Another Hindu man dies in Bangladesh in ‘accidental’ firing by colleague

The alleged shooter, identified as 22-year-old Noman Mia, has been arrested

A 40-year-old Hindu worker was killed on Monday evening after being shot by a colleague inside a garment factory in Bangladesh, with the police describing the incident as an apparent accidental firing, according to a report by CNN-News18.

The incident occurred at Sultana Sweaters Limited in the Mehrabari area of Bhaluka upazila in Mymensingh.

The victim has been identifies as Bajendra Biswas, an Ansar member positioned for factory security. He was the son of Pobitra Biswas and hailed from Kadirpur village in Sylhet Sadar.

The alleged shooter, identified as 22-year-old Noman Mia, another Ansar member, has been arrested, the CNN-News18 report added citing police. Mia is the son of Lutfur Rahman and a resident of Baluturi Bazar in the Taherpur area of Sunamganj.

The term Ansar in Bangladesh refers to the Bangladesh Ansar and Village Defence Party (Ansar-VDP), a uniformed auxiliary force. Its personnel are commonly assigned to guard factories, banks, elections and government establishments, and can be armed when deployed at sensitive sites.

The incident comes amid a spate of attacks on Hindus in Bangladesh, with two deaths reported in recent times. Recently, 29-year-old Amrit Mandal was lynched by a mob in Bangladesh’s Rajbari district, days after another man named Dipu Chandra Das, another Hindu man, was lynched and set ablaze in Mymensingh district.

According to eyewitnesses cited in the CNN-News18 report, nearly 20 Ansar personnel were on duty at the factory when the shooting occurred. Bajendra Biswas was sitting with Noman Mia inside the premises when a shotgun in Noman’s possession accidentally discharged, hitting Biswas in the left thigh and leading to massive blood loss.

Colleagues rushed him to the Bhaluka Upazila Health Complex, where doctors pronounced him dead on arrival.

Confirming the incident, officer-in-charge Zahidul Islam of Bhaluka Model police station said that police reached the scene promptly and arrested the accused.