New Delhi, Jan 3 (IANS) The Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) on Saturday strongly condemned the killing of another Hindu man in Bangladesh after a businessman succumbed to severe burn injuries days after being brutally attacked, beaten and set on fire by assailants.
The victim, identified as Khokon Chandra Das, a Hindu trader from Damudya, was critically injured earlier this week after being hacked with sharp weapons.
The attackers allegedly poured petrol on him and set him ablaze in the Damudya upazila of Shariatpur district. He died on Saturday morning while undergoing treatment in Dhaka.
The incident took place late Wednesday near Keurbhanga Bazar in Kaneshwar Union of Damudya. After sustaining grievous injuries, Khokon was rushed to the National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery in the Bangladeshi capital, where he remained under treatment for several days before succumbing to his injuries.
Reacting to the incident, VHP spokesperson Vinod Bansal expressed strong outrage and termed the killing an act of extreme brutality.
"Another Hindu in Bangladesh has fallen victim to the barbarity of a jihadist mob. Three days ago, in Bangladesh's Shariatpur district, Hindu trader Shri Khokan Chandra Das was murdered. On December 31, while returning from his shop, he was attacked with sharp weapons, doused with petrol, and set on fire," Bansal said in a post on X.
He further said that the victim had battled for his life for three days before finally giving up and questioned the "jihadist wild beasts" and the administration in Bangladesh: "Is this the true Islam? Do the Hindu citizens of Bangladesh have no human rights left?"
Bansal urged the Hindu community to recognise what he described as the "hideous face" of radical Islam and appealed for vigilance to ensure their own safety amid continued violence.
"In the context of the ongoing violence there, a major question also arises that at least now, the Hindu society should recognise the conversion, infiltration, and the hideous face of radical Islam and remain vigilant for their own safety," he said.
Drawing comparisons with other neighbouring countries, he added, "Otherwise, just as Hindus have become zero in Afghanistan, reduced to just one per cent in Pakistan, and even the seven per cent in Bangladesh are in such a state, imagine for yourself what your condition will be in the times to come."
The VHP spokesperson also called upon the Bangladeshi authorities to act decisively in the matter.
"We expect that the Bangladesh government will ensure strict punishment for that gang of jihadist murderers and provide security to the remaining Hindu society there," Bansal said.
According to details provided by the victim's family, Khokon was returning home in a CNG-powered auto rickshaw after closing his shop on Wednesday night and carrying the day's earnings.
Miscreants allegedly stopped the vehicle near Keurbhanga Bazar on the Damudya–Shariatpur road, attacked him with sharp weapons, seriously injured him, and then poured petrol on his head before setting him on fire.
Khokon's nephew, Prant Das, said that his uncle had been admitted to the National Burn and Plastic Surgery Institute in Dhaka since late Thursday night. He said Khokon's condition worsened in the early hours of Saturday, and he died while receiving treatment in the Intensive Care Unit.
--IANS
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