DHAKA, Bangladesh — A 25-year-old Hindu man died after jumping into a canal while attempting to escape a mob in northern Bangladesh, in the latest incident amid a surge in violence targeting minority communities.
The victim, identified as Mithun Sarkar, was chased by a group of local residents in the Chakgori area of Mohadevpur upazila in Naogaon district on Tuesday afternoon following allegations of robbery, according to local media and police sources. In an effort to flee, Sarkar jumped into a nearby deep canal, where a strong current swept him away.
Emergency responders from Mohadevpur Police Station, the Fire Service, and Civil Defence arrived at the scene shortly after receiving the alert and launched a rescue operation. After several hours of searching, a fire service diving team recovered Sarkar’s body from the water. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
Confirming the incident, Mohadevpur Police Station Officer-in-Charge Shahidul Islam said, “According to initial information, the young man jumped into the canal after being chased on suspicion of robbery. We recovered his body with the help of the fire service. The matter is being investigated seriously, and further legal action will be taken after the autopsy.”
The death marks the seventh reported incident involving violence against Hindus in the past 19 days and the third such case reported this week, underscoring growing concerns over the safety of minority communities across the country.
On Monday, two Hindu men were killed in separate incidents within a 24-hour period. In one case, 40-year-old Sarat Chakraborty Mani was fatally attacked with sharp weapons in Narsingdi district near Dhaka, allegedly by members of an extremist armed religious group. In another incident, a Hindu businessman, 38-year-old Rana Pratap Bairagi, was shot dead in public in Monirampur upazila of Jashore district.
Earlier, on Saturday, Khokon Chandra Das died after being brutally assaulted by a mob in Damudya upazila of Shariatpur district. Last week, 40-year-old Bajendra Biswas was shot dead by a colleague in Bhaluka upazila of Mymensingh district.
On December 24, Bangladeshi media reported that a 29-year-old Hindu youth, Amrit Mondal, was allegedly lynched by a mob in the Hossaindanga area of Kalimohar Union. Days earlier, on December 18, another 25-year-old Hindu youth, Dipu Chandra Das, was killed in a mob attack following false blasphemy accusations by a coworker at a factory in Bhaluka upazila of Mymensingh. His body was later hung from a tree and set on fire, according to reports.
Bangladesh has seen a rise in violence against minority communities, including Hindus, during the tenure of the interim government led by Muhammad Yunus, prompting concern and condemnation from human rights groups and observers both within the country and abroad. (Source: IANS)
