An angry mob attacked, vandalised and set fire to the den of a pir in Kushtia’s Daulatpur upazila on Saturday, leaving the pir dead and at least four others injured.

The deceased is Abdur Rahman Shamim, 65, pir of the Shamim Baba’r Durbar Sharif in Philipnagar union of the upazila.

The violence was reportedly triggered by unrest over the pir’s alleged controversial remarks about the Quran that circulated on social media.

The incident occurred at about noon in the Darogar Mor area, where tension had been building since morning.

According to locals, a video clip circulated on social media earlier in the day allegedly showed Shamim making remarks considered controversial about the Quran. The footage quickly spread, triggering anger among a section of people.

Witnesses said that a crowd later gathered at the Durbar Sharif, carried out vandalism and set parts of the structure on fire, causing extensive damage and leaving Shamim and several others injured on the spot.

Locals rescued the injured people and took them to Daulatpur Upazila Health Complex, where doctors declared Shamim dead on arrival.

Daulatpur upazila health and family planning officer Touhidul Hasan Tuhin said that four injured people were brought to the hospital.

‘One of them died, while the others are undergoing treatment,’ he said.

Firefighters brought the blaze under control shortly after the incident, preventing it from spreading further, said Daulatpur police station inspector (investigation) Sheikh Mohammad Ali Mortuza.

Law enforcement agencies rushed to the area and brought the situation under control, he said, adding that additional police personnel had been deployed to avert any untoward incidents.

He said police were working to stabilise the situation and investigate the incident.

Inspector Mortuza said no case had been filed and no arrests made so far in this connection.

Police said that Shamim had previously been arrested in 2021 over similar allegations.

Mob attacks on shrines and durbar sharifs have increased since the interim government led by Professor Muhammad Yunus took office on August 8, 2024, three days after the ouster of the Awami League regime on August 5, 2024 amid a mass uprising.