Six Hindu Men Killed in 18 Days Across Bangladesh

At least six Hindu men have been killed in Bangladesh over the past 18 days, according to reports, raising renewed concerns over the safety of minority communities in the country. The latest incident was reported from Narsingdi district near Dhaka, where a grocery shop owner was hacked to death on Monday night.

Bangladesh-based weekly Blitz identified the victim as 40-year-old Sarat Chakraborty Mani. The attack took place at Charsindur Bazaar in Palash upazila, where Mani ran a small shop. Eyewitnesses said a group of unidentified assailants suddenly arrived and attacked him with sharp weapons before fleeing the area.

Mani suffered critical injuries and was rushed to hospital, where doctors declared him dead. Police have registered a case and launched an investigation, though officials said the motive behind the killing is yet to be determined.

Local reports noted that Mani had recently expressed deep fear about the situation in the country. In a social media post on December 19, he reportedly described his birthplace as having turned into a “valley of death,” a remark that has since gained attention following his death.

The Narsingdi killing came just a day after another Hindu man was shot dead in Jessore district. As reported by Prothom Alo, ice factory owner Rana Pratap Bairagi was murdered in public in the Monirampur area. Bairagi, who also served as the acting editor of the local newspaper Dainik BD Khobor, was allegedly called out of his factory by three motorcycle-borne assailants, taken to a nearby alley and shot in the head at close range. He died at the spot.

Monirampur police station officer-in-charge Md Raziullah Khan told Prothom Alo that the body was recovered and sent for post-mortem examination. Police said an investigation is underway, but no motive has yet been established and no arrests have been announced.

These two killings follow another widely reported incident from New Year’s Eve, when a Hindu man was brutally attacked and set on fire. According to reports, the victim was assaulted with sharp weapons, doused with petrol and ignited. Though he attempted to escape by jumping into a nearby pond and was later taken to hospital, he later succumbed to his injuries.

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