Shopkeeper beats young man for loan of 500 taka (symbolic picture)
IANS, Dhaka. The incidents of violence against minorities in Bangladesh are not stopping. Another Hindu youth died after consuming poison over a loan of 500 taka in Dirai upazila of Sunamganj district. Hurt by the beating by the shopkeeper, he had consumed poison.
He died during treatment at MAG Osmani Medical College Hospital, Sylhet on Friday morning. The deceased has been identified as 19-year-old Jai Mohapatra.
Quoting the deceased's cousin Ayan Das, Bangladeshi media reported that Jai had bought a mobile phone worth Taka 5500 from Amirul Islam. He gave 2000 taka in cash and promised to pay the remaining amount in weekly installments of 500 taka. Although, he made the payments regularly, the final installment got delayed.
Jai had gone to Amirul Islam's shop on Thursday to pay the installment. But, there he was beaten, humiliated and his mobile phone was snatched away.
Ayaan told that Jai confessed to consuming poison on Thursday evening. He was immediately taken to Dirai Upazila Health Centre, where he was referred to Sylhet as his condition deteriorated. He died during treatment on Friday morning.
This is the eighth incident in 22 days and the fourth this week, highlighting the increasing violence against the Hindu community in Bangladesh. Earlier on Tuesday, Mithun Sarkar jumped into a drain to save his life from the mob in Naogaon district, due to which he died.
On Monday, two Hindus were murdered within 24 hours. The first victim, Sharat Chakraborty Mani, was killed in an attack with sharp weapons by the extremist armed religious group in Dhaka's Narsingdi district on Monday night.
In the second incident, Hindu businessman Rana Pratap Bairagi was shot dead in public in Jashore district. Earlier, on January 3, Khokan Chandra Das was killed after being brutally attacked by a mob in Shariatpur district.
Last week, Bajendra Biswas was shot dead by an associate in Mymensingh district. On December 24 last year, Amrit Mandal was beaten to death by a mob.
On 18 December, Dipu Chandra Das was killed by a mob in Mymensingh district. The mob killed Das and then hanged his body from a tree and set it on fire.
Priti Patel demands British intervention for the safety of Hindus
British opposition leader Priti Patel has called on the British government to use its influence to intervene and bring stability to the growing violence in Bangladesh, including the killing of Hindus there.
The Indian-origin Conservative MP shared her letter to Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper on internet media on Friday. In this, the Labor Party government has also been requested to give a statement on this issue in the House of Commons.
Patel wrote in the letter – The situation in Bangladesh is very worrying. Religious freedom must be protected. The killings of Hindus and atrocities on them are wrong. These have to be stopped.