A man was beaten to death by a mob in Bangladesh’s Rajbari district, over allegations of extortion, days after the lynching of a Hindu garment factory worker over alleged blasphemy in Mymensingh.
According to The Daily Star, the mob attack took place at around 11 pm on Wednesday at Pangsha sub-district in Rajbari. The victim was identified as Amrit Mondal, also known as Samrat, a resident of the same area.
Assistant Superintendent of Police (Pangsha Circle) Debrata Sarkar said police rushed to the spot after receiving information that a man had been assaulted by local residents. Police found him in a critical condition and shifted him to the Pangsha Upazila Health Complex, where doctors declared him dead at around 2 am.
Police officials said Samrat had at least two cases registered against him at Pangsha police station, including a murder case.
Locals told police that he had been running a criminal gang and was involved in extortion and other illegal activities. They also claimed that Samrat had remained in hiding in India for a long period before recently returning to the village.
According to villagers, Samrat had demanded extortion money from another local resident, Shahidul Islam.
On Wednesday night, Samrat and several associates reportedly went to Shahidul’s house to collect the money. When the family raised an alarm by shouting “robbers”, villagers gathered at the spot and assaulted him.
While other members of the group managed to flee, one associate, Mohammad Selim, was caught by villagers and later handed over to the police.
The Daily Star reported that police recovered two firearms from Selim’s possession, including a pistol and a locally made one-shooter gun.
Assistant Superintendent of Police Debrata Sarkar said Selim was detained during the incident and confirmed the recovery of the weapons. He added that Samrat had been involved in extortion and other criminal activities for a long time.
The killing comes days after another Hindu man was lynched by a mob over alleged blasphemy in Bangladesh’s Mymensingh district.
The victim, Dipu Chandra Das, a 27-year-old garment factory worker living as a tenant in Bhaluka Upazila, was accused by locals of making derogatory remarks about Prophet Muhammad (PBUH).
Police said Dipu Chandra Das was beaten to death, his body tied to a tree and set on fire. The body was later recovered and sent to Mymensingh Medical College Hospital for an autopsy.
The lynching was condemned by the interim government led by Muhammad Yunus, which said there was no place for communal hatred or mob violence in what it described as a “New Bangladesh”, and assured strict action against those responsible.
Both incidents took place against the backdrop of widespread unrest in Bangladesh following the death of political activist Sharif Osman Hadi, who died after succumbing to gunshot injuries while undergoing treatment in Singapore.
News of his death triggered protests, vandalism, and attacks on political and diplomatic sites in several parts of the country.