Dhaka: In another incident of violence involving a member of the Hindu minority in Bangladesh, a Hindu man was shot dead by a colleague in Bhaluka upazila of Mymensingh district, local media reported on Tuesday.
The deceased was identified as 40-year-old Bajendra Biswas, a member of the Bangladesh Ansar and Village Defence Force (Ansar Bahini), a paramilitary auxiliary force under the Ministry of Home Affairs. He was allegedly shot by fellow Ansar member Noman Mia, who has since been arrested.
The incident occurred on Monday evening at the Sultana Sweaters Limited factory in the Mehrabari area of Bhaluka upazila, where around 20 Ansar personnel were deployed for security duties. According to reports citing police and local sources, Biswas and Mia were sitting together when the latter suddenly fired a shotgun, critically injuring Biswas in the left thigh.
Biswas was rushed to the Bhaluka Upazila Health Complex, where the on-duty doctor declared him dead.
Ansar member APC Azahar Ali, who witnessed the incident and was in charge of the Labib Group, told local media that there had been no visible argument between the two before the shooting. He said Mia allegedly pointed the shotgun at Biswas, asked if he should shoot, and then fired before fleeing the spot.
Confirming the development, Mymensingh district Additional Superintendent of Police (Finance and Administration) Abdullah Al Mamun said an operation was launched in the early hours of Tuesday, leading to Mia’s arrest. He added that a detailed investigation is underway to ascertain the motive behind the killing. The victim’s body has been sent to the Mymensingh Medical College Hospital morgue for post-mortem, and legal proceedings have been initiated.
The killing is reported to be the third such incident involving members of the Hindu community in less than a week and the second in Mymensingh district. On December 24, another Hindu youth, 29-year-old Amrit Mondal, was allegedly lynched by a mob in the Kalimohar Union area. Earlier, on December 18, 25-year-old Dipu Chandra Das was killed in a mob attack following alleged false blasphemy accusations in Bhaluka upazila.
Bangladesh has witnessed reports of increasing violence against minorities in recent weeks, drawing concern from human rights organisations. Last week, India expressed serious concern over what it described as “unremitting hostility” towards minorities in Bangladesh, including Hindus, Christians, and Buddhists, and said it is closely monitoring the situation.