Hindu Khokon Chandra Das, 50, in Damudya, Shariatpur, Bangladesh, was allegedly attacked by a mob on New Year’s Eve and suffered serious injuries before being set on fire.
The incident follows two incidents of lynching of Hindu youths in Bangladesh last month. On December 18, Dipu Chandra Das, a garment factory worker in Mymensingh, was killed by a mob for alleged blasphemy and his body was hanged and set on fire. Around the same period, Amrit Mondal was lynched in Hosendanga village of Pangsha Rajbari sub-district over an extortion dispute.
What happened in Khokon Chandra Das case?
According to local newspaper Prothom Alo, the attack took place at around 9.30pm (local time) on Wednesday at Damudya’s Koneshwar Union near Keurbhanga Bazar. A group of assailants attacked a trader, Khokon Chandra Das, seriously injured him, doused him with petrol and set him on fire.
Das, who runs a pharmacy and mobile banking business in Keurbhanga Bazar and lives in Tiloi village, was returning home in an auto-rickshaw when the assailants stopped the vehicle on the Damudya-Shariatpur road and attacked him, also allegedly using sharp weapons. To escape, he jumped into a nearby pond.
Local residents rushed to the spot after hearing his screams and forced the assailants to flee. Das was rescued and initially treated at Shariatpur Sadar Hospital before being transferred to Dhaka for advanced care as his condition deteriorated.
“I don’t understand why criminals have suddenly targeted my husband.
Sima Das, the victim’s wife, informed reporters, “My husband returns home every night after closing his shop with his daily earnings. He was attacked by criminals on Wednesday night. He recognized the two assailants and therefore they attacked him with the intention of killing him – hacking him and setting his head and face on fire after dousing him with petrol. We have no enemies in this area.”
She added: “We have no quarrel with anyone on any matter. We cannot understand why criminals have suddenly targeted my husband.”
Nazrul Islam, a doctor at Shariatpur Sadar Hospital’s emergency department, said the victim, who was brought in at night, had multiple injuries, including a serious abdominal injury, which required him to be referred to Dhaka for advanced treatment. He also suffered burns on his face, neck and hands.
Meanwhile, Mohammad Rabiul Haque, Senior Officer of Damudya Police Station, told Prothom Alo that the police visited the crime scene after receiving reports of an attack on a shopkeeper at Keurbhanga bazaar. He added that two suspects, identified as local residents Rabbi and Sohag, have been named and authorities are working to arrest them while investigating the possible involvement of others.
