A 28-year-old Hindu auto-rickshaw driver, Samir Das, was beaten and stabbed to death by attackers in Daganbhuiyan, Chittagong, on Sunday evening, amid rising violence against minorities in Bangladesh.
Amid ongoing violence against minorities in Bangladesh, a Hindu man was beaten to death by a group of attackers in Daganbhuiyan, Chittagong, on Sunday evening.
The victim, identified as 28-year-old Samir Das, an auto-rickshaw driver, was thrashed and stabbed by the assailants, who then stole his battery-operated auto-rickshaw before fleeing. Samir was the eldest son of Kartik Kumar Das and Rina Rani Das.
Rising attacks on Hindu minorities
This incident is the latest in a series of attacks on Hindu minorities in Bangladesh. Several Hindus have been assaulted following violent protests in the country after the death of July uprising organiser Sharif Osman Hadi in Singapore.
Last week, a Hindu man, Joy Mahapatro, was allegedly beaten and poisoned by a local Muslim, Amirul Islam. Another 25-year-old Hindu, Mithun Sarkar from Bhandarpur village, died after jumping into a canal while trying to escape a mob accusing him of theft.
On Monday, Rana Pratap Bairagi, a Hindu businessman and acting newspaper editor, was shot dead in Jessore district. A 40-year-old Hindu grocery shop owner, Sarat Mani Chakraborty, also died the same day.
Attacks against women and earlier lynchings
In a disturbing case, a Hindu woman was reportedly gang-raped by two men, tied to a tree, and had her hair cut, highlighting lawlessness against minorities.
Earlier, Dipu Chandra Das, a Hindu man in Mymensingh, was lynched and burnt to death over alleged blasphemy, while Amrit Mondal was killed by a mob over extortion allegations. In the same month, Bajendra Biswas, a Hindu garment factory worker, was shot dead in Mymensingh.
Police investigation and pre-planned attack
Police in Daganbhuiyan said Samir Das was killed with country-made weapons, suggesting a pre-planned attack. Authorities are investigating and will file a First Information Report (FIR) while seeking to apprehend the perpetrators.
Growing concern among minorities
Bangladesh, a majority Muslim nation of around 170 million, has faced unrest since the 2024 uprising, with rising concern among religious minorities, including Hindus and Sufi Muslims, who make up less than 10 percent of the population.
The Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council, a human rights organisation, expressed deep concern over the escalating attacks on minority communities. Communal violence is reportedly rising ahead of the February national elections.
India raises concern
New Delhi has criticised Bangladesh over the treatment of minorities. Nobel Peace Prize laureate and Bangladesh’s interim leader, Muhammad Yunus, accused India of exaggerating the situation.
India said it continues to monitor developments and hopes acts of communal violence are addressed decisively. MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said, “We continue to witness a disturbing pattern of recurring attacks on minorities, their homes, and business establishments by extremists in Bangladesh. Such incidents need to be dealt with swiftly and firmly.”
Jaiswal also highlighted the tendency to downplay attacks by labelling them as personal disputes, saying, “Such disregard only emboldens extremists and deepens the sense of fear and insecurity among minorities.”
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