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New Delhi: A Hindu grocery shop owner was killed in Bangladesh on Monday night, sixth fatal attack on minorities in just 18 days. The victim had recently been threatened with demands for jizya -- a levy historically imposed on non-Muslims.
The victim, identified as Mani Chakraborty, was attacked by unidentified assailants while running his shop at Charsindur Bazar in Narsingdi district, on the outskirts of Dhaka. He suffered critical injuries and died while being taken to hospital, according to local reports.
Chakraborty's killing in a busy public marketplace has heightened fear among members of the Hindu community, many of whom say they now feel unsafe carrying out daily activities.
The incident came hours after another Hindu man, Rana Pratap, was shot dead in public at Kopalia Bazar in Manirampur upazila of Jashore district on Monday evening. Police said unidentified assailants opened fire on him, killing him on the spot. An investigation is underway.
According to a Blitz report, Chakraborty had recently faced threats from alleged extremist elements demanding jizya in exchange for "protection". Bappaditya Basu, a prominent social activist and organiser, told the publication that two days before the killing, Islamist extremists had demanded a large sum of money from Sarat, warning that he would have to pay jizya if he wanted to continue living in Bangladesh.
Basu alleged that the attackers threatened to abduct Sarat's wife if he approached the police and told him to hand over the money quietly. They also said: "Give the money quietly. Don't make a fuss about it. Even if your India or your Narendra Modi father comes, they won't be able to stop the collection of jizya."
Meanwhile, local police officials said legal procedures, including post-mortem examinations, have been initiated in both cases and efforts are underway to identify and arrest those responsible.
The two killings add to a growing list of violent incidents targeting Bangladesh's Hindu minority in recent weeks. In separate incidents, Dipu Chandra Das, Amrit Mondal, and Bajendra Biswas were also killed, while Khokon Chandra Das, a Hindu businessman, died last month after being stabbed and set on fire by a mob in Shariatpur district.
