Mymensingh murder shocks community
A Hindu businessman was brutally murdered by unknown assailants in Bangladesh late on February 9, just days before the country heads to national parliamentary elections, triggering renewed concerns over minority safety.
The incident occurred in the Mymensingh district, where another Hindu man, Dipu Chandra Das, was also reportedly lynched and set on fire in a separate incident, according to local accounts.
Victim attacked inside shop
The victim, 62-year-old Sushen Chandra Sarkar, was a rice trader and a resident of Dakshinkanda village. He owned Bhai Bhai Enterprise, located at the Bogar Bazar intersection in the sub-district.
Police said Sarkar was attacked around 11 pm at his shop. The assailants allegedly hacked him with a sharp weapon, left his body inside the shop, and pulled down the shutters before fleeing. Cash amounting to several lakh taka was also reportedly stolen.
Family members later found Sarkar lying in a pool of blood while searching for him and rushed him to Mymensingh Medical College Hospital, where doctors declared him dead.
Family demands justice
Sujan Sarkar, the victim’s son, said the attackers looted money from the shop after killing his father.
“We have been in the rice business for a long time and had no enmity with anyone. The criminals stole several hundred thousand taka after brutally killing my father,” he said.
He added that the body has been kept in the hospital morgue for postmortem examination and demanded swift identification and punishment of those responsible.
Violence against Hindus under spotlight
The killing comes as Bangladesh prepares to vote on Thursday, amid growing international concern over the deteriorating security situation for the country’s Hindu minority under the interim administration led by Muhammad Yunus.
Human rights groups have warned that violence, intimidation, and forced displacement of Hindus have intensified since the political transition in August 2024, raising questions about minority protection and democratic credibility ahead of the polls.
Since August 2024, Bangladesh has witnessed thousands of reported attacks on minorities, including murders, arson, temple desecration, land seizures, and destruction of homes and businesses. Rights advocates say blasphemy allegations—often unsubstantiated—are increasingly being used to incite mobs and target Hindu communities.
International monitoring bodies, including the US Commission on International Religious Freedom, have flagged a steady rise in intimidation and violence against Hindus through 2025.
India raises concern
India on Friday urged Bangladesh to act firmly against communal violence. External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said New Delhi continues to see “a disturbing pattern of recurring attacks on minorities as well as their homes and businesses by extremists.”
He also flagged what India described as a troubling tendency to attribute such incidents to personal rivalries or political disputes. “Such disregard only emboldens the perpetrators and deepens fear and insecurity among minorities,” Jaiswal said.
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