Another Hindu man has lost his life in Bangladesh amid ongoing unrest, bringing the number of Hindu victims in recent weeks to twelve.
The latest victim, 28-year-old Samir Kumar Das, was beaten to death by a mob on Sunday night (January 11).
Das worked as an autorickshaw driver in the Dagonbhuiyan area of Feni district. Police stated that the attackers fled with his vehicle following the assault. His body was later discovered near a subdistrict hospital.
Authorities have said preliminary findings indicate the incident may have been a robbery-murder, and investigations are underway. No arrests have been made so far.
The killing follows the recent death of a Hindu grocery shop owner in Narsingdi district, who was attacked at his shop and later died after being taken to a hospital. Bangladesh authorities have launched investigations into that case as well.
In addition, two other Hindu men have died over the past week amid targeted violence. Joy Mohapatra, who died at a hospital in Sylhet on Friday, reportedly ingested poison following a dispute over unpaid mobile phone instalments. His family, however, claimed he had been beaten, humiliated, and provoked by a shopkeeper, Amirul Islam, over a 500 Taka instalment for a phone purchased on credit.
Meanwhile, 25-year-old Mithun Sarkar died after jumping into a canal to evade a mob in northwestern Bangladesh that had accused him of theft.
The Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council reported that in the past two weeks, miscreants also raped a Hindu widow, looted a Hindu jewellery shop, and intimidated a Hindu deputy commissioner or administrative chief in northwestern Kurigram district while she was performing duties as the election returning officer.
Despite the violence, the administration led by Muhammad Yunus has condemned the killings but repeatedly described the incidents as “not communal,” referring to the deaths as “mere exceptions.” Bangladesh is scheduled to hold general elections on February 12, marking the first vote since the ouster of Sheikh Hasina’s regime.