Hindu businessman dies three days after attack in Bangladesh

A Hindu businessman who was brutally attacked, hacked and set on fire three days ago died on Saturday in Bangladesh, according to media reports and a minority faith group leader.

This marks the fifth death of a member of the Hindu community since December, with radical groups allegedly attempting to intimidate religious minorities in the country, said Kajol Debnath, spokesperson of the Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council.

The victim, Khokon Chandra Das (50), was assaulted near Keurbhanga Bazar in Damudya, Shariatpur district — about 100 km south of Dhaka — on Wednesday night while returning home after closing his shop.

“Das died this morning after battling for life for three days,” Debnath confirmed.

Das, who ran a medicine shop and a mobile banking business, was travelling in an autorickshaw when the attackers intercepted the vehicle. They allegedly beat him, hacked him with sharp weapons, poured petrol on him and set him on fire, media reports said.

In a desperate attempt to save himself, Das jumped into a roadside pond as locals raised an alarm. The attackers fled, police said. He was rescued by locals, taken to Shariatpur Sadar Hospital and later referred to Dhaka due to the severity of his injuries.

Doctors in Dhaka said Das suffered multiple injuries across his body, including a serious abdominal wound, along with burn injuries to his face, head and hands.

“This is the fifth death of a Hindu man in one month. We recorded seven attacks on the community during December alone,” Debnath said, expressing concern that right-wing radical groups were trying to intimidate minority faiths.

“The use of petrol or gunpowder to torch people or their homes is an ominous sign. These are not just criminal acts — perhaps we are witnessing the rise of a radical culture,” he said.

On December 18, 25-year-old Dipu Chandra Das was lynched and his body set on fire over alleged blasphemy in Mymensingh city. A week later, on December 23, unidentified men set fire to the home of Qatar expatriate workers Shukh Shil and Anil Shil in the Raojan area near Chattogram, though the residents escaped unharmed.

On December 24, another Hindu man, Amrit Mondal, was lynched over alleged extortion in Pangsha upazila of Rajbari district. Debnath did not elaborate on the other two deaths.

According to the 2022 census, Bangladesh has approximately 13.13 million Hindus, accounting for about 7.95 per cent of the population.

Political observers say Bangladesh has witnessed a surge in violence against minorities in recent weeks, with mob attacks and targeted assaults emerging as a major concern amid the country’s evolving political landscape.

In the past year, several hundred Sufi shrines of liberal Muslim saints have also been attacked and damaged. In one recent incident, extremist elements exhumed the body of a revered spiritual figure and set it on fire, damaging his shrine.