Members of Bangladesh’s Hindu community continue to face violent attacks, with a Hindu man killed in the Sunamganj district on Thursday in the latest such incident.
The victim has been identified as Joy Mahapatro. According to his family, Mahapatro was beaten and poisoned by a local individual. He was later admitted to the intensive care unit of Sylhet MAG Osmani Medical College Hospital, where he died.
Further details in the case are awaited.
Earlier Death While Fleeing Mob
The killing comes days after another Hindu man died while trying to escape a mob. A 25-year-old man, identified as Mithun Sarkar from Bhandarpur village, reportedly jumped into a canal while being chased on suspicion of theft.
Police recovered Sarkar’s body on Tuesday afternoon.
Rise In Minority Violence Ahead Of Polls
The recent incidents come amid a sharp rise in violence targeting religious minorities in Bangladesh as the country prepares for its first parliamentary elections since the 2024 uprising that toppled the Sheikh Hasina government.
Human rights observers have said the killings point to more than isolated acts of violence, warning of a broader failure by the state to protect vulnerable communities.
Arrest In Dipu Das Lynching Case
Separately, Bangladesh police on Thursday arrested the prime accused in the lynching of Hindu man Dipu Chandra Das, a garment worker killed over allegations of blasphemy.
Officials identified the accused as Yasin Arafat, a former teacher, who is believed to have played a central role in orchestrating and carrying out the attack.
Dipu Das, 27, was killed on December 18 in the Mymensingh district. Investigators said he was allegedly forced to resign by his factory supervisors before being dragged from his workplace and handed over to a local mob.
The mob beat him to death, hanged his body from a tree, and set it on fire. Police said several of his colleagues were also involved in the assault.
