Accused of theft, Hindu man Mithun Sarkar dies after being chased by mob in violence-stricken Bangladesh | Today News

Yet another Hindu man died in violence-hit Bangladesh on Tuesday after being chased by a mob accusing him of theft.

According to a news agency ANI, which cited authorities in Naogaon in Bangladesh, the man, Mithun Sarkar, was chased by a mob which levelled accusations of theft on him.

Terrified, Mithun fled, and jumped into a canal, from where his body was fished out on Tuesday afternoon.

On Monday, a Hindu businessman, who was the acting editor of a local newspaper, was fatally shot in the head by unidentified men in the Jessore district.

Monday also saw the death of another 40-year-old Hindu grocery shop owner, who was killed with a sharp weapon by unknown attackers in the Narsingdi city.

These murders were preceded by the horrifying attack on 50-year-old Khokhon Chandra Das, who was lynched in the Shariatpur district. He was stabbed with sharp weapons, robbed, and set on fire, and succumbed to his injuries while undergoing treatment in Dhaka.

The killings in January followed a wave of violence in December, when at least two Hindu men were killed in targeted acts of violence—on 24 December, on Amrit Mondal was lynched over allegations of extortion in the Rajbari town.

A week prior to the attack on Mondal, 25-year-old Dipu Chandra Das was lynched in Mymensingh, and his lifeless body was set on fire, with a video of the violence going viral. He had been accused of blasphemy.

It is estimated that at least 51 incidents targeting members of religious minority communities took place in Bangladesh in December, including 10 murders, as per the Council of Hindu, Buddhist, and Christian Unity. Apart from murders, incidents reported included, rape, arson, and looting.

The ongoing violence comes ahead of parliamentary polls in Bangladesh, the first since Sheikh Hasina's ouster in 2024. The elections are scheduled for February 12.