Daijiworld Media Network - Bangladesh
Bangladesh, Jan 25: A 23-year-old Hindu youth was allegedly burnt alive while sleeping inside a garage in Bangladesh’s Narsingdi district on Friday night, triggering outrage among the local Hindu community.
The victim has been identified as Chanchal Chandra Bhowmik, son of Khokan Chandra Bhowmik, a native of Lakshmipur village in Cumilla district. Chanchal had been working at the garage for several years and was the sole breadwinner of his family, media reports said.
According to eyewitnesses quoted by various media outlets, the incident occurred late on Friday night when unidentified miscreants allegedly poured petrol on the garage’s shutter from outside and set it on fire. Chanchal, who was sleeping inside, remained trapped in the blaze for a considerable period and reportedly died due to suffocation and severe burn injuries.
Family members of the deceased have termed the incident a “planned murder” and demanded the immediate arrest of those responsible, along with exemplary punishment.
Police officials said evidence has been collected from the spot and the process of registering a case is underway. CCTV footage from nearby cameras reportedly shows a person moving around the garage at the time of the incident, though the attackers are yet to be identified.
Narsingdi Superintendent of Police Abdullah Al Faruque told ANI that investigators are examining whether the fire was caused by an external act or an electrical fault. “We have collected CCTV footage and are investigating all possible angles. The fire started inside the shop, and the fire service broke open the shutter to rescue him, but his body was already charred,” he said, adding that no arrests have been made so far.
The incident comes amid growing concerns over a spate of attacks on minorities in Bangladesh in recent weeks under the interim administration led by Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus. Hindus, who constitute around seven per cent of the country’s population, have reportedly been frequent targets.
On January 18, a Hindu businessman was allegedly beaten to death in Gazipur following an argument over bananas. Earlier, two Hindus were reportedly killed within a span of 24 hours in separate incidents.