Another attempt to burn a minority doctor to death like Dipu Das

Staff Correspondent

Dhaka, January 1, 2026: Just days after garment worker Dipu Chandra Das was beaten to death and his body set on fire in Bhaluka, Mymensingh, another Hindu man was brutally attacked in Shariatpur. Khokon Chandra Das (50), a village doctor and medicine trader, was stabbed in Damudya Upazila and then doused with petrol and set on fire. The incident has spread panic among the minority community and many believe it is similar to the Dipu Das murder.

According to police and local sources, Khokon Chandra Das was attacked on Wednesday (December 31) at around 9:30 pm while returning home after closing his shop near Keurbhanga Bazar in Koneshwar Union of Damudya Upazila. The miscreants stabbed him in the abdomen and head and snatched his cash and mobile phone. Then, they poured petrol on his body and set him on fire. It has been alleged that the atrocity was committed because the attackers were identified. Khokon jumped into the nearby water to save his life.

Locals rescued him and first took him to Shariatpur Sadar Hospital. The doctors there advised him to be transferred to Dhaka Medical College Hospital for better treatment. He suffered severe burns on his face and right hand.

Damudya Police Station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Rabiul Islam confirmed the incident and said that Khokon Chandra Das is the son of Paresh Chandra Das of Tilai village. He runs a medicine shop and mobile banking business in Keurbhanga Bazar. Police have inspected the scene and the case is under investigation.

Injured Khokon’s wife Seema Das said, “After receiving the news, I went to the scene and saw my husband’s body on fire. His condition is critical. We demand the immediate arrest of the attackers and exemplary punishment.”

The incident has raised concerns among the minority community as it coincides with the killing of Dipu Chandra Das, who was beaten to death by a mob on charges of blasphemy and then set on fire. Analysts believe that such incidents indicate a rise in extremist tendencies in the country. Police are trying to identify and arrest the attackers.