In a brutal incident highlighting the perilous situation for religious minorities in Bangladesh, a 37-year-old Hindu community leader was gunned down near his factory after reportedly paying substantial sums in protection money to radical elements.
A Leader Gunned Down in Jessore
Rana Pratap Bairagi, a prominent figure for minorities in Jessore district's Arua village, was shot seven times by assailants on Monday. The attack occurred near his ice-making factory in the Keshabpur upazila, leaving him dead on the spot. Bairagi was not just a businessman; he also worked as a journalist and was an active member of the exiled Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's Awami League in Jessore.
According to grieving relatives who spoke to TOI, Bairagi had been forced to pay a heavy price for his safety in the months leading to his murder. "Rana paid 3 lakh taka as protection money in the last few months, but still he's dead," a relative revealed. "We are sitting ducks in Bangladesh, don't know if we will live to see tomorrow."
Climate of Fear and Systematic Extortion
The village of Arua, home to over 100 Hindu families, has witnessed a dramatic deterioration in security following the ouster of then-PM Sheikh Hasina in August of last year. Villagers describe a terrifying pattern of extortion by gangs of fundamentalists, who are purportedly affiliated with the Jamaat-e-Islami.
These groups, described as "outsiders," regularly visit Hindu homes, demanding money for protection and issuing death threats. "None dares to come out openly," said a family member. While many villagers admitted to paying this illegal 'protection tax,' they were unsure of the extortionists' direct political affiliation.
Bairagi's murder was followed hours later by the lynching of another Hindu man, Mani Chakraborty, intensifying the fear within the community. Relatives believe Bairagi was targeted not just for his journalism but to eliminate a vocal Hindu leader. "If someone like Bairagi is killed, no other from the community would dare to raise their head," a relative stated.
Broken Promises and a Search for Refuge
In a contrasting claim, an acquaintance of Bairagi living a few kilometers away said workers from the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) had offered protection to minorities without demanding any tax. However, this assurance has done little to instill a sense of security.
The pervasive fear is now driving some to consider fleeing the country. A person in his 50s, familiar with the situation, expressed a desperate plan: "Despite BNP's assurance, I don't feel safe here and plan to apply for a visa to India. I hope the Indian government considers it. By the time the application is processed, I can sell my land in Jessore and move to my kin in West Bengal."
Rana Pratap Bairagi leaves behind a wife, an eight-year-old son, and parents who were government schoolteachers. His death underscores a severe crisis of safety and the failure of protection systems for minority communities in the region.
