Hindu Businessman Murdered in Bangladesh Amid Rising Violence Against Minorities

Tragic Incident in Jessore District

Dhaka, January 5: A Hindu businessman, who also held the position of acting editor for a local newspaper, was fatally shot by unidentified gunmen in the Jessore district of southern Bangladesh on Monday.

According to Bashudeb Dhar, president of the Bangladesh Puja Celebration Committee, the victim, identified as Rana Pratap Bairagi, was shot in the Keshabpur area of Jessore.

The 38-year-old resided in Arua village within Keshabpur upazila, as reported by the Bangla-language daily Prothom Alo.

Bairagi owned an ice-making factory located at Kopaliya Bazar in Monirampur and served as the acting editor of Dainik BD Khabar, a newspaper published in Narail.

A file image of the victim, Rana Pratap Bairagi. (Photo:@DDIndialive/X)

As reported by bdnews24, the shooting occurred around 5:45 PM at Kopaliya Bazar, according to Additional Superintendent of Police Abul Basar.

Local residents and police indicated that three assailants on a motorcycle lured Bairagi from his ice factory and took him to an alley near the Kapalia Clinic and Diagnostic Centre, where he was shot at close range. The attackers fled the scene, leaving him dead on the spot.

Monirampur Police Station Officer-in-Charge Md Rajiullah Khan stated that Bairagi suffered three gunshot wounds to the head and had his throat cut.

While the motive for the murder remains unclear, an investigation is currently underway. Police suspect that Bairagi may have been involved in an internal conflict within the banned Purbo Banglar Communist Party, labeling him as an 'active member' of the group.

Authorities noted that four cases had been filed against him across two police stations, although specific details were not immediately available.

This incident is part of a troubling trend of violence against minority communities in Bangladesh. Recently, on January 3, Khokon Chandra Das, aged 50, succumbed to injuries after being brutally attacked, hacked, and set ablaze. Earlier, on December 24, a Hindu man named Amrit Mondal was lynched over alleged extortion in Rajbari district, and on December 18, Dipu Chandra Das was killed by a mob over accusations of blasphemy in Mymensingh city.

In another alarming event, unidentified individuals set fire to the homes of Qatari expatriates Shukh Shil and Anil Shil in the Raojan area near Chattogram on December 23, although the residents managed to escape unharmed.

India has consistently voiced concerns regarding the safety of minorities, particularly Hindus, in Bangladesh.

According to the 2022 census, there are approximately 13.13 million Hindus in Bangladesh, making up about 7.95% of the total population.