene: burnt clothing, shattered furniture, and scattered personal belongings littered the area surrounding the empty grave of Nura Pagla, offering a grim reminder of the brutality that had occurred. Where incense once perfumed the air and devotees gathered in reverent meditation, now a platoon of police officers stands guard, a solemn barrier between peace and unrest.

Experts warn that the surge in intra-Muslim conflicts reflects deeper social and political fissures. Similar mobs have also attacked Hindu homes, temples, and businesses, with many incidents appearing to be politically motivated and orchestrated by extremist factions seeking to inflame communal tensions.

(This Article was originally published by Jihad Watch)