Two Hindu Men Killed in Bangladesh Within 24 Hours Amid Growing Attacks on Minorities
DHAKA, Bangladesh — Two Hindu men were killed in separate incidents within a 24-hour period in Bangladesh, underscoring a growing wave of violence against religious minorities, particularly members of the Hindu community, according to local media reports.
The first victim, identified as 40-year-old Sarat Chakraborty Mani, was fatally attacked Monday night in Narsingdi district near Dhaka. Local residents and eyewitnesses told Bangladeshi weekly Blitz that Mani was running his grocery shop at Charsindur Bazaar in Palash Upazila when unidentified assailants suddenly attacked him with sharp weapons. He was critically injured and died while being taken to a hospital.
In a separate incident the same day, a Hindu businessman was shot dead in public in Monirampur Upazila of Jashore district. The victim, 38-year-old Rana Pratap Bairagi, owned an ice manufacturing factory in Kapalia Bazar and was also serving as the acting editor of the Bangladeshi newspaper Dainik BD Khobor, published from Narail.
According to local residents and police cited by Bengali daily Prothom Alo, three assailants arrived on a motorcycle around 5:45 p.m. on Monday, called Bairagi out of his factory, took him to a nearby lane, and shot him in the head at close range before fleeing the scene.
Confirming the killing, Monirampur police station officer-in-charge Md Raziullah Khan said Bairagi’s body was recovered and would be sent to Jashore Hospital for a post-mortem examination. He said the motive for the attack remains unclear and that police are investigating the identities of the perpetrators, with legal proceedings underway.
The two killings add to a string of recent attacks targeting Hindus across Bangladesh. On Saturday, another Hindu man, Khokon Chandra Das, died after being brutally attacked 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.
In late December, Bangladeshi media reported that 29-year-old Amrit Mondal was allegedly lynched by a mob in the Hossaindanga area of Kalimohar Union. Earlier, on December 18, a 25-year-old Hindu youth, Dipu Chandra Das, was killed in a mob lynching over what were described as false blasphemy accusations by a coworker at a factory in Bhaluka Upazila. His body was later hung from a tree and set on fire.
Bangladesh has seen a marked rise in violence against religious minorities in recent months, drawing condemnation from local activists and international human rights organizations and raising concerns about the safety of vulnerable communities across the country. (Source: IANS)
