A Hindu businessman who was brutally attacked, hacked and set on fire in Bangladesh three days ago died on Saturday, marking the fifth death from the minority community since December amid a spate of violent incidents that community leaders say are aimed at intimidation.
Khokon Chandra Das, 50, succumbed to his injuries after battling for life for three days, according to minority faith group leaders and media reports. Das was assaulted on Wednesday night near Keurbhanga Bazar in Damudya, in Shariatpur district, around 100 kilometres south of Dhaka, while returning home after closing his shop.
“Das died this morning after battling for life for three days,” Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council spokesman Kajol Debnath said, confirming his death.
Das ran a medicine shop and was also engaged in mobile banking services. According to reports, he was travelling in an autorickshaw when attackers intercepted the vehicle, allegedly beat him, hacked him with sharp weapons and then poured petrol on his head before setting him on fire.
In a desperate attempt to save himself, Das jumped into a roadside pond as local residents raised an alarm. The attackers fled the scene, police said, adding that locals rescued him and rushed him to Shariatpur Sadar Hospital before he was referred to Dhaka due to the severity of his injuries.
Doctors treating Das in Dhaka said he had sustained multiple injuries across his body, including a serious wound to his abdomen, along with burn injuries to his face, head and hands.
Debnath said the killing was part of a disturbing pattern of violence against the Hindu community. “This is the fifth death of a Hindu man in one month (December). During the month we recorded seven attacks on the community,” he said, alleging that rightwing radical groups were seeking to intimidate minority faiths in the country.
Also read: Bangladesh: Hindu man assaulted, set on fire
Warning of a deeper trend, Debnath added: “The use of petrol or gunpowder to torch someone or someone’s household is an ominous sign, not just criminal acts... perhaps we are witnessing the rise of a radical (rightwing) culture.”
The latest death follows a series of attacks reported over the past month. On December 18, 25-year-old Dipu Chandra Das was lynched by a mob and his body set on fire over alleged blasphemy in Mymensingh city. On December 23, unidentified men set ablaze the home of Qatar expatriate workers Shukh Shil and Anil Shil in the Raojan area on the outskirts of Chattogram, though the residents managed to escape unharmed.
A day later, on December 24, another Hindu man, Amrit Mondal, was lynched over alleged extortion in Pangsha upazila of Rajbari town. Debnath, however, did not elaborate on the remaining two deaths cited by the council.
According to Bangladesh’s 2022 census, the Hindu population stands at approximately 13.13 million, accounting for about 7.95 per cent of the country’s total population.
Political observers say Bangladesh has witnessed a worrying rise in mob violence and clandestine attacks targeting minorities in recent weeks, describing it as a growing crisis in the country’s changing political landscape. In the past year, several hundred Sufi shrines associated with liberal Muslim saints have also been attacked or damaged, including a recent incident in which fanatic elements allegedly exhumed a spiritual leader’s body and set it on fire, damaging his shrine.
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