Mymensingh (Bangladesh) February 10: A 62-year-old Hindu businessman was brutally killed inside his shop in Trishal upazila of Bangladesh’s Mymensingh district, triggering fresh concerns over the safety of minority communities ahead of the country’s parliamentary elections.
The incident occurred late Monday night at the Bogar Bazar intersection under Trishal Police Station limits. Police said unidentified assailants attacked the trader with a sharp weapon, left him inside the shop and locked the shutters before fleeing.
The victim was identified as Susen Chandra Sarkar, the owner of Bhai Bhai Enterprise and a resident of Southkanda village. According to Trishal Police Station officer-in-charge Muhammad Firoz Hossain, Sarkar’s family began searching for him when he did not return home. On opening the shop shutters, they found him lying in a pool of blood.
Sarkar was immediately taken to Mymensingh Medical College Hospital, where doctors declared him dead on arrival.
The victim’s son, Sujan Sarkar, said the family had no known disputes or rivalries. He alleged that the attackers looted several hundred thousand taka from the shop after killing his father. He urged authorities to identify the perpetrators swiftly and ensure strict punishment.
Police have launched an investigation, but no arrests have been reported so far.
The killing has added to a growing list of violent incidents affecting minority communities in Bangladesh. Community organisations have raised repeated concerns over rising communal tension in recent months.
The Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council has earlier claimed that incidents of communal violence have increased significantly as the general election approaches. According to the council, 51 cases of communal violence were recorded in December 2025 alone.
Bangladesh is scheduled to hold parliamentary elections on February 12, the first national polls since former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was removed from office following large-scale protests in August 2024.
As per the 2022 census, Bangladesh’s Hindu population stands at around 13.13 million, accounting for nearly eight per cent of the country’s total population.
