Dhaka | December 31: In another disturbing incident underscoring the growing insecurity faced by religious minorities in Bangladesh, a Hindu man sustained severe injuries after being allegedly attacked by a mob and set on fire in the Shariatpur district.
The victim, identified as Khokon Das, 50, was reportedly returning home when he was intercepted by a group of assailants. According to preliminary accounts, the attackers assaulted him with sharp weapons, beat him repeatedly, and subsequently set him ablaze. He was rushed to a hospital with critical injuries, and his condition is said to be serious.
The incident comes at a sensitive diplomatic moment, occurring a day after India’s External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar visited Dhaka to attend the funeral of former Bangladesh prime minister Khaleda Zia. During the visit, Jaishankar conveyed a letter of condolences from Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) leader Tarique Rahman.
Following the visit, Bangladeshi officials had expressed optimism about strengthening bilateral ties. Bangladesh’s High Commissioner to India, Riaz Hamidullah, stated on social media platform X that the two countries were “looking forward to scripting a new chapter in relations, guided by pragmatism, shared interests, and mutual interdependence.”
Pattern of Attacks on Hindu Minorities
The latest incident adds to a series of violent attacks targeting Hindu minorities in recent weeks. Amid widespread unrest following the killing of youth leader Sharif Osman Hadi, Dipu Chandra Das, a garment factory worker, was lynched by a mob in Mymensingh, and his body was subsequently set on fire. Reports indicate that several bystanders recorded the assault on their mobile phones.
On December 24, another Hindu youth, Amrit Mondal (29), was allegedly lynched in the Hossaindanga area of Kalimohar Union. In a separate incident, a 40-year-old Hindu man was killed after being shot by a co-worker inside a garment factory, an incident police have described as an apparent accidental firing.
According to India’s Ministry of External Affairs, approximately 2,900 incidents of violence against minorities have been reported during the tenure of Bangladesh’s interim government.
Growing Concerns Over Law and Order
Bangladesh is currently governed by an interim administration led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus. As the country navigates a volatile period marked by electoral preparations and deteriorating law-and-order conditions, minority communities continue to express deep concern over their safety and security.
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