A Hindu businessman was brutally attacked, stabbed, and set on fire by a mob in Bangladesh’s Shariatpur district on the night of December 31, in yet another targeted assault on the country’s Hindu minority. Khokon Chandra Das, 50, who runs a pharmacy in the Keorbhanga area of Kaneshwar union, was returning home from his shop when he was attacked near Keurbhanga Bazar around 9:30 pm.
The attackers stabbed Das repeatedly in the abdomen and head, doused him with petrol, and set him ablaze, but he survived by jumping into a nearby pond and calling for help. Local residents rushed to the scene after hearing his screams and rescued him while the perpetrators fled. Dr Nazrul Islam at Shariatpur Sadar Hospital confirmed that Das suffered multiple stab wounds across his body, including a serious injury to his abdomen, along with severe burn injuries on his face, head, right hand, and other parts of his body.
Das was initially taken to Shariatpur Sadar Hospital and later rushed to Dhaka Medical College Hospital as his condition deteriorated, where he remains in critical condition. His wife, Seema Das, told local media that her husband recognised two of the attackers, which is why they tried to kill him, and pleaded for justice, saying her husband is a simple man who never harmed anyone.
Pattern of Violence Against Hindus
This December 31 attack marks the fourth instance in recent weeks of Hindus being targeted in Bangladesh. Earlier in December, a man was shot dead inside a garment factory in Mymensingh district, while 29-year-old Amrit Mondal was allegedly lynched by a mob in Kalimohar Union, and 25-year-old Dipu Chandra Das was killed following false blasphemy allegations at his factory. Independent assessments document a severe crisis, with the Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council recording 2,442 incidents of violence against minorities between August 2024 and June 2025, including 27 murders in the first half of 2025 alone.
Damudya Police Station Officer-in-Charge Mohammad Rabiul Haque stated that two men, Rabbi and Sohag, have been named in the case, with efforts underway to arrest them and identify others involved. These incidents highlight the alarming deterioration of safety for religious minorities in Bangladesh since the interim administration took over after Sheikh Hasina’s government was ousted in August 2024.
