A 50-year-old Hindu businessman was brutally attacked by a mob in southern Bangladesh on New Year’s Eve. This was yet another reported incident of violence against members of the minority community in the country over the past month.
The victim, Khokon Chandra Das, was seriously injured after being assaulted with sharp weapons, doused with petrol and set on fire near Keurbhanga Bazar in Koneshwar Union of Damudya, local media reported. The incident took place at around 9.30 pm on Wednesday, according to the Bangladeshi daily Prothom Alo. Das was later shifted to Dhaka for advanced medical treatment as his condition worsened.
Sequence of events
Citing sources at the Damudya Police Station, news agency ANI reported that Das, a resident of Tiloi village in Koneshwar Union, runs a pharmacy and a mobile banking business at Keurbhanga Bazar. After closing his shop on Wednesday, he was returning home in an auto-rickshaw when the attackers intercepted the vehicle on the Damudya-Shariatpur road near the market.
The assailants allegedly dragged Das out of the auto-rickshaw and assaulted him. He was attacked with sharp weapons before petrol was poured over his body and he was set on fire, Prothom Alo reported. In an attempt to save himself, Das reportedly jumped into a nearby pond beside the road.
Hearing his screams, local residents rushed to the spot, forcing the attackers to flee. Das was rescued and taken to Shariatpur Sadar Hospital, where he was given initial treatment in the emergency department. Doctors later referred him to Dhaka late that night due to the severity of his injuries.
‘No enemies and no disputes with anyone’
Speaking to reporters after the attack, Das’s wife, Sima Das, said the family was unable to understand why he was targeted. “My husband returns home every night after closing his shop with the day’s sales money. On Wednesday night, criminals attacked him,” she said, ANI reported.
“He recognised two of the attackers, and because of that, they assaulted him with the intention to kill — hacking him and setting fire to his head and face after pouring petrol on him. We have no enemies and no disputes with anyone,” she added.
The attack comes amid a series of reported incidents involving violence against Hindu individuals in Bangladesh in recent weeks. Last month, two Hindu youths were reportedly lynched in separate incidents. On December 18, Dipu Chandra Das, a garment factory worker in Mymensingh district, was beaten to death by a mob over alleged blasphemy charges, with reports stating that his body was later set on fire. In another case, Amrit Mondal was lynched in Hosendanga village in Rajbari district’s Pangsha sub-district over an alleged extortion-related dispute.
