Bangladesh violence: Hindu shop owner stabbed, set ablaze, fourth attack in two weeks
The victim, identified as Khokan Chandra, sustained serious burn injuries after he was beaten, stabbed and set on fire, managing to escape only by jumping into a nearby pond
- Jan 2, 2026,
- Updated Jan 2, 2026 8:12 AM IST
A Hindu businessman narrowly survived a brutal mob attack in Bangladesh, marking the fourth reported assault on members of the minority community in the past two weeks. The victim, identified as Khokan Chandra, sustained serious burn injuries after he was beaten, stabbed and set on fire, managing to escape only by jumping into a nearby pond.
The attack occurred on New Year’s Eve as Khokan, 40, was returning home after closing his pharmacy shop in Keurbhanga Bazar. According to reports, he was intercepted around 9 pm in the Tiloi area, where a group of miscreants allegedly waylaid and assaulted him.
The attackers stabbed Khokan multiple times with sharp weapons, poured petrol over his body and set him ablaze. He managed to leap into a nearby pond, after which locals rescued him and rushed him to Shariatpur Sadar Hospital. Doctors have said his condition remains critical.
Police have not yet confirmed the motive behind the attack or identified those responsible.
The assault has heightened anxiety within Bangladesh’s Hindu community, which has reported a series of violent incidents in recent weeks following the murder of anti-India youth leader Sharif Osman Hadi. Protests over Hadi’s death have taken on an anti-India tone amid allegations that the killers fled across the border.
The latest incident follows another killing reported just a day earlier in Mymensingh, where a Hindu man, Bajendra Biswas, was shot dead while on security duty at a garment factory. Local reports said the assailant, Noman Mia, asked Biswas, “Do I shoot you?” before opening fire.
Both Biswas and Mia were members of the Ansar Bahini, a paramilitary auxiliary force under Bangladesh’s Home Ministry tasked with community policing. They were deployed as security guards at a Sultana Sweaters Limited factory along with 20 others when the shooting took place.
Earlier incidents have included the lynching of Amrit Mondal over alleged extortion and the killing of factory worker Dipu Chandra Das over blasphemy allegations, cases that have drawn international criticism over the safety of minorities in Bangladesh.
India has said it has conveyed grave concern over what it described as “unremitting hostility” against minorities in Bangladesh.
A Hindu businessman narrowly survived a brutal mob attack in Bangladesh, marking the fourth reported assault on members of the minority community in the past two weeks. The victim, identified as Khokan Chandra, sustained serious burn injuries after he was beaten, stabbed and set on fire, managing to escape only by jumping into a nearby pond.
The attack occurred on New Year’s Eve as Khokan, 40, was returning home after closing his pharmacy shop in Keurbhanga Bazar. According to reports, he was intercepted around 9 pm in the Tiloi area, where a group of miscreants allegedly waylaid and assaulted him.
The attackers stabbed Khokan multiple times with sharp weapons, poured petrol over his body and set him ablaze. He managed to leap into a nearby pond, after which locals rescued him and rushed him to Shariatpur Sadar Hospital. Doctors have said his condition remains critical.
Police have not yet confirmed the motive behind the attack or identified those responsible.
The assault has heightened anxiety within Bangladesh’s Hindu community, which has reported a series of violent incidents in recent weeks following the murder of anti-India youth leader Sharif Osman Hadi. Protests over Hadi’s death have taken on an anti-India tone amid allegations that the killers fled across the border.
The latest incident follows another killing reported just a day earlier in Mymensingh, where a Hindu man, Bajendra Biswas, was shot dead while on security duty at a garment factory. Local reports said the assailant, Noman Mia, asked Biswas, “Do I shoot you?” before opening fire.
Both Biswas and Mia were members of the Ansar Bahini, a paramilitary auxiliary force under Bangladesh’s Home Ministry tasked with community policing. They were deployed as security guards at a Sultana Sweaters Limited factory along with 20 others when the shooting took place.
Earlier incidents have included the lynching of Amrit Mondal over alleged extortion and the killing of factory worker Dipu Chandra Das over blasphemy allegations, cases that have drawn international criticism over the safety of minorities in Bangladesh.
India has said it has conveyed grave concern over what it described as “unremitting hostility” against minorities in Bangladesh.