A shocking act of violence has rocked a quiet town in Bangladesh, where a Hindu businessman was brutally assaulted, doused in petrol, and set on fire by a mob. The victim's wife, in a heartfelt plea, insists her family harbors no grudges against anyone, as the 50-year-old fights for life in a Dhaka hospital.

Khokon Chandra Das was making his way home from his shop selling medicines and offering mobile banking services on December 31 when three attackers ambushed him near his village in Shariatpur district, roughly 150 km southwest of the capital. Witnesses and family reports describe how the assailants slashed him with machetes before pouring petrol on his head and face and igniting it. In a miraculous escape, Das leaped into a nearby pond to extinguish the flames, enabling locals to transport him to medical care.

Speaking to media outlets amid sobs, wife Seema Das expressed bewilderment and grief. "Petrol was poured on his head and he was set on fire. We have no dispute with anyone—why target us?" she said, noting her husband could identify two of the perpetrators. Authorities have launched a probe, detaining suspects, but communal tensions linger as Bangladesh grapples with minority safety concerns.

This incident marks yet another in a string of assaults on Hindus since the 2024 regime change, including the lynching of Dipu Chandra Das in Mymensingh and attacks in Rajbari. Rights activists decry the pattern, calling for stronger protections amid political flux under interim leader Muhammad Yunus. As Das clings to recovery, his family's desperate call for justice resonates far beyond Shariatpur.