Rana Pratap Bairagi, a Hindu businessman and journalist, was shot dead in Jessore, Bangladesh, in the latest of several violent attacks against the country’s minority Hindu community.
Rana Pratap Bairagi, a 38-year-old Hindu businessman and media professional, was shot dead in broad daylight on Monday in Bangladesh’s Jessore district, in what local authorities and rights groups say is the latest in a worrying series of violent attacks against the country’s Hindu minority.
Bairagi, a resident of Arua village in the Keshabpur upazila of the Khulna Division, owned an ice-making factory in Kopalia Bazaar, Monirampur, and also served as the acting editor of a local newspaper, Dainik BD Khabar, which is published from Narail.
According to police reports and eyewitness accounts, the attack occurred around 5:45 pm at Kapalia Bazaar when three unidentified men on a motorcycle called Bairagi away from his workplace. They escorted him to a narrow alley near the Kapalia Clinic and Diagnostic Centre and opened fire at close range. Police said Bairagi was shot multiple times in the head and died on the spot. Officers also noted that his throat was slit in the assault, although investigators have yet to determine a clear motive.
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The killing has sent shockwaves through the local community and raised serious concerns about law and order ahead of Bangladesh’s national elections scheduled for mid-February. Authorities have launched a formal investigation to identify the attackers and uncover what led to the fatal encounter, but as yet no arrests have been publicly announced.
Bairagi’s murder occurred against a backdrop of growing violence targeting minorities in Bangladesh, particularly members of the Hindu community. In the weeks leading up to his death, several other Hindu men have been killed in separate incidents, including a businessman who was stabbed and set on fire on New Year’s Eve, and other victims who suffered mob lynchings in central and northern districts. These cases have intensified fears among minority communities about safety and protection.
Human rights advocates and international observers have expressed alarm at the escalation of attacks and called for a thorough, transparent probe into the circumstances surrounding Bairagi’s killing. Critics argue that such violence may reflect deeper tensions and fractures within Bangladeshi society, particularly as political polarization rises ahead of elections.
Meanwhile, the Bangladeshi government’s response to the spate of minority killings has faced scrutiny. While officials have vowed to investigate each murder, critics say law enforcement agencies need to do more to reassure vulnerable communities and address the root causes of inter-communal violence.
The death of Rana Pratap Bairagi has not only robbed his family and local community of a businessman and journalist but also underscored wider questions about justice, minority rights, and public safety in a country grappling with both political uncertainty and social unrest.
