Hindu businessman dies three days after attack in Bangladesh
DHAKA, Jan 3: A Hindu businessman, Khokon Chandra Das, 50, died on Saturday in Bangladesh, three days after being brutally attacked, hacked, and set on fire in Shariatpur district. Das, who ran a medicine shop and mobile banking business, was intercepted while returning home, beaten, doused with petrol, and set ablaze. Locals rescued him, but he succumbed to severe burns and multiple injuries in Dhaka. This marks the fifth death of a Hindu person in Bangladesh since December, amid growing attacks on the minority community, according to the Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council. Other recent incidents include the lynching of Dipu Chandra Das, arson attacks on homes, and mob violence against Hindus. Minority leaders warn these attacks, often involving petrol or gunpowder, indicate a rise in radical rightwing activity aimed at intimidation. Bangladesh’s Hindu population, about 13.13 million or 7.95% of the total, has increasingly faced violence, alongside attacks on Sufi shrines, highlighting a worrying trend of sectarian and mob-driven aggression. (PTI)
Pak woman kills her children with lover’s help to get married
LAHORE, Jan 3: In Sarai Alamgir, Punjab, Pakistan, a woman, Sidra Bashir, and her lover, Babar Hussain, allegedly killed her three children, aged three to seven, police reported Saturday. The children were given large doses of sleeping pills mixed in fruit chaat, then strangled while unconscious. The couple burned and buried the bodies at a deserted location to hide their identities. Sidra, who met Hussain on a video-sharing platform over a year ago, confessed that they killed the children because her husband refused divorce, preventing their marriage. The police tracked Sidra after her husband filed a missing persons report and arrested both suspects following her identification of Hussain. Excavation at a remote mountainous site led to the discovery of the children’s bodies. Authorities described the investigation as challenging but successful due to the efforts of their intelligence team. (PTI)
Helicopter crash in Arizona kills four people
SUPERIOR, Jan 3: A private helicopter crashed Friday in Arizona’s mountains near Telegraph Canyon, killing all four aboard, the Pinal County Sheriff’s Office reported. Those killed included the 59-year-old pilot and three women aged 21 and 22; their identities have not been released. The crash, around 11 a.m., may have occurred when the helicopter struck a recreational slackline stretched over a mile across the canyon. An eyewitness reported seeing the helicopter hit part of the line before plummeting to the canyon floor. The helicopter had departed from Queen Creek, about 29 miles away. Rescue crews took several hours to reach the remote crash site on foot. The FAA and NTSB are investigating, and flights over the area were temporarily restricted. The sheriff’s office extended condolences to the victims’ families. (AP)
