Dhaka, Jan 6 : Following are the victims of violence from the minority Hindu community in recent weeks, as Bangladesh witnessed a fresh wave of unrest after the killing of radical youth leader Sharif Osman Hadi in early December.
Moni Chakraborty:
The 40-year-old grocery shop owner was murdered by unidentified attackers who struck him with a sharp weapon on the night of January 5 at Charsindhur Bazar in Palash Upazila.
Rana Pratap Bairagi:
The 38-year-old ice-making factory owner, who was also the acting editor of a newspaper called ‘Dainik BD Khabar’ published from Narail, was fatally shot in the head by unidentified assailants on January 5 in Jessore district in southern Bangladesh.
Police said Bairagi “appeared to be a victim of an internal feud” of the banned Purbo Banglar Communist Party, describing him as an “active member” of the group.
There are four cases registered against the deceased in two police stations, they said. However, details of these cases were not known.
Khokon Chandra Das:
The 50-year-old Hindu businessman was brutally attacked, hacked and set on fire by miscreants while returning home after closing his shop on the night of December 31.
Das, who had a medicine shop and mobile banking business, died at a hospital three days later on January 3.
Amrit Mondal:
He was lynched over alleged extortion in Rajbari town’s Pangsha upazila on December 24.
The deceased, who had allegedly formed a criminal gang and was involved in extortion and other criminal activities, was beaten up by locals when he, along with his group members, tried to extort money from a resident’s house.
According to the police, Mondal had at least two cases filed against him, including a murder case.
Dipu Chandra Das:
The 25-year-old garment factory worker was lynched to death by a mob over alleged blasphemy in Baluka in Mymensingh city on December 18. His body was then set on fire.
At least 12 people have been arrested for their alleged involvement in the murder of Das.
According to a spokesman of the Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council, seven persons from the Hindu community have died since December. The council, however, did not provide the details of two victims.
The Hindu population in Bangladesh has been affected by a series of incidents against minority communities in the country after the ouster of then-prime minister Sheikh Hasina in August last year.
As of the 2022 census, approximately 13.13 million Hindus reside in Bangladesh, constituting about 7.95 per cent of the total population.
