New Delhi [India], January 3 : Former Ambassador of India to Bangladesh, Veena Sikri, toldon Saturday that for three months, there has been a consistent attack on the minorities in Bangladesh. She said that the attack has been constant and began just after the former PM Sheikh Hasina's plane barely left Dhaka. According to her, till now, 2,900 incidents have taken place against the minorities.
She also claimed that Mohammed Yunus is just being used as a "mouthpiece" and the current government is in the hands of "Jamaat-e-Islami and fundamentalists". She said that in 18 months, there has been no change in Bangladesh's situation.
Speaking to ANI, she said, "For three months, there has been a consistent attack on the minorities... I think PM Sheikh Hasina's plane would barely have left Dhaka when they started the attack on the army headquarters, Sheikh Mujib's statues and on the minorities, including Hindus, Buddhists, Christians, Sufis and Ahmadiyyas... But in 18 months, there has been no change. 2,900 incidents have taken place against the minorities in this time, and there is no control... The government is in the hands of Jamaat-e-Islami and fundamentalists. They are using Mohammed Yunus as a mouthpiece. This is really not acceptable at all. We have to take it up even more strongly..."
With the ongoing Bangladesh unrest, Khokan Chandra Das, a middle-aged Hindu businessman who ran a pharmacy at Keurbhanga Bazar in Bangladesh's Shariatpur district, died on Saturday morning while undergoing treatment for burn injuries at the National Burn Institute in Dhaka.
"Khokon Das, who was injured in a fire attack in Damudya Upazila of Shariatpur, passed away at 7:20 this morning at the National Burn Institute in Bangladesh," Dr. Shaon Bin Rahman, Professor of the National Burn Institute, toldover the phone.
Hospital sources said Das died at around 7:20 am after being under treatment for nearly three days. Doctors said about thirty per cent of his body was burned, with severe injuries to his face and respiratory tract. Authorities said the necessary paperwork was being processed to take the body back to his village home.
Khokon Das's nephew-in-law, Pranto Das, toldthat the family is seeking a proper investigation and justice for the killing. He said none of the perpetrators should be allowed to escape, stressing that those identified must be arrested without delay.
Earlier, his wife, Seema Das, was inconsolable as she spoke to ANI. Carrying her infant in her arms, she lamented how Das was caught hold off by miscreants as he was about to enter the house and was attacked.
"My husband, who is a businessman, was entering the house when he was attacked by a mob gasoline and was set on fire. He is a patient man who leads a peaceful life. He has no enmity with anyone, and we are unable to understand the motive behind the attack," she said.
Das' fatal injuries stemmed from a violent attack on New Year's Eve. According to local newspaper Prothom Alo, the incident occurred around 9:30 pm near Keurbhanga Bazar in Koneshwar Union of Damudya, when a group of miscreants stopped Das while he was returning home after closing his shop for the day.
The attackers allegedly assaulted him with sharp weapons, poured petrol on his body and set him on fire. In an attempt to save himself, Das jumped into a nearby pond beside the road. Hearing his screams, local residents rushed to the scene, prompting the attackers to flee.
Locals rescued Das and initially took him to Shariatpur Sadar Hospital, where he received emergency treatment before being referred to Dhaka later that night as his condition deteriorated, Prothom Alo reported.
Nazrul Islam, a doctor at the emergency department of Shariatpur Sadar Hospital, said Das had injuries on multiple parts of his body, including a serious abdominal wound, along with burn injuries to his face, the back of his head and his hands.
According to Damudya Police Station sources, Das was a resident of Tiloi village in Koneshwar Union and also operated a mobile banking business at Keurbhanga Bazar. Police said the assailants stopped the auto-rickshaw he was travelling in on the Damudya-Shariatpur road before carrying out the attack.
Mohammad Rabiul Haque, Officer-in-Charge of Damudya Police Station, said two suspects had been identified. "After receiving information about a terrorist attack on a businessman at Keurbhanga Bazar, we went to the scene. The names of two of the attackers have been identified. They are local residents Rabbi and Sohag. Efforts are underway to arrest them. We are also trying to identify others who may be involved in the incident," he said, as quoted by Prothom Alo.
The incident comes amid growing concern over violence against members of the Hindu community in Bangladesh. Last month, Dipu Chandra Das, a garment factory worker in Mymensingh district, was beaten to death by a mob over alleged blasphemy charges, while another Hindu youth, Amrit Mondal, was lynched in Rajbari district over an extortion allegation.
These incidents have triggered widespread outrage and condemnation from political leaders, religious organisations and minority groups in Bangladesh and India.
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