Bangladesh: Hindu Employee Gunned Down at Workplace, Another Death Adds to Rising Toll

A Hindu security guard at a garment factory in Bangladesh’s Mymensingh district was shot dead by a colleague using a government-issued shotgun, adding to a recent series of Hindu killings in the country and raising fresh concern about the safety of minorities.

The shooting happened around 6.45 pm on Monday at Sultana Sweaters Limited, a factory under the Labib Group in the Bhaluka upazila area. This was the third killing of a Hindu man reported in Bangladesh within two weeks, deepening anxiety among minority communities and rights activists.

Hindu killings Bangladesh: details of Mymensingh factory shooting

The victim, identified as 42-year-old Bajendra Biswas, worked as an Ansar member posted as a security guard at the factory. Police said the accused, 29-year-old Noman Mia, also served as an Ansar member at the same unit, and both remained on duty inside the factory premises that evening.

According to police and eyewitness accounts, both Ansar members were staying inside the barracks on the factory compound during duty hours. During a conversation, Noman Mia allegedly aimed a government-issued shotgun at Bajendra Biswas in a casual or joking way, before the weapon fired and struck Biswas in the left thigh.

Hindu killings Bangladesh: police action and Ansar role

After the shot, colleagues rushed Bajendra Biswas to the Bhaluka Upazila Health Complex, where doctors declared death on arrival. Police station in-charge Md Jahidul Islam said officers arrested the accused, seized the shotgun used in the incident and sent the body to Mymensingh Medical College Hospital for post-mortem examination.

In Bangladesh, the Ansar functions as a uniformed auxiliary force under the Ministry of Home Affairs. Members are deployed for internal security duties, including guarding factories, government offices, industrial plants and sensitive sites. When assigned armed duty, Ansar personnel receive government-issued firearms, such as the shotgun involved in this killing.

Hindu killings Bangladesh: earlier attacks and rising concern

The factory shooting took place during a period of intense scrutiny over Hindu killings in Bangladesh, following two violent deaths reported earlier in December. Rights groups and Indian authorities had already highlighted fears about rising attacks on minorities before the latest incident in Mymensingh.

On 18 December, a man named Dipu Chandra Das was lynched by a mob in Bhaluka after accusations of blasphemy. According to reports, the crowd beat and stripped Dipu Chandra Das and then set the body on fire, sparking widespread anger and debate across Bangladesh.

Days after that lynching, another Hindu man was beaten to death outside Mymensingh in a separate case. The two earlier Hindu killings, followed by the fatal shooting of Bajendra Biswas, created a cluster of violent incidents within a short period and intensified discussion about security for religious minorities.

Hindu killings Bangladesh: recent incidents at a glance

The three recent Hindu killings in Bangladesh can be summarised as follows.

Bangladesh authorities have described the Hindu killings as isolated criminal acts, rather than targeted campaigns. However, India and several human rights organisations have raised concerns about the pattern of violence and urged stronger steps to ensure the safety and protection of minority communities across the country.

Hindu killings Bangladesh: protests and public response

The recent Hindu killings in Bangladesh coincided with wider unrest and political tension nationwide. Large demonstrations took place in Dhaka, Chittagong and other cities, where thousands joined marches organised by minority groups and civil society organisations demanding justice, better protection for Hindus and more decisive action from law enforcement authorities.

The death of Bajendra Biswas inside a secure industrial facility, following the lynching of Dipu Chandra Das and another fatal assault, has turned the spotlight on both state security units and broader communal relations in Bangladesh, as investigators, activists and protesters watch how officials respond to these closely watched Hindu killings in the coming weeks.