Young Hindu worker killed ahead of polls: Bangladesh

The bloodied body of a young Hindu tea garden worker was found with his hands and legs tied in a tea estate in northeast Bangladesh, marking the second killing of a Hindu individual in two days ahead of the country’s 13th parliamentary elections scheduled for Thursday.

Police recovered the body of 28-year-old Ratan Shuvo Kar from Champara Tea Garden in Kamalganj upazila of Moulvibazar district , about 200 km northeast of Dhaka, on Wednesday. He was a worker at the tea garden under Islampur union , police said.

According to Kamalganj Police Station Officer-in-Charge Abdul Awal , locals spotted the body around 10 am and informed authorities. The body bore visible injury marks and was found in a blood-soaked condition, police said.

Ratan’s elder brother, Laxman Kar , said the family had been searching for him since Tuesday night. “We were informed this morning that his body was lying in the tea garden. We went there and identified him. We do not know why he was killed,” he said.

The body was sent to Moulvibazar Sadar Hospital for post-mortem examination. Police said an investigation is underway to identify those responsible. While some locals speculated about a possible link to the upcoming elections, police said no evidence supporting such a connection has been found so far.

The killing comes amid growing concerns over violence against Hindu minorities in Bangladesh. On Monday, 62-year-old Hindu trader Susen Chandra Sarkar was hacked to death by unidentified assailants inside his shop at Bogar Bazar in Trishal upazila of Mymensingh district . Sarkar, owner of Bhai Bhai Enterprise , was attacked with a sharp weapon, and the attackers reportedly shut the shop’s shutters before fleeing.

Independent rights groups have flagged a surge in targeted attacks. The South Asia Forum for Freedom of Religion and Belief said at least 15 targeted murders of Hindu individuals have taken place over the past 45 days .

Last month, the Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council alleged that communal violence has increased sharply as the general elections approach, claiming that 51 incidents of communal violence were recorded in December 2025 alone .

According to the 2022 census , Bangladesh is home to approximately 13.13 million Hindus , accounting for about 7.95 per cent of the country’s total population.