An 'pir' (spiritual leader) was beaten and hacked to death during an attack on his shrine in Kushtia over accusations of insulting religion. The shrine was also vandalised and set on fire.

The incident occurred around 2:30 pm on Saturday in Philipnagar village of Philipnagar union in Daulatpur upazila.

The deceased was identified as Shamim Reza, also known as Jahangir. Local sources said he was the son of the late Jesher Ali of Philipnagar village.

He had completed his studies in Dhaka and worked as a teacher before returning to his village, where he set up a shrine.