In a shocking escalation of violence against Bangladesh’s Hindu minority, 50-year-old businessman Khokon Chandra Das was brutally stabbed with sharp weapons, doused with petrol particularly on his head and set ablaze by unidentified miscreants on New Year’s Eve near Keurbanga Bazar in Damudya, Shariatpur district.
Survived by leaping into a nearby pond despite severe burns to his face, hands, and head plus stab wounds, he is now critically ill at Dhaka Medical College Hospital after initial treatment at Shariatpur Sadar Hospital.
Wife Seema Das revealed he recognised two attackers from a prior group, inciting the murder bid; Damudya Police, under OC Mohammad Rabiul Haque, have named two suspects with arrest drives underway in a robbery-murder probe, as of January 2, 2026. This fourth recent assault trails lynchings of Dipu Chandra Das, Bajendra Biswas, and Amrit Mandal amid lingering post-unrest tensions.
Harrowing Midnight Assault
Khokon Chandra Das, a respected resident of Tilai village in Ward No. 3 of Koneshwar Union, balances family life with his dual trade in medicines and mobile banking at bustling Keurbanga Bazar.
On December 31 around 9:30 PM, after tallying his modest daily sales, he boarded a CNG-powered autorickshaw for the short ride home along the dimly lit Damudya-Shariatpur road. Suddenly, a group of assailants blocked the vehicle, dragged him out, and unleashed a savage barrage: repeated hacks with sharp implements, looting of cash and phone, followed by drenching him in petrol before striking a match.
Seema Das, speaking through tears to Prothom Alo and echoed in multiple reports, recounted: “Petrol was poured on his head… He recognised two of them from before. That is why they tried to kill him. We have no known enemies here.”
In instinctive survival, Das plunged into an adjacent pond, extinguishing the flames as horrified locals rushed to aid, ferrying him first to local care then urgently to Dhaka for specialised burn treatment. Police swiftly cordoned the site, collecting evidence amid community outrage.
Wave of Targeted Persecution
This barbaric episode forms a chilling pattern in Bangladesh’s volatile security landscape, where Hindus comprising about 8% of the population face heightened perils since the ouster of Sheikh Hasina’s government in August 2024 amid student-led protests.
Just days prior, Dipu Chandra Das fell to a mob lynching in Mymensingh over unverified blasphemy claims; Bajendra Biswas was gunned down nearby; Amrit Mandal met a similar fate in Rajbari each underscoring traders’ vulnerability during evening commutes.
Damudya’s OC Mohammad Rabiul Haque affirmed to media: “We have identified two prime suspects; operations to apprehend them and others are in full swing. The motive appears robbery, but all angles including recognition claims are probed.”
No arrests confirmed yet, with investigations leaning on CCTV scraps and witness tips, as Hindu groups decry systemic inaction under the interim regime. Broader context reveals over 200 minority attacks logged since unrest, per advocacy trackers, straining interfaith bonds in rural hubs like Shariatpur.
The Logical Indian’s Perspective
The Logical Indian stands resolutely against this venomous tide of communal hatred, which erodes Bangladesh’s pluralistic fabric and betrays humanity’s shared pursuit of dignity.
Authorities must expedite arrests, ensure Das’s full recovery through top care, and enact safeguards like minority patrols in vulnerable bazaars while civil society champions dialogue, empathy, and restorative justice to heal divides. Kindness isn’t weakness; it’s the antidote to chaos, fostering harmony where fear once ruled.
