Dhaka: Amid a continuing surge in violence against minorities in Bangladesh, a 19-year-old Hindu youth died after consuming poison following an alleged assault and humiliation over a small debt in Sunamganj district, local media reported.
The victim, identified as Joy Mohapatra, died on Friday morning while undergoing treatment at M A G Osmani Medical College Hospital in Sylhet. The incident occurred in Dirai Upazila of Sunamganj district.
According to Bangladeshi Bengali news outlet Sylhet View 24, citing the deceased’s cousin Ayan Das, Joy had purchased a mobile phone worth 5,500 Bangladeshi Taka from a grocery shop owned by Amirul Islam. He paid 2,000 Taka upfront and agreed to clear the remaining amount in weekly instalments of 500 Taka. Although he regularly paid the instalments, the final payment was delayed.
On Thursday, Joy reportedly visited the shop to pay the pending amount but was allegedly beaten, humiliated, and had his mobile phone confiscated by the shopkeeper.
Ayan Das said Joy later admitted to consuming poison on Thursday evening. He was initially taken to the Dirai Upazila Health Complex, and as his condition worsened, he was referred to Sylhet.
Confirming the medical response, Moni Rani Talukder, Resident Medical Officer at the Dirai Upazila Health Complex, said the patient was in a critical condition and was immediately referred to a higher medical facility.
Joy’s mother, Shelly Mohapatra, told Sylhet View 24 that her son was harassed repeatedly over the payment. She alleged that when the money was not paid in the morning, his mobile phone was taken away. Later, when Joy went back to retrieve his SIM card in the evening, he was slapped at the shop. She claimed that her son consumed poison at the same location.
Dirai Police Station Officer-in-Charge Enamul Haque Chowdhury confirmed that police had received information about the incident and inspected the site. He said legal action would be initiated upon receiving a formal complaint.
The death marks the eighth incident involving Hindu victims in the past 22 days and the fourth such incident reported this week, highlighting a troubling rise in violence against Hindu communities across Bangladesh.
Earlier this week, 25-year-old Hindu man Mithun Sarkar died after jumping into a canal in Naogaon district while trying to escape a mob that accused him of robbery. On Monday, two Hindu men were killed in separate incidents within 24 hours. Forty-year-old Sarat Chakraborty Mani was fatally attacked with sharp weapons in Narsingdi district, allegedly by an extremist armed religious group, while 38-year-old Hindu businessman Rana Pratap Bairagi was shot dead in public in Jashore district.
On January 3, Khokon Chandra Das died after being brutally assaulted by a mob in Shariatpur district. Last week, 40-year-old Bajendra Biswas was shot dead by a colleague in Mymensingh district. On December 24, another Hindu youth, Amrit Mondal, was allegedly lynched by a mob, while on December 18, Dipu Chandra Das was brutally killed in a mob lynching over false blasphemy allegations, with his body later set on fire.
Expressing concern over the recurring attacks on minorities, particularly Hindus, India on Friday said it continues to closely monitor the situation in Bangladesh and hopes that incidents of communal violence are addressed firmly and decisively.
With IANS inputs