Dhaka, 6 Jan

A 40-year-old Hindu man, owner of a grocery shop, has been murdered after unidentified attackers struck him with a sharp weapon in Bangladesh's Narsingdi city, according to a local media report.

The incident took place on Monday night, hours after a Hindu businessman, who was also the acting editor of a newspaper, was fatally shot in the head by unidentified men in Jessore district of Bangladesh.

Moni Chakraborty was attacked and killed at CharsindhurBazar in Palash Upazila around 11 pm on Monday, bdnews24 news portal reported.

Palash Police Station chief (OC) Shahed Al Mamun said Moni was the son of Madan Thakur of Sadharchar Union in Shibpur Upazila.

Moni had been running a grocery shop at Charsindhur Bazar for a long time. He is the third Hindu businessman to be killed in recent weeks.

Police and local residents said Moni was returning home after closing his shop on Monday night when unidentified attackers struck him with a sharp, locally-made weapon.

He collapsed on the spot, the report added.

Locals rushed him to the Palash Upazila Health Complex, where doctors declared him dead.

Police reached the scene immediately after receiving the information and have launched an investigation to identify and arrest those responsible, Police OC Shahed said.

The body was sent to the Narsingdi Sadar Hospital morgue for autopsy.

The killing marks the latest in a spate of violent incidents against the Hindu community members.

On Monday only, 38-year-old Rana Pratap Bairagi, a resident of Arua village in Keshabpur upazila of Jessore in Khulna Division was fatally shot in the head by unidentified men.

The incident occurred around 5.45pm at Kapalia Bazaar on Monday.

On 3 January, Khokon Chandra Das (50) died after he was brutally attacked, hacked and set on fire.

On December 24, another Hindu man, Amrit Mondal, was lynched over alleged extortion in Rajbari town's Pangsha upazila.

On December 18, Dipu Chandra Das (25) was lynched by a mob and his body set on fire over alleged blasphemy in Mymensingh city.

Unidentified men set on fire Qatar expatriate workers Shukh Shil and Anil Shil's home in the Raojan area on the outskirts of Chattogram on December 23, but the residents managed to come out of the building unharmed.