Hindu Man in Bangladesh Dies Fleeing Mob Amid Escalating Attacks on Minorities
A 25-year-old Hindu man in Bangladesh perished after leaping into a canal while being pursued by a group suspecting him of theft. Police recovered the body of Mithun Sarkar, a resident of Bhandarpur village, on Tuesday afternoon.
This fatality occurs against a backdrop of intensified assaults on religious minorities in the country, as it gears up for parliamentary elections—the first since the 2024 uprising that ousted Sheikh Hasina’s government.
Mithun Sarkar’s death adds to a string of violent incidents reported recently. On the previous day, unidentified assailants shot a Hindu businessman, who served as acting editor of a newspaper, in the head in Jessore district. Also that day, attackers used a sharp weapon to kill a 40-year-old Hindu grocery shop owner in Narsingdi city.
Earlier, on January 3, 50-year-old Khokon Chandra Das succumbed after being severely beaten and set ablaze near Keurbhanga Bazar in Damudya, Shariatpur district.
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The pattern continued from a turbulent December. On December 24, Amrit Mondal was lynched amid allegations of extortion in Pangsha upazila, Rajbari town. On December 18, a mob lynched 25-year-old Dipu Chandra Das over claimed blasphemy in Mymensingh city and then set his body on
The surge in targeted violence persists as Bangladesh approaches its February 12 vote.
The Council for Hindu, Buddhist, and Christian Unity reported at least 51 such incidents in December alone, encompassing 10 murders along with arson, rape, and looting. The council warned that these acts appear orchestrated to intimidate minorities before the elections.
“Bangladesh has endured political turbulence before, but the current moment is marked by a dangerous combination of institutional fragility and rising communal anxiety,” the council’s report stated.
Human rights observers describe the killings as indicators of a broader failure by authorities to safeguard vulnerable groups. With elections nearing, the international community has voiced worries about minority protection and the interim government’s stability.