Bangladesh: Car runs over Hindu worker after fuss over unpaid fuel

Dhaka, Jan 17 (IANS) A Hindu man was killed after being intentionally run over by a vehicle in Sadar Upazila of Bangladesh's Rajbari district, local media reported on Saturday.

This adds to the disturbing pattern of violence against minorities across Bangladesh.

The deceased, identified as 30-year-old Ripon Saha, worked at Karim Filling Station near Goalanda Mor in Rajbari.

Citing the police and local witnesses, Bangladesh's leading newspaper, The Daily Star, reported that the incident took place on Friday when the driver ran over Saha, killing him on the spot after he demanded payment for the fuel.

Confirming the incident, Khondkar Ziaur Rahman, officer-in-charge of Rajbari Sadar Police Station, stated that police later seized the vehicle and arrested its owner, Abul Hashem, the former treasurer of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party's (BNP) Rajbari district unit, from his residence in the Sadar upazila on Friday afternoon.

He added that the driver, Kamal Hossain, was also taken into custody from Banibhah Nijpara village.

"This is not an accident. We will file a murder case. The worker stood in front of the car after they refused to pay for fuel, and they ran him over before fleeing," Bangladeshi media outlet bdnews24 quoted Rahman as saying.

Speaking to reporters, employees of Karim Filling Station said that a black Land Cruiser took fuel worth Bangladeshi Taka 5,000 at the filling station early Friday.

When Saha tried to stop the vehicle from leaving without paying, the driver ran over him and fled the scene, killing him on the spot.

This marked the tenth killing in the span of a month, highlighting a disturbing surge in violence targeting Hindu communities throughout Bangladesh.

Earlier this week, another Hindu man was hacked and stabbed to death by miscreants in Daganbhuiyan upazila of Feni district, local media reported.

The body of 27-year-old auto-rickshaw driver Samir Das was recovered from a crop field in Jagatpur village of Bangladesh on Monday.

Earlier on January 9, India expressed deep concerns over the disturbing pattern of recurring attacks on minorities, especially Hindus, across Bangladesh, stating that it continues to monitor the situation in the neighbouring country and hopes that such acts of communal violence are addressed decisively.

Bangladesh has witnessed escalating violence against minorities, including Hindus, under the Muhammad Yunus-led interim government, sparking outrage among people and several human rights organisations across the globe.