Hindu Petrol Pump Worker Killed in Rajbari, Bangladesh After Refusing to Pay
Hindu Petrol Pump Worker Killed in Rajbari, Bangladesh After Refusing to Pay
Hindu man Ripon Saha crushed at a Rajbari petrol pump after blocking a car leaving without payment; police arrest the SUV owner, a former BNP official, and his driver.
A Hindu man was killed in Rajbari when a black SUV allegedly belonging to a former BNP worker ran him over after he tried to stop the vehicle from leaving a petrol pump without paying. The incident occurred around 4:30 am on Friday at Karim Filling Station in Goalanda Mor, and the victim, 30-year-old Ripon Saha, worked at the station. He died at the scene, police said.
Witnesses and police described how Saha stood in front of the car to ensure payment for fuel worth about Tk 5,000 when the driver attempted to drive away. The vehicle allegedly struck him and sped off, prompting police to seize the car and arrest its owner, Abul Hashem alias Sujan, 55, and his driver, Kamal Hossain, 43. Hashem is identified as a former treasurer of the Rajbari district Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and a former president of the district Jubo Dal, a BNP youth wing, police disclosed.
Investigators filed a murder case in connection with the killing, and officials said the arrests were part of the ongoing probe. The incident has drawn attention amid a wider debate on communal violence in the country as parliamentary elections draw near, with BHBCUC (Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council) noting what it calls a troubling rise in such violence ahead of February 12 polls. Earlier this month, a Hindu businessman, Khokon Das, died in what authorities described as a separate attack in Bangladesh.
The Rajbari case underscores fears among minority communities about safety and the impact of political tensions on everyday life, even as authorities promise swift action against those responsible. Police officials stressed that the investigation would determine the exact sequence of events and hold those responsible to account.
As Bangladesh moves toward general elections, residents in Rajbari and beyond watch closely how authorities handle attacks on minority communities and whether the wave of violence will subside in the coming weeks.
