A Hindu businessman who was also working as the acting editor of a local newspaper was shot dead by unknown attackers on Monday evening in Bangladesh’s Jessore district, PTI reported. The killing has added to growing tension in the country, which has already been dealing with unrest after the killing of a student leader last month.
Bangladesh has seen several violent incidents in recent weeks, especially after student leader Sharif Osman Hadi was shot dead. Since then, nearly half a dozen killings involving Hindu men have been reported.
Who was Rana Pratap Bairagi?
According to Bangla-language daily Prothom Alo, the victim was Rana Pratap Bairagi, aged 45. He lived in Arua village and was the son of Tushar Kanti Bairagi, from neighbouring Keshabpur district.
Bairagi was a well-known local businessman. He owned an ice-making factory at Kopaliya Bazar in Monirampur. Along with his business, he also worked as the acting editor of a newspaper called ‘Dainik BD Khabar’, which was published from Narail.
Police later said that four cases were registered against him across two police stations, though they did not share details about these cases.
How the attack happened
According to PTI, the incident happened at around 5:45 pm at Kapalia Bazar. Citing police officials and local residents, Prothom Alo reported that three men arrived on a motorcycle and called Bairagi out from his ice factory. They then took him to an alley in front of the Kapalia Clinic and Diagnostic Centre, located on the western side of Kapalia Bazar.
Bairagi was reportedly shot in the head from very close range by the attackers, who then fled the spot. He died instantly, Prothom Alo reported. Monirampur Police Station Officer-in-Charge Md Rajiullah Khan shared details of the crime. He said that Bairagi was shot three times in the head.
Police have said that the reason behind the murder is still not known. The identities of the attackers are also unclear at this stage. An investigation is underway as officials try to piece together what led to the killing. This was reported as the fifth killing of a Hindu man in Bangladesh in recent times, and is raising fears among minority communities.
Rising concern over attacks on minorities
The killing comes just days after another disturbing incident. Last Wednesday, Khokon Chandra Das, a 45-year-old Hindu man, was stabbed and then set on fire in Damudya Upazila of Shariatpur district, according to local media.
Earlier, 25-year-old Dipu Chandra Das was lynched by a mob inside a factory in Mymensingh. He was accused of blasphemy, but later reports said the allegations were false.
Two more incidents were also reported during this period. Bajendra Biswas, a member of the Bangladesh Ansar, a paramilitary force under the Ministry of Home Affairs, was shot dead inside the Sultana Sweaters Limited factory in Mehrabari while on security duty.
In another case, a Hindu youth named Amrit Mondal was allegedly lynched by a mob in the Hossaindanga area of Kalimohar Union in Bangladesh.
In yet another incident on December 23, unidentified men set fire to the home of Shukh Shil and Anil Shil, who work in Qatar. The attack took place in the Raojan area on the outskirts of Chattogram, though the family managed to escape without injuries.