Who was Rana Pratap Bairagi? Hindu journalist shot dead in Bangladesh

(File photo)

As targeted attacks against minorities in Bangladesh continue, a Hindu businessman, who was also the acting editor of a newspaper, was fatally shot in the head by unidentified assailants on Monday in Jessore district.

This attack is one of nearly half a dozen such incidents that have come to light following the unrest that began after student leader Sharif Osman Hadi was killed.

Also Read: Hindu killings pile up in Bangladesh: Journalist Rana Bairagi shot dead in public

According to a report by Bangla-language daily Prothom Alo, Rana Pratap Bairagi, 45, was shot dead by miscreants in Kapalia Bazar around 5:45 pm, the fifth Hindu man to be killed in Bangladesh in recent times. The miscreants shot him in the head from close range and fled. He died on the spot, Prothom Alo said.

It was not immediately clear if there was a communal angle to the killing, but it comes against the backdrop of multiple crimes against Hindus in the Muslim-majority country.

Who was Rana Pratap Bairagi?

38-year-old, Rana Pratap Bairagi, a resident of Arua village, was the son of Tushar Kanti Bairagi in neighbouring Keshabpur district.

He owned an ice-making factory in Kopaliya Bazar in Monirampur and was the acting editor of a newspaper called ‘Dainik BD Khabar’. The newspaper was published in Narail.

According to the police, there are four cases registered against the deceased in two police stations. However, details of these cases were not known, Indian Express reported.

Anti-minority violence in Bangladesh

This attack follows close on the heels of another 45-year-old Hindu man, Khokon Chandra Das, getting stabbed and then set on fire. That incident took place in Damudya Upazila area of Shariatpur district, Bangladesh, last Wednesday, according to local media reports.

Meanwhile, following the attack on Rana Pratap Bairagi, another Hindu man, Mani Chakraborty, a grocery shop owner, was also killed by unidentified assailants on Monday.

The first reported incident was that of a mob lynching of 25-year-old Dipu Chandra Das over allegations of blasphemy that were later revealed to be unfounded. That incident took place inside a factory in Mymensingh.

The other two incidents included Bajendra Biswas, a member of the Bangladesh Ansar, a paramilitary force under the Ministry of Home Affairs, who was killed inside the Sultana Sweaters Limited factory in Mehrabari. Biswas was on security duty and was shot dead. Eyewitness accounts hinted that the case could be one of accidental fire.

And a Hindu youth, Amrit Mondal, was allegedly lynched by a mob in the Hossaindanga area of Kalimohar Union in Bangladesh.