A 30-year old Hindu man was crushed to death in Bangladesh’s Rajbari district after he tried to stop a vehicle from leaving a petrol pump without paying for fuel, PTI reported quoting the police. The car is registered in the name of a former treasurer of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) district unit.
The incident is the latest in a series of violent attacks against members of the Hindu community in the country.
The victim, Ripon Saha was employed at Karim Filing Station in the Goalanda Mor area. As per police and eyewitnesses, a black SUV arrived at the station around 4:30 am on Friday and filled fuel worth about Tk 5,000 (INR 3,710). When the driver allegedly attempted to leave without paying, Saha stood in front of the vehicle to stop it. The SUV allegedly ran over him before fleeing the scene, resulting in his instant death.
Rajbari Sadar police chief Khondakar Ziaur Raham also confirmed the incident and said a murder case will be filed. “The worker stood in front of the car after they refused to pay for the fuel, and they ran over him before fleeing,” he said as quoted by local media and reported by PTI.
SUV owner and driver arrested, and political links
Police have, later seized the SUV and arrested its owner Abul Hashem alias Sujan (55) and the driver, Kamal Hossain (43). Hashem is a contractor who has earlier worked as a treasurer of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP)’s Rajbari district unit, and as president of the district Jobo Dal, police stated.
A series of attacks raises growing concern
The killing comes amid growing concern over violence targeting minorities in Bangladesh ahead of the general elections slated to take place on February 12.
As the election dates are coming closer, communal attacks are growing, alleged the Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council (BHBCUC). It also claimed that the aim is to discourage minority voters. The forum mentioned that 51 incidents of communal violence have been reported in December 2025 alone.
Several recent cases as cited by PTI include the shooting of Prantosh Sarkar, a jeweller, in Narshingdi on December 2 and the lynching of Amrit Mondal in Rajbari on December 24. In another incidents, Hindu men were reportedly hacked, set on fire, or shot dead across districts like Palash, Jessore, Rangpur and Naogaon.
In December, a Hindu garment factory worker, Dipu Chandra Das, was beaten to death by a mob in Bhaluka, Mymensingh, as per a report by BBC Bangla. He was being accused of blasphemy. Police later told BBC Bangla that the attackers had tied his body to a tree and burned it.
As per Bangladesh’s 2022 census, Hindus represent around 7.95 per cent of the population, numbering about 13.13 million.