Hindu man found dead with hands, legs tied in Bangladesh on eve of general election
The incident is the latest in a series of targetted killings of Hindus in Bangladesh since the ouster of Sheikh Hasin and the rise of radical Islamist elements in the country.
The body of a 28-year-old tea garden worker was recovered from a plantation in northeastern Bangladesh on the eve of the election, police said on Wednesday. The deceased was identified as Ratan Shuvo Kar, an employee of the Champara Tea Garden under Islampur union in Moulvibazar’s Kamalganj upazila, around 190 km from Dhaka, according to a report by The Daily Star citing Kamalganj Police Station Officer in Charge Abdul Awal.
Locals discovered the body at around 10 am inside the tea garden and alerted the authorities. When police arrived, they found his hands and feet tied.
Residents said the body bore visible injury marks and was blood-stained. A garden worker, speaking on condition of anonymity, told the newspaper that Ratan may have been killed elsewhere and his body later dumped in the plantation.
The victim’s elder brother, Laxman Kar, said the family had been searching for him since the previous night. “This morning, we were informed that his body was lying in the garden. We went there and identified him. We do not know why he was killed,” he said.
With voting scheduled for the following day, some locals speculated about a possible link to the election. However, police said there was no evidence so far to suggest any such connection.
The body has been sent to Moulvibazar Sadar Hospital for a post-mortem examination, Abdul Awal said, adding that an investigation is underway to identify those responsible.