A man described as a pir was beaten and hacked to death after a mob attacked his shrine in Daulatpur upazila of Kushtia over allegations of blasphemy. The attackers also vandalized the site and set parts of it on fire. The incident occurred around 2:30 pm on Saturday in Philipnagar village under Philipnagar Union.

The victim was identified as Shamim Reza, also known as Jahangir, son of the late Jesher Ali from the same village. According to local sources, he completed his education in Dhaka and worked as a teacher before returning home and establishing a shrine.

Kushtia Superintendent of Police Mohammad Jasim Uddin confirmed the incident around 4:45 pm. He said a video of the victim containing remarks considered offensive to Islam had recently spread on social media, although it was recorded long ago. The circulation of the video triggered anger among locals, who later carried out the attack. Police initially rescued him, but they were outnumbered by the crowd and failed to control the situation, leading to his death.

The police official added that the situation is now calm, with a large number of law enforcement personnel deployed. Authorities are investigating how the old video resurfaced. He also said he was heading to the scene.

Police records show that a case was filed against Shamim Reza in May 2021 at Daulatpur Police Station on charges including hurting religious sentiments. He was arrested and sent to jail at the time. After being released following a long period, he allegedly resumed similar activities.

Local residents claimed that he had made derogatory comments about the Holy Quran in public, which hurt the sentiments of religious Muslims. Tensions had been building in the area since the morning over these allegations. Police were present at the scene, but before the situation could be controlled, angry locals attacked the shrine, vandalized it, and set it on fire.