A 40-year-old Hindu grocery shop owner was hacked to death by unidentified attackers in Bangladesh’s Narsingdi city, marking the latest in a series of violent incidents targeting members of the minority community.

The victim, Moni Chakraborty, was attacked around 11 pm on Monday at Charsindhur Bazar in Palash Upazila, Bdnews24 reported.

The killing came just hours after a Hindu businessman, who was also the acting editor of a newspaper, was shot dead in the head by unidentified men in the Jessore district.

Palash Police Station officer-in-charge Shahed Al Mamun said Moni was the son of Madan Thakur of Sadharchar Union in Shibpur Upazila. He had been running a grocery shop at Charsindhur Bazar for a long time and was the third Hindu businessman to be killed in recent weeks.

Police and local residents said Moni was returning home after closing his shop when unidentified attackers struck him with a sharp, locally made weapon. He collapsed on the spot and died, according to the report.

The latest killing has renewed focus on a spate of violence against Hindu minorities across Bangladesh in recent weeks.

On December 31, Khokon Chandra Das, a Hindu businessman from Shariatpur district, was attacked by a mob, stabbed and set on fire. He later succumbed to his injuries at a hospital in Dhaka. Confirming his death, Additional Superintendent of Police Tanvir Hossain said, “We spoke to the hospital and found out that he died. We are investigating and those who committed this incident will be brought to justice soon.”

Seema Das, his wife, told Prothom Alo, “My husband closes the shop every night and returns home with the money from the day's sales. He recognised two of the attackers, which is why they stabbed him, poured gasoline on his head and face and set him on fire.”

Damudya Police Station officer-in-charge Mohammad Rabiul Haque said, “The names of two of the attackers have been identified. They are local Rabbi and Sohag. Efforts are underway to arrest them. Efforts are being made to identify who else is involved in the incident.”

Earlier in December, Bajendra Biswas, a Hindu garment factory worker, was shot dead while on duty at a factory in Mymensingh, while Dipu Chandra Das, a 25-year-old garment worker, was lynched by a mob in the same region over alleged blasphemy and his body set on fire. Another Hindu youth, Amrit Mondal, was killed on Christmas Eve in Rajbari’s Pangsha upazila, with authorities later stating that it was not “a communally motivated attack but related to extortion and terrorist activities”.

Separately, violence against Hindu women has also drawn attention. A 40-year-old Hindu widow was allegedly gang-raped, tied to a tree and tortured by two men, with the assault reportedly filmed by the accused. Both accused have been arrested, while the Muhammad Yunus-led interim government has not issued an official response to the incident so far.

Reacting to the string of killings, Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council spokesman Kajol Debnath said this was the fifth death of a person from the Hindu community since December. “The use of petrol or gunpowder to torch someone or someone’s household is an ominous sign, not just criminal acts... perhaps we are witnessing the rise of a radical (rightwing) culture,” he said.

According to the 2022 census, Bangladesh’s Hindu population stands at about 13.13 million, accounting for nearly 7.95 per cent of the country’s total population.