DHAKA, Feb 12: The bloodied body of a 28-year-old tea garden worker, Ratan Shuvo Kar, was found with his hands and legs tied in a tea estate in Kamalganj upazila of Moulvibazar, about 200 km northeast of Dhaka, on Wednesday, a media report said.
The discovery comes a day before Bangladesh’s 13th parliamentary elections and marks the second reported killing of a Hindu individual in as many days.
According to police, locals found the body around 10 am and alerted authorities. Officers from Kamalganj Police Station recovered the body and sent it to Moulvibazar Sadar Hospital for autopsy.
Police said the victim bore visible injury marks and an investigation is underway to identify those responsible.
Ratan’s family said he had been missing since the previous night and that they were unaware of any reason why he might have been targeted. Some locals speculated about a possible link to the upcoming elections, but no evidence has been found so far.
The incident follows the killing of 62-year-old Hindu trader Susen Chandra Sarkar on Monday in Mymensingh’s Trishal upazila. Sarkar was allegedly hacked to death inside his shop by unidentified assailants.
Rights groups have expressed concern over rising violence against the Hindu minority.
The South Asia Forum for Freedom of Religion Belief reported at least 15 targeted murders of Hindu individuals within 45 days.
The Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council said it recorded 51 incidents of communal violence in December 2025 alone. According to the 2022 census, Hindus make up nearly 13.13 million people, or about 7.95 per cent of Bangladesh’s population. (PTI)
