Hindu auto driver killed in Bangladesh amid surge in minority attacks

Mangalore Today News Network

Dhaka, January 13, 2026: A Hindu autorickshaw driver was killed by a group of people in Bangladesh’s Chittagong division, the latest in a string of attacks on minority communities in recent weeks.

The victim, 28-year-old Samir Kumar Das, was beaten and stabbed to death by a mob on Sunday night (January 11). Das, who worked in the Dagonbhuiyan area of Feni district, was reportedly robbed of his vehicle after the assault. No arrests have been made so far. Police said preliminary investigations indicate the incident was a case of murder and robbery.

This attack comes days after a 25-year-old Hindu man, Mithun Sarkar from Bhandarpur village in Naogaon district, died while jumping into a canal to escape a mob that accused him of theft on January 6.

In a separate incident, Proloy Chaki, a musician and cultural affairs secretary of the Awami League’s Pabna district unit, died in prison on Sunday night, reportedly due to a heart attack. Chaki had been arrested in connection with an alleged attack on an anti-discrimination student movement; supporters claim the charges were false.

These deaths have heightened concerns over the safety of Hindus and political detainees in Bangladesh. Attacks on minorities, including Hindus, have surged following the December killing of radical youth leader Sharif Osman Hadi.

According to the Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council, 51 incidents of communal violence were recorded last month alone, including 10 murders, 10 thefts or robberies, and 23 cases involving occupation, looting, and arson of homes, businesses, and temples. In January, four more Hindus have been killed, bringing the total number of casualties since December to 14.

India has expressed “grave concern” over the continuing hostility against minorities in Bangladesh and called for action against perpetrators, citing the lynching of Hindu youth Dipu Chandra Das in Mymensingh. Relations between the two countries remain tense following the interim government led by Muhammad Yunus taking charge after Sheikh Hasina’s government collapsed.

While the Yunus administration has condemned the killings, it maintains that the incidents are “not communal” and considers the deaths “mere exceptions.”