SHAH ALAM – A senator has questioned why the government has yet to issue a clear statement following a series of mob killings targeting Hindus in Bangladesh, where victims have been stabbed and their bodies set on fire.
Datuk Sivaraj Chandran stated that these incidents reflected a serious collapse of law and order and raised concerns regarding the wider implications of such violence going unaddressed.
He highlighted cases of extreme brutality, describing the stabbing and burning of victims as evidence of a severe breakdown in governance.
“These acts occur when violence takes the place of due process and when institutions fail to prevent collective anger from escalating into deliberate killings,” he said.
Sivaraj stressed that the situation cannot be viewed in isolation, noting that Bangladesh is part of a shared regional landscape.
“When mob violence is permitted to take place, it weakens confidence in governance and undermines stability beyond national borders,” he said.
Against this backdrop, the senator questioned Malaysia’s silence on the matter, urging the country to remain consistent with its stated commitment to human rights and humanitarian principles.
“It is therefore reasonable to ask why Malaysia has yet to issue a clear statement on what has occurred. Malaysia has, in the past, spoken firmly on international issues involving civilian suffering and violations of human dignity. These principles should not be applied selectively," he added.
Sivaraj clarified that his remarks were not intended to assign blame or politicise the tragedy, but rather to reaffirm fundamental human values.
"This is not a call to assign blame, nor to politicise tragedy.
“It is a call to reaffirm a basic truth: that no grievance, no accusation and no collective anger can justify the killing of a human being without trial. When the world remains silent, violence learns that it can repeat itself," he said.
He urged both the government and civil society to respond, arguing that Malaysia’s moral standing depends on its willingness to speak out when humanity is at stake.
According to reports, a Hindu man was allegedly killed in Bangladesh on Monday night, marking the second such fatality within 24 hours.
The victim, 40-year-old grocery shop owner Sarat Mani Chakraborty, was assaulted with sharp weapons at a public market in the Narsingdi district at approximately 10pm. He later succumbed to his injuries.
Earlier that day, Rana Pratap, 45, a factory owner and acting editor of a local newspaper in the Jashore district, was reportedly shot in the head and had his throat slit by assailants.
These killings were allegedly part of a growing trend of violent attacks against minorities, particularly Hindus, who comprise roughly seven per cent of Bangladesh’s population.