Our Bureau
Dhaka
A Hindu businessman was hacked to death in Bangladesh just days before the country’s national parliamentary elections, in a fresh spike of violence against the minority community. The victim, 62‑year‑old rice trader Sushen Chandra Sarkar, was killed on the night of February 9 in Mymensingh district, only three days before Bangladesh goes to the polls.
The attack took place at around 11 pm at the intersection of Bogar Bazar in Trishal sub‑district, where Sarkar owned a shop named “Bhai Bhai Enterprise”. According to police, unknown assailants hacked him with a sharp weapon inside his shop, left his body there, and closed the shutters before fleeing the scene. His family later found him covered in blood inside the locked shop while searching for him.
Sarkar, a resident of Dakshinkanda village, was a prominent local trader whose killing has triggered alarm among Hindu groups in the region. The murder occurred in the same district where another Hindu man, Dipu Chandra Das, was lynched and burnt in a separate attack, underscoring fears of targeted violence against religious minorities ahead of the vote.
Bangladesh is scheduled to elect its next prime minister in national parliamentary polls, and the killings come amid heightened security concerns and warnings about possible unrest. Police in Mymensingh have launched an investigation into both cases, but no arrests have been reported so far. Community leaders have demanded swift action and stronger protection for minority citizens as the country prepares to head to the polls.
