A Hindu businessman in Bangladesh, Khokon Chandra Das, has died from severe injuries sustained during a brutal attack last week. The 50-year-old was assaulted with sharp weapons, doused in petrol, and set on fire, marking another violent incident targeting the minority Hindu community in the country.
Details of the Horrific Assault
Khokon Das passed away on Saturday while undergoing treatment at the National Burn Institute in Dhaka. Professor Dr. Shaon Bin Rahman from the institute confirmed his death to the ANI news agency.
The attack occurred on Wednesday night. Das, a resident of Tiloi village in Koneshwar Union, was returning home in an auto-rickshaw after closing his pharmacy and mobile banking business at Keurbhanga Bazar. On the Damudya–Shariatpur road near the market, attackers stopped his vehicle.
According to police and local reports from Prothom Alo, the assailants beat him, used sharp weapons on him, poured petrol over him, and set him ablaze. In a desperate bid to survive, Das jumped into a nearby pond along the roadside. His cries alerted local residents, who rushed to the scene, causing the attackers to flee. The locals rescued him and took him first to Shariatpur Sadar Hospital for emergency aid before he was transferred to the specialized burn unit in Dhaka.
A Family Seeks Answers Amidst Grief
The victim's wife, Sima Das, expressed the family's profound shock and confusion. She stated that her husband carried the day's sales money home every night without incident and that they had no known enemies or disputes in the area.
"He recognised two of the attackers, and because of that, they assaulted him with the intention to kill—hacking him and setting fire to his head and face after pouring petrol on him," she said. "We cannot understand why the criminals suddenly targeted my husband."
A Pattern of Violence Against Minorities
This tragic death is not an isolated event. It occurs amidst a series of violent attacks on members of the Hindu community in Bangladesh in recent months.
In December, two other Hindu youths were lynched in separate incidents. Dipu Chandra Das, a garment worker in Mymensingh district, was beaten to death over alleged blasphemy charges on December 18. Reports indicate his body was later hanged and set on fire.
Similarly, a youth named Amrit Mondal was lynched in Hosendanga village of Rajbari's Pangsha sub-district over an alleged extortion dispute.
These consecutive incidents have sparked widespread outrage and condemnation from political leaders, religious organizations, and minority rights groups both within Bangladesh and in neighboring India, where the safety of Hindu minorities in Bangladesh is closely monitored.
