Another Hindu man killed in Bangladesh, second such incident in 24 hours: Reports

Another hindustani adult male, a foodstuff browse possessor, was reportedly killed after being attacked with sharp weapons in Narsingdi, on the outskirts of Bangladesh's Dhaka, on Monday night.

The deceased, 40-year-old Sarat Chakraborty Mani, was killed by extremist armed religious fundamentalists, the Weekly Blitz reported. NDTV also reported this incident. His death comes on the same day as that of Hindu journalist Rana Pratap Bairagi, who was shot dead by unidentified assailants in Jessore district in the Khulna division.

According to locals, Sarat was at his grocery shop as usual in the Charsindur Bazaar in Palash Upazila area of Narsingdi when unidentified assailants suddenly attacked him with sharp weapons and critically injured him. Though local residents rushed him to a hospital, Sarat succumbed to his injuries on the way.

HT.com could not independently verify this information.

Sarat is survived by his wife, Antara Mukherjee, and his 12-year-old son, Abhik Chakraborty. The deceased had reportedly been employed in South Korea before returning to Bangladesh a few years ago.

According to the Blitz report, he built a house in the Brahmandi area in Narsingdi, where he resided with his family.

A family member of the deceased reportedly said that Sarat led a very simple life and had no disputes with anyone. He had recently expressed concern over the ongoing situation in Bangladesh. In a Facebook post on December 19, he wrote in Bangla: "So much fire, so much violence in the valley of death...my homeland."

Sarat Chakraborty Mani was an extremely calm, humane, and socially responsible person, one of his neighbours said, adding that he had no enemies. According to the neighbour, there could be just one reason for the murder of a person like Sarat, "that he was a Hindu", the report added.

Prominent social activist Bappaditya Basu condemned Sarat's killing and told Blitz that "before the blood of one Hindu in Bangladesh has even dried, another Hindu is being killed". He was referring to the killing of journalist Rana Pratap, who was murdered just hours before Sarat.

Basu warned that if this continues, "there will be no existence of Hindus left in Bangladesh within a few years". He further accused the Mohammad Yunus-led government of backing the killings of Hindus, saying that being a Hindu itself becomes a major reason to be killed in a country where "genocide or ethnic cleansing of Hindus is being carried out under a clear state plan".

According to Basu, extremist Islamists had reportedly demanded a large sum of money from Sarat just two days before his murder. They had allegedly said that if he wanted to live in Bangladesh, he would have to pay jizya.

They threatened him and said that if he filed any complaint with the police, they would kidnap his wife, Basu was cited as saying in the report. The social activist further stated that the extremists also said, "Give the money quietly. Don't make a fuss about it. Even if your India or your Narendra Modi comes, they won't be able to stop the collection of jizya".

Basu claimed that the same extremist Islamists murdered Sarat Chakraborty Mani.

However, no official statement from the police or any law enforcement authorities has been released yet.

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