POBNEWS24, Dhaka Jan 18, 2026 : A Hindu sweet shopkeeper was beaten to death in Kaliganj, Gazipur, Bangladesh, on the pretext that the food and sweets in his shop would not be halal if there was a picture of the god Thakur. The murderers were parents and children from the same family.
The deceased shopkeeper was named Liton Chandra Ghosh (55). He was locally known as ‘Kali Moira’.
He is the owner of Baishakhi Sweetmeat and Hotel located on Baranagar Road, adjacent to Kaliganj Municipality.
According to eyewitnesses and the victim’s family, Kali Moira was attacked and died on the spot when she stepped forward to protect a teenage Hindu shop worker who was being beaten up on Saturday at around 11 am. According to the victim’s family and local eyewitnesses, a radical Islamist youth named Masum Mia (28) went to the Baisakhi Sweetmeat and Hotel at that time. Since the owner of the shop was a Hindu, it was natural for him to keep a picture of the god Thakur in the shop. Masum Mia told Ananta Das (17), an employee of the shop, “No picture of the god Thakur can be kept in this shop. Then the sweets and other food in the shop will become haram. Haram food cannot be sold in a Muslim country.” When Ananta, a Hindu employee of the shop, protested this, Masum started arguing with him. At one point, Masum Mia told shopkeeper Ananta Das, “You are a Hindu, your owner is also a Hindu. You have kept a picture of the god Thakur in the shop from a Muslim country, and how dare you argue face to face with a Muslim? I am going to kill you for being a Hindu.” Saying this, Masum Mia started beating Ananta indiscriminately.
Almost as soon as the beating started, Masum’s father Swapan Mia (55) and mother Majeda Khatun (45) arrived at the spot and started beating shopkeeper Ananta Das along with their son. Then, when shopkeeper Kali Moira came forward to calm the situation and protect her employee, the three of them started beating her severely.
Eyewitnesses said that at one stage, they hit Kali Ghosh on the head with a shovel. He fell down on the spot. He was seriously injured and could not stand up. He died instantly.
Immediately after the incident, the local crowd arrested the three attackers and handed them over to the police. The arrested persons are Mohammad Swapan Mia (55), Majeda Khatun (45) and Masum Mia (28). Their homes are in Baligaon area of Kaliganj upazila.
This brutal murder has created deep shock and anger in the area. There is extreme insecurity and panic among the local Hindu community.
Kaliganj Police Station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Md. Zakir Hossain told reporters, “The three involved were taken into police custody immediately after the incident. The body of the deceased has been recovered. Preparations are underway to take legal action in this regard.”
The public beating of a Hindu businessman over a communal issue has once again raised questions about the safety of minorities. The victim’s family claims that the attack was premeditated and carried out out of hatred. Locals know that Masum’s entire family believes in radical Islamic ideology. They have previously created communal provocations by creating trouble with several Hindu families over various issues.
