BANGLADESH DEC 30 : A Hindu security guard was shot dead by a colleague inside a garment factory in Bangladesh’s Mymensingh district on Monday evening, marking the third targeted killing of Hindu workers in the same area within two weeks. The incident has intensified fears among the minority Hindu community amid a rising wave of communal violence in the country.
Bajendra Biswas, a 42-year-old Hindu paramilitary worker (Ansar member), was killed around 6:30 pm at Sultana Sweaters Limited in the Mehrabari area. According to eyewitness accounts, the accused Noman Mia allegedly pressed a shotgun against Biswas’s thigh and asked, “Shall I shoot?” before firing. Biswas was rushed to the Upazila Health Complex but was declared dead on arrival.
Police have arrested Noman Mia, who fled the scene immediately after the shooting. Assistant Police Commissioner Md Azahar Ali, who witnessed the incident, reported that approximately 20 Ansar members were on duty at the time, and no prior argument or dispute was observed between the two men.
This killing occurred at the same factory complex where Hindu garment worker Dipu Chandra Das, 27, was lynched by a mob on December 19 following blasphemy accusations. Das was dragged into the street by Muslim co-workers, beaten to death by an angry mob, and his body was tied to a tree and set on fire.
Bangladesh authorities arrested 12 people in connection with Das’s lynching, including members of the outlawed Chhatra League. The Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council condemned the killing as a deliberate act threatening communal harmony and demanded exemplary punishment.
A third incident on December 25 involved another Hindu man killed in Rajbari district, though details remain under investigation.
The back-to-back killings have raised serious concerns about security lapses and the safety of Bangladesh’s Hindu minority population. On December 28, two Hindu families in Pirojpur district narrowly escaped an arson attack when unidentified assailants set fire to at least five houses while families slept inside. The victims escaped through tin sheets and bamboo fencing, though their homes and livestock were destroyed.
These attacks occur against the backdrop of nationwide tension following the December 18 death of student leader Sharif Osman Hadi, which sparked widespread protests and violence targeting civic institutions, cultural centers, and diplomatic missions.
The repeated targeting of Hindu workers at the same industrial location has amplified fears within Bangladesh’s minority community about rising hate crimes and deteriorating communal relations.
