Dhaka: A Hindu man was shot and killed while on duty at a garment factory in Bangladesh’s Mymensingh district, marking the latest in a series of violent incidents targeting members of the minority community in the country this month.
The victim, identified as 40-year-old Bajendra Biswas, was working at the Sultana Sweaters Limited factory in the Mehrabari area of Bhaluka upazila when the incident occurred. Biswas was a member of Ansar Bahini, a paramilitary auxiliary force operating under Bangladesh’s Ministry of Home Affairs and tasked with internal security duties.
Police said Biswas was shot by a colleague, Noman Mia, who is also part of the Ansar force. The accused has since been taken into custody following an early-morning operation, officials confirmed.
According to police and local sources cited by Bangladeshi media outlet RTV Online, around 20 Ansar personnel were deployed at the factory at the time. Preliminary accounts suggest the two men were seated together when Noman allegedly fired a shotgun, injuring Biswas. He was rushed to the nearby Upazila Health Complex, where doctors pronounced him dead.
An eyewitness, Ansar member APC Azahar Ali, who was supervising security at the factory, told investigators that there had been no visible dispute between the two before the shooting. He stated that the accused suddenly pointed his weapon at Biswas and fired before fleeing the scene.
Mymensingh district’s Additional Superintendent of Police (Finance and Administration), Abdullah Al Mamun, said a detailed investigation is underway to establish the motive behind the killing. The victim’s body has been sent to Mymensingh Medical College Hospital for post-mortem examination, and legal proceedings have been initiated.
The incident is the third killing involving Hindu victims reported in Bangladesh within a span of days and the second such case in Mymensingh district. On December 24, a 29-year-old Hindu man, Amrit Mondal, was allegedly beaten to death by a mob in Kalimohar Union. Earlier, on December 18, a young factory worker, Dipu Chandra Das, was killed following allegations of blasphemy, an incident that sparked widespread condemnation.
A growing number of international observers and rights groups have raised concerns over what they describe as an increase in attacks on religious minorities in Bangladesh amid political uncertainty under the current interim administration.
India last week expressed serious concern over what it termed continuing hostility toward minorities in Bangladesh, including Hindus, Christians, and Buddhists, and said it is closely monitoring developments in the neighboring country.
