Hindu youth burnt alive in Bangladesh; family alleges planned murder

DHAKA: A 23-year-old Hindu youth sleeping inside a shop was set on fire by dousing petrol. He has been identified as Chanchal Chandra Bhowmik. The incident happened on Friday at Narsingdi in Bangladesh. The attacker doused petrol and set the shop on fire before closing the shutters from outside. He then fled the scene, said the witnesses.
Chanchal was the sole breadwinner of the family after his father's death. He was the one who took care of his ailing mother, disabled elder brother and younger brother. Chanchal had been working at a local garage in Narsingdi for the past six years.

Locals and the garage owner said the youth was not a troublemaker and had no enemies. The family alleged that religious hatred was behind the premeditated murder. There are continuous reports of such attacks and murders against Hindus in Bangladesh.

On December 31, a businessman named Khokon Das (50) was attacked and killed by a mob in Shariatpur. Das, a drugstore owner, was attacked while he was returning home. After being stabbed and beaten to death, he was doused with petrol and set on fire. A young man named Deepu Chandradas was also killed in a similar manner. He was stripped naked, beaten to death, doused with petrol and set on fire. The incident caused major political reactions in India.