Bangladesh Violence: Another Hindu Lynched In Rajbari District Over Extortion Allegations

Communal upheaval and minority-based vigilante violence continues to fester in Bangladesh as yet another Hindu man was reportedly beaten to death by a mob in the country's Rajbari district.

The gruesome incident took place late Wednesday night according to a report by local daily, The Daily Star. The report further stated that the man was lynched by a group of villagers over extortion allegations around 11 p.m.

The man, identified as Amrit Mondal was also known as Samrat, and had suffered grave injuries by the time police reached the scene The Daily Star's report outlined.

Resident of the same village, Samrat was reportedly rushed to Pangsha Upazila Health Complex, where doctors declared him dead around 2 a.m.

News of Mondal's killing comes days after a Hindu man, Dipu Chandra Das was lynched and his body was reportedly set ablaze.

Police told The Daily Star that Mondal, son of Akshay Mondal, lived in Hosaindanga village and was known locally as the leader of a group called "Samrat Bahini."

Sheikh Moinul Islam Pangsha in charge of the Model Police Station officer was cited as informing that Mandal had at least two cases registered against him at the police station, including a murder case.

The Daily Star reported locals as saying that Mondal had formed a criminal gang and was engaged in extortion among other illegal activities for years.

According to the locals, Mondal had recently returned to the village after hiding in India for a long time. Post his return, he allegedly demanded extortion money from Shahidul Islam, another local resident.

Mondal death has fanned fears surrounding mob justice in Bangladesh, where minorities have increasingly found themselves at the receiving end of targeted violence in the backdrop of political uncertainty and weak law enforcement.

Violence had first erupted on Thursday, Dec. 18, after news of the death of a student leader named Sharif Osman Hadi broke out. The 32-year-old was a senior leader of the student protest group Inqilab Mancha.

He had emerged as a popular face of the youth movement that ousted former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. Hadi was also an outspoken critic of India, where Hasina remains in self-imposed exile.