Hindu man shot dead by colleague in Bangladesh after “Shall I shoot?” question

Guwahati: Bajendra Biswas, a Hindu man, was shot dead by a colleague in Mymensingh, Bangladesh, after reportedly being asked, “Shall I shoot?” moments before the attack. An eyewitness confirmed the murder and described what happened just before the shooting.

The 40-year-old was killed in Bhaluka upazila, only days after another Hindu man, Dipu Chandra Das, was lynched by a mob in the same district over alleged blasphemy.

The accused, Noman Mia, has been taken into custody, according to reports.

Both the victim and the accused were reportedly members of the Bangladesh Ansar, the country’s largest paramilitary force.

APC Md Azahar Ali, an Ansar member on duty with the Labib Group and a witness to the incident, said that Bajendra Biswas and Noman Mia were sitting together in his room when the attack occurred. Suddenly, Noman Mia pressed a shotgun against Bajendra Das’s thigh and asked, “Shall I shoot?” before firing.

After the shooting, Noman Mia fled the scene. The eyewitness noted there had been no argument or dispute between the two prior to the attack.

The shooting reportedly took place on Monday, December 29, around 6:30 PM at the Sultana Sweaters Limited factory in the Mehrabari area of Bhaluka upazila.

“The deceased Ansar member Bajendra Biswas was the son of Probitra Biswas of Kadirpur village under Sylhet Sadar upazila. The accused, Noman Mia, is the son of Lutfar Rahman of Baluturi Bazar area under Taherpur Police Station in Sunamganj district,” a report said.

This incident comes just days after Dipu Chandra Das, a Hindu man in his late 20s, was killed by an angry mob in Mymensingh, raising concerns about the safety of minority communities in Bangladesh.

The killing of Dipu Chandra Das sparked protests in cities including New Delhi, Kolkata, Mumbai, Hyderabad, parts of Madhya Pradesh, and Agartala, and was condemned by the Muhammad Yunus-led interim government of Bangladesh.

Several Hindu organisations also held demonstrations near Bangladeshi missions last week, demanding measures to protect minority communities in the neighbouring country.