Dhaka,  3 Jan 

A 50-year-old Hindu businessman who was brutally assaulted, hacked and set on fire earlier this week has died in Bangladesh, a minority rights group said on Saturday, marking the fifth death from the community since December.

Khokon Chandra Das succumbed to his injuries on Saturday morning after battling for life for three days, Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council spokesperson Kajol Debnath said.

Das was attacked on Wednesday night near Keurbhanga Bazar in Damudya area of Shariatpur district, around 100 km south of Dhaka, while returning home after closing his shop.

According to police and media reports, Das, who ran a medicine store and a mobile banking business, was travelling in an autorickshaw when assailants intercepted the vehicle. They allegedly beat him, hacked him with sharp weapons, poured petrol on him and set him on fire.

In an attempt to save himself, Das jumped into a roadside pond as locals raised an alarm, prompting the attackers to flee. He was rescued by residents and taken to Shariatpur Sadar Hospital before being referred to a hospital in Dhaka due to the severity of his injuries.

Doctors said Das had sustained multiple injuries across his body, including a serious abdominal wound, along with burn injuries on his face, head and hands.

Debnath said the attack was part of a disturbing pattern of violence against minorities in the country. “This is the fifth death of a Hindu man in one month. We recorded seven attacks on the community during December alone,” he said, alleging that right-wing radical groups were attempting to intimidate minority faiths.

“The use of petrol or gunpowder to torch individuals or their homes is an ominous sign. These are not just criminal acts; it suggests the rise of a radical culture,” Debnath added.

He cited several recent incidents, including the lynching of 25-year-old Dipu Chandra Das over alleged blasphemy in Mymensingh on December 18, whose body was later set on fire.

On  23 December, unidentified men torched the home of Qatar-based expatriate workers Shukh Shil and Anil Shil in the Raojan area near Chattogram, though the residents escaped unharmed.

A day later, another Hindu man, Amrit Mondal, was lynched over alleged extortion in Pangsha upazila of Rajbari district.

According to Bangladesh’s 2022 census, Hindus number about 13.13 million, accounting for 7.95 per cent of the country’s population.

Political observers say there has been a spate of attacks targeting minority communities in recent weeks, with mob violence and clandestine assaults emerging as a major concern amid Bangladesh’s evolving political landscape