Hindu boy killed after being run over by robbers in Bangladesh

Dhaka: In yet another disturbing incident of violence against the minority community in Bangladesh, a young Hindu boy was fatally run over following a confrontation with robbers attempting to seize his vehicle, local media reported on Monday.

The incident occurred on Sunday evening in the Lalpol area of Feni district on the Dhaka-Chittagong highway. 

The deceased, identified as 16-year-old Shanto Kumar Saha, was thrown onto the road by the robbers and hit by a moving vehicle, killing him on the spot.

Citing relatives of the deceased and eyewitnesses, Bangladeshi Bengali media outlet 'Jagonews24' reported that Shanto was seen waiting in his autorickshaw, attending to a passenger's belongings in front of the Miyaji filling station in Lalpol. Half an hour later, the unidentified assailants attacked him, beating him and throwing him under a culvert on the side of the highway while attempting to rob him. 

When Shanto got up from there and chased the robbers, they pushed him on the highway, where he was hit by a moving vehicle and killed instantly.

Confirming the incident, Feni Additional Superintendent of Police Nishat Tabassum said, "Upon receiving information, the police recovered the body from the scene and sent it to the Feni General Hospital mortuary."

"In the evening, when his family members could not contact him, they started searching for him. Later, after receiving information from a familiar auto-rickshaw driver, we went to the spot and found Shanto's body. If we observe the CCTV footage from the area where he had picked up the passengers, it will be possible to identify the kidnappers,” Jagonews24 quoted Shanto's cousin Nipul Das as saying.

Shanto's other cousin, Nipa Rani Das, said, “I met Shanto in front of the Miyaji filling station just before Iftar. When I asked him to take me home, he said he had a passenger to pick up. At that time, there were a few sacks in his autorickshaw. I also saw a person standing next to him. I think they targetted Shanto, taking advantage of the quiet atmosphere during Iftar, and hijacked the autorickshaw.”

The latest incident under the newly-formed Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) government highlights the continuous and alarming surge in violence targetting Hindu communities throughout Bangladesh.

It continues the pattern seen during the former Muhammad Yunus-led interim government, whose 18-month tenure witnessed escalating attacks on minorities, particularly Hindus.