Amrit Mandal, also known as Samrat, died after villagers in Hosendanga village, Pangsha upazila, assaulted him around 11 p.m. Local residents accused Mandal and his associates of attempting to extort money from a homeowner, Shahidul Islam. When the family raised an alarm calling for thieves, a crowd gathered and attacked. Mandal's companions fled, but he was caught and severely beaten.
Police rushed Mandal to a hospital, where he was declared dead early Thursday. His body was sent for autopsy at Rajbari Sadar Hospital. Authorities described Mandal as a known local criminal with prior cases, including murder, and said he had recently returned after hiding in India.
The interim government quickly rejected claims of communal motives, calling the incident a clash over extortion. "This arose from criminal activities, not communal violence," a statement read, adding that one associate was detained with weapons.
The killing follows the December 18 lynching of Dipu Chandra Das, a garment worker in Mymensingh, initially tied to unsubstantiated blasphemy rumors stemming from a workplace dispute. Investigations found no evidence of inflammatory posts, yet a mob beat him, stripped his body, hanged it from a tree, and set it on fire.
Former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, in exile, accused the Muhammad Yunus-led interim government of "unspeakable atrocities" against non-Muslims in a Christmas message Thursday. "It has set horrific precedents such as burning religious minorities to death," she said, insisting Bangladeshis would not tolerate this "dark time."
These incidents come amid broader unrest after the death of student leader Sharif Osman Hadi, whose supporters torched newspaper offices including Prothom Alo and The Daily Star.
Rights groups and minority advocates have documented hundreds of attacks on Hindus since August 2024, raising alarms over law and order as elections approach. Police investigations continue into both lynchings.
