Hindu shop owner killed with shovel in Bangladesh while trying to protect his employee

A Hindu man was beaten to death in the Gazipur district of Bangladesh while trying to protect his shop employee from an assault, according to reports. The man has been identified as 55-year-oldLiton Chandra Ghosh, alias Kali. Police was quoted in various reports saying that he was the owner of a sweetshop called Baishakhi Sweetmeat and Hotel in Baranagar Road. This happened on the same day when another Hindu man, identified 30-year-old Ripon Shaha, a fuel station worker, was allegedly mowed over in an effort to stop the vehicle from leaving the petrol pump without paying for the fuel.

NDTV reported that a verbal altercation over a minor issue broke out between 28-year-old Masum Mia, who entered the sweetshopat 11 am, and a 17-year-old employee of the shop called Ananta Das. The argument soon escalated into a physical fight and that is when Liton Ghosh intervened to protect Ananta Das and defuse the situation, but he was attacked with a shovel and died on the spot due to the injury. Three people including Masum Mia have been arrested by police.

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Minority killings in Bangladesh

The attack on minorities in Bangladesh have continued even as the Muhammad Yunus led government assured that safety of all religion is being ensured. The Rights & Risks Analysis Group (RRAG) reported that at least 15 Hindu minorities were murdered in the 45-day period between December 1, 2025, and January 15, 2026. The series of killing started with the lynching and public burning of Dipu Chandra Das on December 18 in Mymensingh. On Jan 3, a Hindu woman was raped by two men in Jhenaidah district. After Dipu Chandra's lynching, on Dec 24, Amrit Mandal also known as Samrat was killed in Rajbari district. On Dec 28, Bijendra Biswas was shot dead by a colleague in a garment factory in Mymensingh. On Dec 31, a Hindu businessman, Khokon Chandra Das, from Shariatpur was attacked, hacked, and set on fire. He later died in the hospital on Jan 3. On Jan 5, a grocery shop owner identified as Sarat Chakraborty Mani, was hacked to death while closing his shop in Narsingdi. Moreover, Proloy Chaki, a Hindu politician and cultural activist died in custody on January 11. On the same day, a 28-year-old Hindu auto driver, identified as Samir Das, was beaten to death. Hindu factory owner and acting editor of a newspaper, Rana Pratap Bairagi, was also shot dead in the Jashore district in the first week of January.

Also Read: 'Differences of belief can never excuse violence': Yunus govt to take care of Hindu man's family killed by mob amid Bangladesh unrest

India expresses concern

India had in December expressed concern at the “horrendous killing" of Hindu man Dipu Chandra in Bangladesh. Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said that India is keeping a close watch on the evolving situation in Bangladesh and asked the Bangladeshi government to protect the minorities. Despite several killings, the Bangladesh government dismissed India's concern as exaggerated. It called the killings “isolated incidents” and accused India of “selective and unfair bias.” According to the Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha (BSS), the country’s official news agency, foreign ministry spokesperson SM Mahbubul Alam expressed concern about disruption of religious events targeting Muslims, Christians and other minorities in India.