Fire breaks out at Hindu school teacher’s home in Bangladesh

DHAKA: A fire incident occurred at a Hindu household in Gowainghat, in the Sylhet district of eastern Bangladesh. The fire broke out at the house of Bikash Ranjan Deb, a teacher at Gowainghat High School, at 3.50pm (local time) on Thursday.

After inspecting the site, police sub-inspector Didar said over the phone that the fire broke out due to an electrical short circuit. The homeowner, Bikash Ranjan Deb, also informed the police that he has no personal or family enemies and that the area is inhabited by both Hindus and Muslims living in harmony. Therefore, he believes the incident was purely an accident caused by the short circuit.

Much like how Hindu homes were earmarked and selectively targeted in West Bengal’s Murshidabad, another chilling, targeted attack on a Hindu family has taken place in Bangladesh.

The house of teacher Birendra Kumar Dey (“Jhunu Sir”) in Gowainghat, Sylhet has been set on fire,… pic.twitter.com/iYcZNGJk0s

— Amit Malviya (@amitmalviya) January 16, 2026

After the fire, the police from Gowainghat visited Bikash Ranjan Deb’s home and spoke with him. They recorded a video of the conversation and in the footage, Bikash Ranjan Deb mentions that about 5 million takas’ worth of belongings were burned in the fire. However, he does not blame anyone for the incident, as he believes he has no enemies.

He thinks the fire started from an electrical short circuit. Thanks to the help of local residents and the fire service, the fire was brought under control, preventing further damage. The incident comes as a wave of communal violence cases have gripped the nation.

Ministry of External Affairs Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal spoke on the recurring attacks taking place against minorities in Bangladesh, highlighting the need to deal with these incidents “swiftly and firmly”. He made the remarks during the weekly press briefing.

Responding to a query on the attacks on minorities in Bangladesh, the MEA Spokesperson said, “We continue to witness a disturbing pattern of recurring attacks on minorities as well as their homes and businesses by extremists in Bangladesh. Such communal incidents need to be dealt with swiftly and firmly”. (ANI)