A 25-year-old Hindu man died in Bangladesh after jumping into a canal while trying to escape a mob that was chasing him on suspicion of theft, police said on Wednesday. The incident took place in the Mahadebpur area of Naogaon district. According to the news agency ANI, the man was identified as Mithun Sarkar, as per Naogao Police Super (SP) Mohammad Tariqul Islam.
The incident comes amid a sharp rise in violence against religious minorities in the neighbouring country, which is preparing for its first parliamentary elections since the 2024 uprising that toppled the Sheikh Hasina government.
Mithun Sarkar was chased by a mob: Police
"In the northern district of Naogaon in Bangladesh, in an area called Mohadevpur, a Hindu young man named Mithun Sarkar was chased by a mob accusing him of theft. He jumped into the water, and after he jumped in, he died. The police were informed, and they recovered his body with the help of the fire service. We are conducting a post-mortem and investigating the incident, said Mohammad Tariqul Islam.
Attacks on Hindus in Bangladesh
This is the latest incident in a series of attacks targeting Hindus in Bangladesh, which has been witnessing unrest since the death of prominent student leader Sharif Osman Hadi in December last year.
The most recent incident comes close on the heels of the murder of a 40-year-old Hindu grocery shop owner in Narsingdi city. According to local media reports, Hindu man named Sarat Mani Chakraborty was killed in Bangladesh. Sarat Mani, a grocery store owner, was reportedly attacked with sharp weapons in the Narsingdi district at around 10 pm on Monday. He later died of his injuries.
Notably, Chakraborty was attacked by unidentified assailants while running his shop at the busy market under Palash upazila. During the attack, he suffered critical injuries and was rushed to hospital by locals, but died either on the way or shortly after being admitted.
Hours before he was killed, another 45-year-old factory owner was shot dead in the Jashore district. Rana Pratap, who was also the acting editor of a newspaper, was shot in the head by a group of men, who also slit his throat. Locals alleged that he had multiple cases filed against him.
Earlier, on January 3, Khokon Chandra Das (50) died after he was brutally attacked, hacked, and set on fire. On December 24, another Hindu man, Amrit Mondal, was allegedly lynched in Rajbari town’s Pangsha upazila over accusations of extortion.
The first reported attack following Hadi's death occurred on December 18. A Hindu man, Dipu Chandra Das, was lynched by a mob after rumours of blasphemy spread following the news of Hadi's demise. His body was reportedly tied to a tree and set on fire. Subsequent investigations later found the blasphemy allegations to be untrue.
India expresses concerns over attacks on minorities
India has been expressing concerns over attacks on minorities, especially Hindus, in Bangladesh. Bairagi, who owned an ice-making factory in Kopaliya Bazar in Monirampur, was also the acting editor of a newspaper called 'Dainik BD Khabar' published from Narail, according to the daily.
The incident was reported around 5:45 pm at Kopaliya Bazaar on Monday, bdnews24 news portal quoted Additional Police Superintendent Abul Basar as saying.
There has been a spate of violence targeting the minority community in the country in the last few weeks, and mob violence or clandestine attacks have emerged as a major crisis in Bangladesh’s changed political landscape, according to political observers. As of the 2022 census, approximately 13.13 million Hindus reside in Bangladesh, constituting about 7.95 per cent of the total population.
Also Read: Osman Hadi murder: Police cite 'political vengeance' as motive, name 17 accused in chargesheet
Also Read: 40-year-old Hindu grocery shop owner killed in Bangladesh, 6th incident in three weeks
