Amid continuing violence against minority communities in Bangladesh, a Hindu auto-rickshaw driver was beaten to death in Daganbhuiyan in Chittagong on Sunday night.
The victim, identified as Samir Das, was allegedly attacked by a group of assailants who brutally thrashed and stabbed him with country-made weapons before fleeing with his auto-rickshaw.
“Prima facie, it appears to be a premeditated murder. The perpetrators also looted the auto-rickshaw after killing the victim. The family will file an FIR, and police operations are underway to identify and arrest those responsible,” a police officer was quoted as saying by NDTV.
Bangladesh has witnessed a series of attacks on minority communities since youth-led anti-government protests last year culminated in the ouster of the Sheikh Hasina government.
Last week, a 25-year-old Hindu man died after jumping into a canal while attempting to escape a mob that accused him of theft in northwestern Bangladesh. This incident followed the killing of a 40-year-old grocery shop owner by unidentified attackers on January 5 at Charsindhur Bazar in Palash Upazila.
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In another incident on the same day, a 38-year-old ice factory owner—who also served as the acting editor of the Narail-based newspaper Dainik BD Khabar—was shot dead by unidentified assailants.
India has expressed concern over the situation, urging Bangladesh to take firm action against communal violence.
“We continue to witness a disturbing pattern of recurring attacks on minorities, as well as their homes and businesses, by extremist elements,” External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said last week.
He added that India has observed a “troubling tendency to attribute such incidents to personal rivalries, political differences, or other extraneous factors,” rather than addressing the broader pattern of communal violence.