Dhaka, 17 January (H.S.) : A chilling incident of communal violence has been reported from the Kaliganj area of Gazipur district in Bangladesh, where a Hindu sweetshop owner was brutally beaten to death in what is alleged to be a premeditated attack triggered by objections to religious images displayed inside his shop.

The victim has been identified as 55-year-old Liton Chandra Ghosh, popularly known locally as Kali Moyra. He was the owner of Vaishakhi Sweetmeat and Hotel, located on the Boro Nagar Road adjacent to Kaliganj Municipality.

According to eyewitnesses and family members, the incident occurred around 11 am on Saturday when a confrontation began with 17-year-old Hindu shop employee Ananta Das. It is alleged that a youth named Masum Mia, aged 28, entered the shop and objected to the presence of pictures of Hindu deities, which were displayed as the owner was Hindu. Masum Mia reportedly claimed that the presence of such images rendered the sweets and food items haram and said that such practices were unacceptable in a Muslim country.

When employee Ananta Das protested against the remarks, Masum Mia allegedly abused him using religious slurs and physically assaulted him. Hearing the commotion, Masum’s father Swapan Mia, aged 55, and mother Majeda Khatun, aged 45, arrived at the spot and joined their son in assaulting the teenage employee.

As the situation escalated, shop owner Liton Chandra Ghosh intervened in an attempt to calm matters and protect his employee. He too was attacked by the trio. Eyewitnesses stated that at one point the attackers struck Liton Ghosh on the head with a spade, causing him to collapse on the spot. He sustained critical injuries and died at the scene.

Following the incident, local residents apprehended the three accused and handed them over to the police. The arrested persons have been identified as Mohammad Swapan Mia, Majeda Khatun, and Masum Mia, residents of the Balingaon area under Kaliganj upazila.

The brutal killing has triggered widespread shock and anger in the locality. Members of the Hindu community have expressed deep fear and insecurity, alleging that the attack was not spontaneous but carried out with prior intent, rooted in longstanding communal hostility.

Officer-in-Charge of Kaliganj Police Station, Mohammad Zakir Hossain, told reporters that all three accused have been taken into police custody. The body of the deceased has been recovered, and legal proceedings are being initiated.

The public lynching of a Hindu businessman after raising a communal issue has once again brought the question of minority safety in Bangladesh to the forefront. The victim’s family and local residents have alleged that the accused family adheres to extremist ideology and has previously been involved in creating communal tensions and disputes with Hindu families in the area.

Hindusthan Samachar / Satya Prakash Singh