Another Hindu man dies in Bangladesh: Youth drowns in canal; was being chased by mob

Another case of violence against a Hindu youth has been reported from Bangladesh, where a man identified as Mithun Sarkar died after being chased by a group of men who accused him of theft.

During the chase, Sarkar jumped into a nearby water body and drowned.The incident took place in Mohadevpur area of Naogaon district in northern Bangladesh. Confirming the details, Naogaon Police Super Mohammad Tariqul Islam told ANI, “In the northern district of Naogaon in Bangladesh, in an area called Mohadevpur, a Hindu young man named Mithun Sarkar was chased by a mob accusing him of theft. He jumped into the water and after he jumped in, he died.

The police were informed and they recovered his body with the help of the fire service.

Islam added that authorities are probing the matter. “We are conducting a post-mortem on Mithun Sarkar's body and investigating the incident,” he said, without sharing further details.The incident comes amid a surge in communal violence in Bangladesh as the country heads towards its 13th National Parliamentary Election. According to data released by the Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council, at least 51 incidents of violence were recorded in December alone.

These incidents included 10 murders, 10 cases of theft and robbery, and 23 instances involving the illegal occupation of homes, business establishments, temples and land, along with looting and arson. The group also documented four cases of arrest and torture on what it said were false allegations of religious defamation and links to “RAW”, one attempted rape, and three incidents of physical assault. The council noted that the pattern of violence has continued into the first week of January.Several fresh incidents were reported in early January. On January 2, 96 decimals of paddy land belonging to Satya Ranjan Das in Ramgati, Lakshmipur, were allegedly set on fire. A day later, businessman Khokan Chandra Das was hacked and set ablaze in Shariatpur, succumbing to his injuries. On the same morning, members of Milan Das’s family in Ward No. 4 of Amuchia Union under Boalkhali Upazila in Chattogram were reportedly held hostage during a robbery.Another robbery was reported the same day at the residence of Sanu Das in Homna, Cumilla, where miscreants allegedly looted 10 bhori of gold ornaments, 12 bhori of silver and cash amounting to 20,000 taka, the statement said.