DHAKA: Another Hindu man in Bangladesh was allegedly attacked by a mob of Islamists, who seriously injured him and then set him on fire in Shariatpur’s Damudya region of the country. According to local newspaper Prothom Alo, the incident took place on New Year’s Eve i.e. on December 31, Wednesday at around 9:30 pm (local time), when the miscreants attacked the businessman, identified as 50-year-old Khokon Chandra Das, seriously injured him, poured petrol on his body and set him on fire near the Keurbhanga Bazar in Koneshwar Union of Damudya.
Das was later transferred to Dhaka for advanced treatment, Prothom Alo reported. According to sources at the Damudya Police Station, Das, a resident of Tiloi village in the Koneshwar Union, runs a pharmacy and a mobile banking business at Keurbhanga Bazar. On Wednesday night, after closing his shop, Das was returning home in an auto-rickshaw when the miscreants stopped the vehicle at the Damudya-Shariatpur road near Keurbhanga Bazar and assaulted him. The miscreants also attacked him with sharp weapons, later pouring petrol on him and setting him on fire, Prothom Alo reported. In order to save himself, Das jumped into a nearby pond beside the road.
Hearing his screams, local people rushed to the scene, prompting the attackers to flee. Locals later rescued him and took him to Shariatpur Sadar Hospital, where he received his initial treatment in the emergency department and was later sent to Dhaka later that night for advanced treatment, as his condition deteriorated. Following the attack, Sima Das, wife of the victim, told reporters, “My husband returns home every night after closing his shop with the day’s sales money. On Wednesday night, criminals attacked him. 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 in the area. We have no disputes with anyone over any matter. We cannot understand why the criminals suddenly targeted my husband”.
Nazrul Islam, a doctor at the emergency department of Shariatpur Sadar Hospital, said that the person brought to the emergency department at night had injury marks on various parts of his body. As one injury to the abdomen was serious, he was referred to Dhaka for advanced treatment. In addition to that, Das also sustained burn injuries on his face, the back of his head, and his hands. Mohammad Rabiul Haque, Officer-in-Charge (OC) of Damudya Police Station, said, “After receiving information about a terrorist attack on a businessman at Keurbhanga Bazar, we went to the scene. The names of two of the attackers have been identified. They are local residents Rabbi and Sohag. Efforts are underway to arrest them. We are also trying to identify others who may be involved in the incident”, as quoted by Prothom Alo.
Last month, two incidents of Hindu youth being lynched were also reported in Bangladesh. Dipu Chandra Das, a worker in a garment factory in Bangladesh’s Mymensingh district, was beaten to death by a mob over alleged blasphemy charges, had his body hanged and set on fire on December 18. Meanwhile, another Hindu youth identified as Amrit Mondal was lynched at Hosendanga village of Kalimohor union in Rajbari’s Pangsha sub-district over an extortion allegation. The incident sparked widespread outrage and condemnation among political leaders, religious organisations and minority groups in Bangladesh and India.
(With Inputs from ANI)
