A Hindu worker was shot dead while on duty at a garment factory in Bangladesh’s Mymensingh district, marking the third killing involving members of the minority community in less than two weeks.
The victim, identified as Bajendra Biswas, was employed as Ansar security personnel at Sultana Sweaters Limited in the Mehrabari area. Police said the incident occurred around 6.30 pm on Monday while several Ansar members were on duty at the factory.
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According to a report published by The Times of India, local police officials told media that Biswas was allegedly shot by a fellow Ansar member, Noman Mia, who has since been arrested. According to eyewitness accounts cited in the report, the two men were sitting together inside a room when Mia suddenly pressed a shotgun against Biswas’s thigh and fired.
Biswas was rushed to the Upazila Health Complex, where doctors declared him dead.
An Ansar official on duty at the site, Md Azahar Ali, told investigators that there was no visible argument or altercation between the two before the shooting. He said the accused fled immediately after opening fire.
Rising concern over attacks on minorities
The killing comes amid growing concern over violence targeting religious minorities in Bangladesh. Earlier this month, another Hindu factory worker, Dipu Chandra Das, was lynched in Mymensingh, an incident that sparked widespread outrage and criticism from civil society groups.
Days later, a separate case involving the killing of Amrit Mondal over alleged extortion further intensified fears among minority communities.
Bangladesh’s interim government had condemned the lynching of Dipu Chandra Das, stating that there was “no space for such violence in the new Bangladesh” and assuring strict action against those responsible.
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India has also raised concerns over the recent incidents. External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said New Delhi was closely monitoring the situation and described the repeated attacks on minorities in Bangladesh as a matter of “grave concern.”
Police said investigations are ongoing, and further details will emerge once forensic reports and witness statements are examined.
