Two Hindus Killed in Separate Attacks in Bangladesh, Minority Atrocities Deepen Concern

Atrocities against minorities continue unabated in Bangladesh, as two Hindu men were killed in separate incidents of violence in Bangladesh, one in Jashore district and another in Narsinghdi.

In Jashore's Monirampur upazila, an ice factory owner was shot dead in public on Monday evening, Prothom Alo reported. The victim was identified as Rana Pratap Bairagi (38), son of Tushar Kanti Bairagi of Arua village in Keshabpur upazila, Jashore.

Rana Pratap owned an ice manufacturing factory at Kopalia Bazar in Monirampur and also served as the acting editor of the Narail-based newspaper 'Dainik BD Khobor'.

According to local residents and police, around 5:45 pm, three assailants arrived on a motorcycle, called him out of his factory, and took him to an area near the Kopalia Clinic and Diagnostic Centre, where he was shot at close range in the head. He died on the spot.

Panic spread in the market area following the shooting. Police from Monirampur police station reached the spot soon after receiving the information.

Police said there were four cases filed against the deceased at different police stations, though details were not immediately available.

Monirampur police station officer-in-charge Md Raziullah Khan said the body was recovered and sent to Jashore 250-bed General Hospital for post-mortem. He added that the motive behind the killing is yet to be determined and an investigation is underway.

In a separate incident, a Hindu man was killed in Narsingdi district on Monday night after being attacked with sharp weapons, WeeklyBlitz reported.

The deceased, Sarat Chakraborty Mani (40), was running his grocery shop at Charsindur Bazaar in Palash upazila when unidentified assailants attacked him. He sustained critical injuries and died while being taken to the hospital, according to local residents and eyewitnesses.

Sarat Chakraborty Mani was the son of Madan Thakur of Sadharchar union in Shibpur Upazila. He is survived by his wife, Antara Mukherjee, and their 12-year-old son. He had previously worked in South Korea and later returned to Bangladesh, where he lived with his family in the Brahmandi area of Narsingdi town.

According to eyewitnesses, Sarat Chakraborty Mani was operating his grocery shop at Charsindur Bazaar in Palash Upazila, Narsingdi, when unidentified assailants suddenly attacked him with sharp weapons. He sustained critical injuries and, while being rushed to the hospital by locals, succumbed to his wounds on the way.

According to WeeklyBlitz, Sarat had recently expressed concern over the deteriorating situation in the country, writing on Facebook on December 19 that his birthplace had “turned into a valley of death.”

With this incident, the death toll of Hindus killed by extremist elements in Bangladesh has risen to at least six over the past 18 days.

Police investigations are underway in both cases.

Meanwhile, relations between the two South Asian neighbors have deteriorated following atrocities against Hindus, pushing the already strained ties between Dhaka and Delhi into a deeper crisis.

Both the countries have suspended visa services in several cities, including Delhi.

The two countries have also summoned each other's high commissioners to raise their security concerns.