Dhaka: Attacks on Hindus in Bangladesh seem to be continuing unabated.
In the second such attack in 24 hours, a 40-year-old grocer named Sarat Mani Chakraborty was reportedly attacked with sharp weapons in the Narsingdi district of the country around 10 pm on Monday. He died of his injuries later.
Hours before this incident, Rana Pratap (45), a factory owner was shot dead in the Jashore district. Pratap, who was also the acting editor of a newspaper, was shot in the head by a group of men, who also slit his throat. Local sources alleged that he had multiple cases against him, as reported by NDTV.
The son of a schoolteacher from the neighbouring Keshabpur sub-district, Pratap had been running an ice factory in Kopalia Bazar for two years. On Monday evening, some men called him out of the ice factory, led him to an alley, and shot him. Seven bullet casings were found beside the body.
The attackers reportedly arrived on a motorcycle and had an argument with Pratap, before firing several rounds at his head and fleeing. The police said he was shot thrice in his head and an investigation is underway.
The day’s killings mark the latest in a series of violent incidents against minorities in Bangladesh, especially Hindus, who constitute about 7 per cent of the total population.
A Hindu woman in Jhenaidah district was raped by two men on Saturday. The rapists also demanded money from her. When she screamed, they tied her to a tree, cut off her hair, recorded the act, and circulated videos on social media. The woman fell unconscious and was taken to a hospital by local residents.
Barely days before that, Khokon Chandra Das (50), was brutally attacked and set on fire. He ran a medicine and mobile banking business in his village, 150 km from Dhaka. He died in hospital later.
On December 29, Bajendra Biswas, another Hindu man, was shot dead in Mymensingh. Forty-year-old Biswas was killed while on duty at a garment factory by a colleague in Bhaluka.
Biswas was a member of Ansar Bahini, a paramilitary auxiliary force under Bangladesh’s Ministry of Home Affairs, responsible for internal security and law enforcement in the country. He was killed by his colleague, Noman Mia.
On December 24, a 29-year-old Hindu man, Amrit Mondal, was lynched over alleged extortion in Rajbari.
On December 18, Dipu Chandra Das (29), was lynched by a mob, and his body was set on fire over alleged blasphemy in Mymensingh. The police found no evidence of any blasphemous act on Das’ part.
India has expressed “grave concern” about what it has termed the “unremitting hostility” against minorities under the Muhammad Yunus government in Bangladesh.
“The unremitting hostility against minorities in Bangladesh, including Hindus, Christians and Buddhists at the hands of extremists, is a matter of grave concern,” external affairs ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal told reporters late last month.
Over 2,900 incidents of violence against minorities, including cases of killings, arson, and land grabs, have been documented by independent sources during the tenure of the interim government, Jaiswal said
“These incidents cannot be brushed aside as mere media exaggerations or dismissed as political violence,” he added.
