Another Hindu death in Bangladesh: Singer dies in judicial custody after alleged medical neglect

(FILES) A member of the Hindu Hitarakshana Vedike holds a placard during a protest at Freedom Park in Bengaluru on December 4, 2024, against the violence on Hindu minority community in Bangladesh. (Photo by Idrees MOHAMMED / AFP)

Amid the alarming spike in minority killings in Bangladesh, another disturbing incident has come to light in which a Hindu singer and cultural activist died while in judicial custody. According to reports, Proloy Chaki, a Hindu singer and district-level cultural secretary of Bangladesh’s Awami League, died on Sunday after he was allegedly denied medical attention during custody at Pabna Central Jail.

Chaki, who had several chronic health issues including diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, and serious eye problems, was taken to Pabna General Hospital after suffering a heart attack on January 9. He was later shifted to Rajshahi Medical College Hospital for further treatment, where he died around 9 pm on January 11.

The family of the deceased has blamed the jail authorities for the alleged medical negligence, claiming that delayed treatment and insufficient facilities contributed to Chaki’s death, reports Mathrubhumi.

Custodial Deaths of Awami League Leaders and Activists Continue Under Yunus….

Prolay Chaki, a music artist who had been arrested in a false case over an alleged attack on the anti-discrimination student movement and who was also the cultural affairs secretary of the Awami… pic.twitter.com/EhpNkZU4l0 — Mohammad Ali Arafat (@MAarafat71) January 12, 2026

The report by Mathrubhumi further quoted his son, Sani Chaki, a music director, alleging that his father’s condition worsened due to poor medical care at Pabna General Hospital and delays in shifting him to another facility. The Pabna District Jail Superintendent, Mohammad Omar Faruk, rejected the claim, saying Chaki was given prompt treatment once his health declined and pointing to his existing medical conditions.

Chaki was arrested on December 16, 2025, reportedly over his links to the Awami League, which is currently banned in Bangladesh. Human rights groups say his death reflects a wider pattern of custodial deaths in the country’s prisons. According to Ain o Salish Kendra, 107 people died in Bangladeshi jails in 2025, including 69 undertrial prisoners and 38 convicts. This was up from 65 deaths recorded in 2024.

The incident comes less than a week after a Hindu man, identified as Joy Mahapatro, was killed in Sunamganj district of Bangladesh. His family alleged that he was beaten and poised by a local, and he later succumbed to his injuries at Sylhet MAG Osmani Medical College Hospital.

Just days before Mahapatro's death, a Hindu businessman - who was also the acting editor of a newspaper - was fatally shot in the head by unidentified men in Jessore district of Bangladesh.

The spate of killings began on December 18, 2025 when Dipu Chandra Das was lynched by a mob, and his body was set on fire over alleged blasphemy in Mymensingh. Days later, another Hindu man, Amrit Mondal, was lynched over alleged extortion in Rajbari.

Khokon Chandra Das, a 50-year-old who ran a medicine and mobile banking business, was also brutally attacked and set on fire.

In recent weeks, Bangladesh has witnessed a significant surge in attacks on minorities even as the neighbouring nation prepares for its first parliamentary elections since the 2024 uprising that led to the fall of the Sheikh Hasina government.

India raises alarm

India has raised concern over a 'disturbing pattern' of repeated attacks on minorities in Bangladesh.

Speaking on the recurring attacks against minorities in the neighbouring nation, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal highlighting the need to deal with these incidents "swiftly and firmly".

"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," he said.

"We have also observed a troubling tendency to attribute such incidents to personal rivalries, political differences, or extraneous reasons. Such disregard only emboldens the extremists and the perpetrators of such crimes and deepens the sense of fear and insecurity among minorities," the MEA spokesperson added.