Hindu man attacked by mob, set on fire in Bangladesh amid continued violence against minorities

Violence against minorities continued unabated in Bangladesh with another Hindu man being attacked by a mob on Wednesday, December 31.

Khokan Das, a medical shop owner in Shariatpur, was allegedly attacked by the mob while returning home on New Year’s Eve.

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The mob reportedly beat Das black and blue before pouring petrol on him and setting him on fire. He, however, survived the attack by jumping into a nearby pond, which helped douse the flames.

Das was taken to the hospital for treatment where his condition remains critical. His family has demanded justice, claiming that he is a simple man who never harmed anyone.

This is the fourth such attack on Hindus in Bangladesh in less than a month.

Earlier on December 18, a Hindu garment factory worker named Dipu Chandra Das was lynched to death by a mob in Mymensingh over allegations of blasphemy. The mob had beaten Das to death, hung his body on a tree and set it on fire.

Later, it was revealed that he was killed over a dispute with his co-worker, who was apparently jealous of his promotion to the rank of a supervisor in the garment factory.

A few days later, another Hindu man named Amrit Mondal was beaten to death by a mob over allegations of extortion.

Another Hindu killed in Bangladesh’s Mymensingh where Dipu Chandra Das was lynched

Earlier this week, Bajendra Biswas, an Ansar member, was shot in the thigh by the accused Ansar member, Noman Mia. Biswas was rushed to a hospital where doctors declared him dead.

The Indian government has also expressed concerns over the rising attacks on Hindus and other minority groups in Bangladesh, a country-marred by violence since the fall of Sheikh Hasina government.

However, Bangladesh dismissed India’s concerns over the recent attacks on Hindus and other minorities in the country as “exaggerated, or motivated narratives”.

“The Government of Bangladesh categorically rejects any inaccurate, exaggerated, or motivated narratives that misrepresent Bangladesh’s longstanding tradition of communal harmony,” a statement from the Bangladesh foreign ministry read.