Another Hindu man was shot dead in Bangladesh on Monday, marking the fifth such incident in the neighbouring country since the unrest there following the death of radical student leader Sharif Osman Hadi. The victim was identified as Rana Pratap Bairagi, who was shot dead by some miscreants at Kopalia Bazar in the Jessore district around noon on Monday.
According to media reports, Bairagi was resident of Arua village. He was attacked by some miscreants when he was at the market. Following the incident, the attackers fled, while Bairagi died at the spot. The police later reached there and have launched an investigation to hunt down the attackers.
"Bairagi was shot three times in the head and his throat was slit," Monirampur Police Station Officer-in-Charge Md. Rajiullah Khan said.
Killing of Hindus in Bangladesh
Bairagi's killing is the fifth such incident that has taken place in Bangladesh which has remained on the edge following Hadi's death last month. First, Dipu Chandra Das, a worker at garment factory, was attacked and beaten to death by a mob on December 18 in Mymensingh. Six days after this incident, another Hindu man, Amrit Mondal was lynched in Pangsha upazila over allegations of blasphemy.
Later, Bajendra Biswas was shot dead in Mymensingh. A mob also assaulted and set on fire a 50-year-old Hindu businessman Khokon Das earlier this month, while he was returning from work. After battling for life for a few days, Das succumbed to his injuries on Saturday (January 3).
India expresses concern over killing of Hindus
Last month, India expressed concerns over killing of Hindus in Bangladesh, with Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal saying more than 2,900 incidents of attacks on minorities have been reported in the neigbhouring country under the interim government of Mohammad Yunus.
"The unremitting hostility against minorities in Bangladesh, including Hindus, Christians, and Buddhists at the hands of extremists is a matter of grave concern," Jaiswal had said at a media briefing on December 26.
Killing of Osman Hadi
Hadi, the founder and main spokesperson of Inqilab Moncho, was shot in the head last month, while campaigning in Dhaka for the February 12 parliamentary elections. He was shifted to Singapore, where he succumbed to his injuries on December 18. His death sparked protests across Bangladesh following attacks on Hindus have been reported across the country.
