Overview
- The Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council reported 51 incidents against minorities in December, including 10 murders, property seizures and arson, thefts, and assaults.
- In Narsingdi, grocery shop owner Sarat Mani Chakraborty, 40, was attacked with sharp weapons at his Charsindur Bazaar shop late Monday and died en route to a hospital.
- Hours earlier in Jessore, ice factory owner and acting newspaper editor Rana Pratap Bairagi was shot in public after being called out of his workplace by three men on a motorcycle.
- Police say investigations are ongoing and no motive has been established, with arrests reported in an earlier Shariatpur case linked to a New Year’s Eve attack.
- Advocacy groups warn the violence is deterring minority voters before the February 12 polls, as analysts point to weakened central control under the interim administration and foreign governments call for accountability.