In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, while evildoers and impostors will go from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived. But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, and how from infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.
(2 Timothy 3:12–15 NIV)
The Garo village of Jarultala in northern Bangladesh was rocked by a violent mob attack on 12 August, after inhabitants of a nearby village found the body of a missing Muslim man buried near a canal and used the discovery as a pretext for communal violence against ethnic Garo Christians.
Billal Hossain had been missing since 4 August. While police have begun investigations, the motive and circumstances of his death remain unclear.
Church leaders and residents described the assault as deliberate and targeted. According to local accounts, a large group of at least 500 people took part in the attack. Eleven homes were looted and one home was set on fire, leaving families to face fear and loss in the aftermath.
Father Lawrence Rebeiro is the parish priest of Mariamnagar Catholic Church in the Diocese of Mymensingh, which includes Jarultala village. He described the attack on the Indigenous community as planned, with significant losses: doors, furniture, televisions, and motorcycles were damaged, and livestock including cattle and goats were taken. Some families also reported losing the equivalent of US$4,000–5,000 in cash and clothing.
Several residents spoke of the intensity of the violence. Bikla Chiran, a villager, said attackers forced their way into her home, breaking locks and rummaging through cupboards and trunks: “They broke open our cupboards and trunks and scattered our belongings.” She added that household items including a refrigerator and other furniture were damaged.
The violence triggered panic across the area, disrupting daily life for a people already living with the vulnerability of being a religious and ethnic minority. For the families affected, the damage is not only visible in broken doors and scattered belongings but also felt in the lasting sense of insecurity.
“We are trying to help families to return to their agricultural work as it is the rice-planting season,” Father Lawrence stated in an interview with UCA News.
Police initially arrested 19 Jarultala residents after the incident. Fourteen were later released, while five remain in custody.
Church leaders have called for a thorough investigation and for measures to ensure the safety of residents. On 18 August, around 200 mostly ethnic minority Christians joined a protest rally in the capital, Dhaka. They demanded a probe into the attack and accused local authorities of siding with instigators and continuing to detain the five Garo Christians without proof of their connection to Hossain’s death.
家庭小組禱告
親愛的主，
We pray for your protection over your faithful sons and daughters in Bangladesh. Spare them from persecution and strengthen them in the face of violence and injustice. We particularly pray for the five Christians who remain in custody at this time and we pray that they may be released and returned to their families as quickly as possible.
We ask that you would grant wisdom to those in authority over these matters and we pray that they may be fair and just in their investigations.
And we thank you for the local Catholic priests and nuns who are serving the Christians of Bangladesh. Embolden them by the power of your Holy Spirit to continue their good work.
All this we ask in the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Saviour.
阿門。