Beaten and humiliated, another Hindu youth dies in Bangladesh

Dhaka- Amid a continuing rise in violence against minorities in Bangladesh, another Hindu youth has died after allegedly consuming poison following an incident linked to a small debt in the Dirai upazila of Sunamganj district, local media reported.

The victim, identified as 19-year-old Joy Mohapatra, died on Friday morning while undergoing treatment at M A G Osmani Medical College Hospital in Sylhet.

According to a report by Bangladeshi Bengali news outlet Sylhet View 24, citing Joy’s cousin Ayan Das, the teenager had purchased a mobile phone worth 5,500 Bangladeshi Taka from a grocery shop owned by Amirul Islam. Joy reportedly paid 2,000 Taka upfront and agreed to clear the remaining amount through weekly instalments of 500 Taka. While he had been making payments regularly, the final instalment was delayed.

It was alleged that when Joy went to the shop on Thursday to pay the pending amount, he was beaten, humiliated and his mobile phone was confiscated.

Ayan Das said that Joy later admitted to consuming poison on Thursday evening. He was first taken to the Dirai Upazila Health Complex and, as his condition worsened, was referred to Sylhet for advanced treatment.

Moni Rani Talukder, Resident Medical Officer at Dirai Upazila Health Complex, said, “I was on duty at the time. As the patient’s condition was critical, he was immediately referred to Sylhet.”

Recounting the incident, Joy’s mother Shelly Mohapatra was quoted by Sylhet View 24 as saying, “When they asked for money from him in the morning and did not get it, they took my son’s mobile phone. Later, when he went in the evening to collect the SIM card, they slapped him. My son consumed poison at that shop.”

Confirming the matter, Enamul Haque Chowdhury, Officer-in-Charge of Dirai Police Station, said that police had received information and inspected the spot, adding that legal action would be taken if a formal complaint is filed.

This incident is reported to be the eighth such case in the last 22 days and the fourth within a week, underscoring growing concerns over attacks targeting Hindu communities across Bangladesh.

Earlier this week, a 25-year-old Hindu man, Mithun Sarkar, died after jumping into a canal while trying to escape a mob that accused him of robbery in Mohadevpur upazila of Naogaon district, according to Daily Manobkantha.

On Monday, two Hindu men were killed in separate incidents within 24 hours. One victim, 40-year-old Sarat Chakraborty Mani, was allegedly hacked to death in Narsingdi district by members of an extremist religious group. In another case, 38-year-old Hindu businessman Rana Pratap Bairagi was shot dead in public in Monirampur upazila of Jashore district.

Earlier this month, on January 3, Khokon Chandra Das died after being brutally attacked by a mob in Damudya upazila of Shariatpur district. Last week, 40-year-old Bajendra Biswas was shot dead by a colleague in Bhaluka upazila of Mymensingh district.

In late December, Bangladeshi media reported the killing of 29-year-old Amrit Mondal, who was allegedly lynched by a mob in Kalimohar Union. On December 18, another Hindu youth, Dipu Chandra Das, 25, was brutally lynched over false blasphemy allegations at a factory in Bhaluka upazila, after which his body was reportedly hung from a tree and set on fire.

Expressing concern over the recurring attacks on minorities, particularly Hindus, in Bangladesh, India on Friday said it is closely monitoring the situation and hopes that such incidents of communal violence are addressed firmly and decisively.

With inputs from IANS