Dhaka: Yet another Hindu man died in Bangladesh after being chased by a mob in Naogaon, Bangladesh. Mithun Sarkar (25) jumped into a canal after being chased by the mob that accused him of being a thief.
The incident occurred in the Hatchakgouri Bazaar area in the Mahadebpur Upazila on Sunday around 1 pm.
Sarkar, a resident of Bhandarpur village, went missing after jumping into the pond to save his life. His body was recovered on Tuesday by a team of divers called in from Rajshahi.
The police are yet to confirm whether Sarkar was involved in any theft. On December 18, Dipu Chandra Das (25) was lynched and his body burnt by a mob in Mymensingh on charges of blasphemy. The police found no evidence that the youth has done or said anything blasphemous.
Sarkar’s death comes amid a sharp rise in violence targeting religious minorities in Bangladesh as it prepares for its first parliamentary elections since the 2024 uprising that toppled the Sheikh Hasina government, as reported by NDTV.
Voting will take place on February 12.
Just a day earlier, a Hindu businessman, who was also the acting editor of a newspaper, was fatally shot in the head by unidentified men in Jessore district of Bangladesh. On the same day, a 40-year-old Hindu man, owner of a grocery shop, was killed with a sharp weapon by unidentified attackers in Bangladesh’s Narsingdi city.
On January 3, Khokon Chandra Das (50) died after he was brutally attacked and set on fire near Keurbhanga Bazar in Damudya in Shariatpur district.
Amrit Mondal was lynched over alleged extortion in Rajbari town’s Pangsha upazila on December 24.
The Council for Hindu, Buddhist, and Christian Unity issued a statement on Wednesday revealing at least 51 targeted incidents in December alone, including 10 murders. The council detailed cases of arson, rape, and looting, expressing grave concerns that these atrocities are part of a coordinated effort to intimidate minorities ahead of the February 12 voting.
“Bangladesh has endured political turbulence before, but the current moment is marked by a dangerous combination of institutional fragility and rising communal anxiety,” a report from the council noted.
The attacks on Hindus in Bangladesh has led to deterioration in ties with India.
