Hindu youth shot dead in Bangladesh, two other murders this month

A Hindu youth working as a security guard at a garment factory in Mymensingh district of Bangladesh was shot dead by his colleague. 

The deceased was identified as Bajendra Biswas (42), an Ansar member who was in charge of security at the factory. The gunman was Noman Mia (29), another Ansar member of the same unit. The incident took place at Sultana Sweets Limited factory in Bhaluka upazila of Mymensingh at around 6.45 pm on Monday.

According to initial information, during a conversation between the two on duty, Noman Miya jokingly pointed the government-issued shotgun he was carrying at Biswas. However, the gun unexpectedly went off and Biswas was shot in the left leg.

He was immediately taken to a nearby health facility, but doctors declared him dead. The accused, Noman Mia, has been arrested by the police and his gun has been seized. Ansar is a uniformed auxiliary force under the Bangladesh Home Ministry. They are deployed to provide security to government offices, factories and other important institutions.

Two other murders were reported this month. In Bhaluka itself, a man named Dipu Chandra Das was beaten to death by a mob on charges of blasphemy, stripped of his clothes and set on fire. The incident took place on December 18. A few days ago, another Hindu man was beaten to death by a mob outside Mymensingh.

 The Bangladesh government has maintained that the attacks are isolated criminal cases. However, India and various human rights organizations have expressed serious concerns about the safety of minorities in Bangladesh.