Another Hindu Man Killed in Bangladesh, Second Such Case in 24 Hours: Reports

Another Hindu man, a grocery shop owner, was reportedly killed after being attacked with sharp weapons in Narsingdi, on the outskirts of Bangladesh’s capital Dhaka, on Monday night.

The victim, identified as 40-year-old Sarat Chakraborty Mani, was attacked at his shop in Charsindur Bazaar in Palash Upazila, according to local residents. He was rushed to hospital in critical condition but died on the way.

The killing came just hours after Hindu journalist Rana Pratap Bairagi was shot dead by unidentified assailants in Jessore district of Khulna division earlier the same day.

Weekly Blitz reported that Sarat was killed by extremist religious fundamentalists, a claim also cited by NDTV. However, there was no immediate official confirmation from police or law enforcement authorities.

Sarat is survived by his wife, Antara Mukherjee, and their 12-year-old son, Abhik Chakraborty. He had previously worked in South Korea before returning to Bangladesh a few years ago and had built a house in the Brahmandi area of Narsingdi, where he lived with his family.

Family members and neighbours said Sarat led a simple life and had no known disputes. A neighbour described him as “calm, humane and socially responsible,” adding that he had no enemies. “There can be only one reason for the murder of a person like Sarat — that he was a Hindu,” the neighbour was quoted as saying by Blitz.

Sarat had recently expressed concern over the situation in Bangladesh. In a Facebook post dated December 19, he wrote in Bangla: “So much fire, so much violence in the valley of death… my homeland.”

Prominent social activist Bappaditya Basu condemned the killing, telling Blitz that “before the blood of one Hindu in Bangladesh has even dried, another Hindu is being killed,” referring to the murder of journalist Rana Pratap earlier that day.

Basu alleged that extremist Islamists had demanded a large sum of money from Sarat two days before his murder, reportedly threatening him and demanding jizya. According to Basu, the assailants warned Sarat against approaching the police and threatened to harm his family. He claimed the same group was responsible for the killing.

Basu also accused the Mohammad Yunus-led government of backing attacks on Hindus, alleging that Hindus were being targeted under a broader plan of ethnic cleansing. These allegations could not be independently verified.

As of late Monday, police had not released any official statement on the killing or confirmed the motive.