In a shocking incident, a Hindu newspaper editor and businessman was brutally murdered in broad daylight in Bangladesh's Jessore district on Monday evening. The victim, Rana Pratap Bairagi (38), was the owner of an ice factory and the acting editor of a Narail-based daily newspaper.
Details of the Attack
The fatal shooting occurred around 6:30 PM at the Kopalia Bazar area in Manirampur upazila. According to police and local officials, several assailants arrived on a motorcycle and called Bairagi out of his ice factory. They then took him to a nearby alley close to the Kapalia Clinic and Diagnostic Centre.
Monoharpur union parishad chairman Akhtar Faruk described the scene, stating the gunmen shot Bairagi in the head at point-blank range before fleeing. Eyewitness accounts suggest a brief altercation preceded the shooting.
Monirampur Police Station Officer-in-Charge Md. Rajiullah Khan provided grim details to bdnews24, confirming, "Bairagi was shot three times in the head and his throat was slit." The victim succumbed to his injuries on the spot.
Police Investigation and Possible Motive
Local law enforcement has launched an investigation to identify and apprehend the killers. Initial suspicions point towards a business-related dispute as the primary motive behind the execution-style murder. Police also revealed that four cases were previously registered against the deceased, though the nature of these cases was not immediately specified.
Rana Pratap Bairagi hailed from Arua village in Keshabpur upazila of Jessore district in the Khulna Division. He was the owner of the ice factory at Kopalia Bazar and served as the acting editor for 'Dainik BD Khabar', a newspaper published from Narail.
A Pattern of Targeted Violence?
This cold-blooded murder occurs against a troubling backdrop of reported targeted attacks against members of the Hindu minority in the Muslim-majority nation. Recent weeks have seen several violent incidents:
- On January 3, a 50-year-old Hindu man, Khokon Chandra Das, was assaulted, robbed, and set on fire.
- In a separate incident in Mymensingh, a 25-year-old Hindu garment worker, Dipu Chandra Das, was lynched and set ablaze over alleged blasphemy.
- On December 24, Amrit Mondal (alias Samrat) was lynched in Rajbari town over alleged extortion claims.
- On December 23, the home of two Qatar expatriate workers, Shukh Shil and Anil Shil, was set on fire in Chattogram's Raojan area. The residents escaped unharmed.
These events have raised serious concerns about the safety and security of minority communities in Bangladesh. The killing of Rana Pratap Bairagi adds to this alarming list, prompting calls for a thorough probe and greater protection for vulnerable groups.
