Dhaka, Jan 10 (NationPress) Amid escalating violence against minority communities in Bangladesh, a tragic incident has occurred where a young Hindu man succumbed after ingesting poison due to a debt of 500 Bangladeshi Taka in the Dirai upazila of Sunamganj district, according to local media reports.

The deceased has been identified as 19-year-old Joy Mohapatra, who passed away on Friday morning while receiving medical care at M A G Osmani Medical College Hospital in Sylhet.

According to a cousin of the victim, Ayan Das, the Bengali media outlet Sylhet View 24 reported that Joy had acquired a mobile phone for 5,500 Taka from a grocery shopkeeper named Amirul Islam. He initially paid 2,000 Taka in cash and agreed to settle the remaining balance in weekly installments of 500 Taka. Although he consistently made the payments, the final installment was delayed.

Allegations suggest that Joy visited Amirul Islam's shop on Thursday to complete the payment, where he was reportedly beaten, humiliated, and had his mobile phone confiscated.

Ayan revealed that Joy confessed to consuming poison that same evening. He was taken urgently to the Dirai Upazila Health Complex, and when his condition worsened, he was referred to Sylhet.

Moni Rani Talukder, the resident Medical Officer at Dirai Upazila Health Complex, stated, "I was on duty during the incident. Given the patient’s critical condition, he was referred to Sylhet immediately."

Joy's mother, Shelly Mohapatra, recounted the heartbreaking details, stating to Sylhet View 24, “In the morning, they demanded money from him but did not receive it, prompting them to take my son’s mobile phone. Later, when he asked for the SIM card, they instructed him to return in the evening. Upon his return, they slapped him. It was at that shop that my son consumed poison.”

Enamul Haque Chowdhury, Officer-in-Charge (OC) of Dirai Police Station, confirmed the incident, stating, "We have received information and examined the site. Legal action will be initiated upon receiving a formal complaint."

This tragic event marks the eighth incident in just 22 days and the fourth incident within the week, indicating a troubling rise in violence aimed at Hindu communities throughout Bangladesh.

Just earlier this week, another Hindu man, 25-year-old Mithun Sarkar, died after leaping into a canal to escape a mob that falsely accused him of theft in Mohadevpur upazila of Naogaon district, as reported by the Daily Manobkantha.

On the previous day, two Hindu men were killed in separate incidents within a span of 24 hours in Bangladesh.

The first victim, 40-year-old Sarat Chakraborty Mani, was fatally attacked in Narsingdi district on Monday night with sharp weapons allegedly wielded by an extremist armed group.

In the second case, 38-year-old Rana Pratap Bairagi, a Hindu businessman, was shot dead in public in Monirampur Upazila of Jashore district.

Earlier in January, another Hindu man, Khokon Chandra Das, died following a brutal assault by a mob of miscreants in Damudya Upazila of Shariatpur district.

Last week, 40-year-old Bajendra Biswas was shot dead by a colleague in Bhaluka Upazila of Mymensingh district.

On December 24, reports emerged regarding the killing of another Hindu youth, 29-year-old Amrit Mondal, who was allegedly lynched by a mob in the Hossaindanga area of Kalimohar Union.

Furthermore, on December 18, 25-year-old Dipu Chandra Das was brutally murdered in a mob lynching incident over false blasphemy accusations from a Muslim coworker at his factory in Bhaluka Upazila of Mymensingh. The mob killed Das and subsequently hung his body from a tree before setting it ablaze.

Expressing profound concerns over this alarming trend of recurring attacks on minorities, particularly on Hindus, the Indian government stated on Friday that it continues to monitor the situation in the neighboring country, hoping that such acts of communal violence are addressed with urgency.