BNP candidate and freedom fighter Md Fazlur Rahman, who addressed concerns among minority voters and urged Hindus not to consider leaving Bangladesh during his campaign, has been elected from the Kishoreganj-4 constituency in the 13th National Parliament Election.
Rahman secured 132,472 votes, defeating his nearest rival, Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami candidate Md Rokan Reza Sheikh, who polled 57,829 votes.
In the simultaneous referendum held in the constituency, 99,267 voters cast ‘Yes’ votes, while 70,002 voted ‘No’.
During the campaign, Rahman had addressed concerns among minority voters amid reports of attacks on the Hindu community in parts of the country.
Referring to his role as a freedom fighter in 1971, he urged Hindus not to consider leaving Bangladesh.
“Never think about leaving your own country. I have always been beside you. I am a freedom fighter. I took training in the hills of Meghalaya and we freed our country from the clutches of Pakistan,” he had said at an election rally.
Recalling the violence of 1971, Rahman said villages in the area had witnessed massacres during the Liberation War and emphasised the need to protect communal harmony.
“In the body of Bangladesh there are two hands — one Muslim and another Hindu. If one hand is absent, it will be difficult for the other hand to survive,” he said, adding that he wanted to create an environment where no religious festival would require security arrangements.
Human rights groups, including the South Asia Forum for Freedom of Religion or Belief (SAFFoRB), documented at least 15 targeted murders of Hindus within a 45-day period beginning in late 2025.
On February 12, 28-year-old tea garden worker Ratan Shuvo Kar was found dead with his hands and legs tied in Moulvibazar district on the eve of polling.
On February 9, 62-year-old rice trader Sushen Chandra Sarkar was hacked to death with an axe inside his shop in Mymensingh. The attackers allegedly looted the shop before locking the shutters from outside.
In January, 23-year-old Chanchal Chandra Bhowmik was allegedly burnt alive while sleeping inside a garage in Narsingdi district.
On January 5, grocery shop owner Moni Chakraborty, 40, was murdered with sharp weapons while returning home from his shop in Palash upazila. On the same day, Rana Pratap Bairagi, an ice-factory owner and newspaper editor, was shot dead in Jashore.
Earlier, on January 3, Khokon Chandra Das, 50, succumbed to injuries in hospital after being stabbed and set on fire by attackers on New Year’s Eve in Shariatpur.
On December 18, 2025, garment factory worker Dipu Chandra Das was lynched in Mymensingh over unsubstantiated blasphemy allegations. His body was reportedly tied to a tree and set ablaze.
In another January incident, 28-year-old auto-rickshaw driver Samir Das was beaten to death in Feni district.
The incidents triggered concern among minority communities and rights groups, who called for swift investigations and enhanced protection measures ahead of the polls.
