The attack unfolded around 9:30 pm on 31 December 2025, as Khokon returned home in an auto-rickshaw after closing his medicine shop and mobile banking business in Damudya’s Kaneshwar Union.
Seema Das, his wife, broke down in tears while cradling their infant child during an interview with ANI, her voice trembling as she recalled the horror: “My husband, a patient and peaceful man with no enemies, was entering our home when a mob stopped his vehicle, beat him savagely, poured petrol on him, and set him on fire.
We cannot fathom why this happened to him.” She described how Khokon recognised two of the attackers amid the chaos, screaming for mercy before they inflicted burns covering 30 per cent of his body, particularly his face, head, hands, and abdomen.​
His sister, Anjana Rani Das, painted a vivid picture of the brutality, noting the mob first struck him on the head with blunt objects before dousing him in flammable liquid. “He cried out desperately, jumping into a nearby pond to douse the flames, begging for help as his skin charred,” she said, her words underscoring the sheer terror of those moments.
Nephews Sourabh Das and Pranto Das rushed to the scene upon hearing the news. Sourabh arrived at Shariatpur Sadar Hospital, where local residents had heroically pulled Khokon from the water and provided first aid, only to find his face and hands horribly disfigured.
Pranto, voice laced with fury, labelled the perpetrators a “bloodthirsty mob” intent on murder: “My uncle never harmed anyone. He lies in the ICU, fighting for life we demand a thorough investigation and the criminals brought to justice.”
Initial treatment at the local hospital proved insufficient as his condition deteriorated rapidly that night, leading to urgent transfers first to Dhaka Medical College Hospital and then to the National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery. There, Dr Shaon Bin Rahman, head of the burns unit, confirmed Khokon’s death at 7:20 am on 3 January 2026, succumbing to his extensive injuries after three days of agony.​
Rising Tide of Communal Violence
Khokon’s murder is not an isolated tragedy but part of a chilling pattern targeting Bangladesh’s Hindu minority, which has faced escalating threats since political upheavals in recent years.
Just weeks earlier, on 18 December 2025, Dipu Chandra Das, a garment factory worker in Mymensingh district, was beaten to death by a mob over unfounded blasphemy accusations; his body was then hanged from a bridge and set alight in a grotesque public display.
In another harrowing case, Amrit Mondal, a Hindu youth from Hosendanga village in Rajbari’s Pangsha sub-district, was lynched amid a fabricated extortion dispute, his death highlighting how petty pretexts often mask deeper communal animosities.
These incidents, the fourth such attack on Hindus in just two weeks according to some reports, have ignited widespread outrage, with traders in Keurbhanga Bazar and Tilai village staging protests demanding safety and accountability.​
Khokon’s father, overcome with grief, lodged a formal complaint at Damudya Police Station, explicitly naming three suspects: Sohag Khan, Rabbi Molya, and Palash Sardar individuals allegedly known locally and driven by unclear motives, though whispers of religious tensions linger unconfirmed.
Officer-in-Charge Mohammad Rabiul Haque of Damudya Police Station assured the public that a full investigation is underway, coordinating with Dhaka’s Shahbagh Police for the mandatory post-mortem autopsy. “We are working to identify and apprehend all involved; no stone will be left unturned,” he stated, though as of Saturday afternoon, no arrests had been announced.
This official response comes amid international scrutiny, with Hindu rights groups and Indian media amplifying calls for protection of minorities in Bangladesh, where Hindus constitute about 8 per cent of the population but report disproportionate violence.​
The Logical Indian’s Perspective
Khokon Chandra Das’s brutal slaying hacked, burned alive, and left to suffer for days rips at the fabric of humanity, exposing how unchecked hatred festers into unimaginable cruelty that spares neither peaceful traders nor innocent families.
In a nation grappling with its identity post-turmoil, this wave of targeted killings against Hindus demands more than probes; it cries out for bold leadership to enforce the rule of law, safeguard minorities, and nurture dialogue that heals rather than divides.
The Logical Indian unequivocally condemns such savagery, standing resolutely for peace, empathy, kindness, and harmonious coexistence, where no community lives in fear of a mob’s whim urging Bangladesh’s authorities, civil society, and global voices to prioritise justice, community policing, and interfaith initiatives that rebuild trust brick by brick.
