“Hindu Man Found Dead in Bangladesh on Election Eve, Limbs Bound”

Dhaka, Feb 12: A 28-year-old Hindu man was found dead with visible injury marks on his body in Moulvibazar district in Bangladesh on Wednesday, a day before crucial voting, triggering fresh concerns among minorities about election violence amid a volatile political climate. Police said the body of Ratan Shuvo Kar, a worker of Champara Tea Garden under the Islampur union, was found with his hands and feet tied.

Locals spotted the body in the tea garden where he worked at around 10:00 am and informed authorities, according to a report by Daily Star.

Quoting eyewitnesses, the report said Kar’s corpse bore visible injury marks and was found in a bloodied condition. One of her co-workers alleged that Kar may have been killed elsewhere and the body later dumped at the spot.

The Daily Star report said some locals believe Kar’s death may be linked to the election, though no evidence was found in this regard.

Kar’s elder brother, Laxman Kar, told the Bangladeshi outlet that the family had been searching for him since Tuesday night. “This morning, we were informed that his body was lying in the garden. We went there and identified him. We do not know why he was killed,” he said.

Police said the body was sent for an autopsy, and an investigation is underway to examine whether the killing was election-related or stemmed from other motives. So far, no official confirmation has been issued regarding the cause or circumstances of death.

Violence Against Hindus In Bangladesh
The recent killing came days after a Hindu businessman was brutally murdered by unknown assailants in Bangladesh. The incident took place in the Mymensingh district of Bangladesh, where another Hindu man, Dipu Chandra Das, was also lynched and burnt. The victim, 62-year-old Sushen Chandra Sarkar, was a rice trader and a resident of Dakshinkanda village. He owned “Bhai Bhai Enterprise” at the intersection of the Bogar Bazar in the sub-district.

As Bangladesh holds national elections today, international concerns are mounting over the deteriorating condition of the country’s Hindu minority under the interim administration led by Muhammad Yunus. Human rights advocates warned that persistent violence, intimidation, and forced displacement of Hindus have intensified since the political transition of August 2024, raising serious questions about minority safety and democratic credibility ahead of the polls.

Bangladesh has witnessed thousands of attacks on minorities since August 2024, including murders, arson, temple desecration, and land seizures. Blasphemy accusations, often unsubstantiated, have increasingly been used to incite mobs, justify arrests, and destroy Hindu homes and businesses.

International monitoring bodies, including the US Commission on International Religious Freedom, have reported a steady rise in intimidation and violence against Hindu communities throughout 2025.