Khokon Das, 50, was attacked and set ablaze by a mob in Shariatpur district of Bangladesh on December 31. He died of injuries on Friday morning. This comes amid a spate of attacks on Hindus in the country.
50-year-old Khokon Das, a businessman based in Bangladesh, died of his injuries days after he was assaulted and set ablaze by a radical Islamist mob amid a spate of targeted attacks on the Hindu minority community in the country. This is the fourth such killing in the neighbouring country, which has been on edge since the assassination of Osman Hadi, a radical anti-Indian leader, in December 2025.
Khokon Das died on Friday morning at theย Sheikh Hasina National Institute of Burn & Plastic Surgery in Dhaka during treatment, a senior official from the hospital confirmed to India TV Digital.ย Das was returning home when a group of attackers allegedly cornered him, poured petrol on his body and set him on fire near the Keurbhanga Bazar in Koneshwar Union of Damudya.
He had suffered severe burn injuries during the attack on December 31 but managed to escape after jumping into a pond in Shariatpur district.
Anguished by the killing, Das’s family members demanded strict action against the perpetrators involved in the heinous crimes. “Khokon Das passed away at 7:20 am (local time). We are demanding capital punishment against the culprits involved in the heinous acts,” one of his family members told India TV.ย
The Hindu man was reportedly left severely injured after a violent mob allegedly attacked him and set him on fire, marking yet another disturbing assault on minorities in the country. The incident comes amid heightened outrage in India over rising hostilities against minority communities, especially Hindusย whichย have now become a worrying pattern.ย
Repeated attacks on Hindus
Earlier, a mob beat garment worker Dipu Chandra Das to death, stripped him naked, and set his body on fire on December 18. A week later, on Dec 24, another Hindu man, identified as Amrit Mondal, was lynched over alleged extortion in Rajbari town’s Pangsha upazila.
On December 30, Bajendra Biswas, 42, was shot dead by a co-worker using a shotgun at a garment factory in Bhaluka, Mymensingh.
BJP expresses anguish over killing
The killing has triggered political reactions in India, with the West Bengal unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party describing it as part of what it called a broader pattern of violence against Bengali Hindus.
In a post on X, the party said the death of Khokon Das followed the earlier killing of Dipu Chandra Das in Bangladesh and drew parallels with incidents in West Bengal, including the 2023 murders of Haragobinda Das and Chandan Das in Murshidabad. The BJP alleged that attacks on Bengali Hindus were continuing unabated across the region.
Osman Hadi’s killing and attacks on Hindus
The killing of student leader Sharif Osman Hadi in December 2025 has pushed Bangladesh into political turmoil, sparking violent protests and a surge in anti-India sentiment ahead of the February 2026 general elections.
Hadiโs death triggered attacks on major newspaper offices seen as pro-India and incidents near Indian diplomatic missions, prompting India to temporarily shut visa centres in parts of Bangladesh due to security concerns.
As the country moves towards national elections scheduled for February 2026, Bangladesh has entered a highly charged political phase marked by prolonged unrest, street violence and deepening polarisation since early 2025.
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