An acting editor of a Bengali-language daily and a local businessman was shot dead by unidentified assailants in southern Bangladesh’s Jessore district on Monday, police and local officials said.
The victim, Rana Pratap Bairagi (38), was a resident of Arua village in Keshabpur upazila and served as the acting editor of Dainik BD Khabar, which is published from Narail. He also owned an ice-making factory at Kopaliya Bazaar in Monirampur.
According to police, the shooting took place at around 5.45 pm at Kopaliya Bazaar. Abul Basar, Additional Superintendent of Police, told bdnews24 that Bairagi was attacked after being lured out of his workplace.
Citing local residents and police sources, Prothom Alo reported that three assailants arrived on a motorcycle and called Bairagi out of his ice factory. He was taken to a nearby alley in front of the Kapalia Clinic and Diagnostic Centre, where he was shot at close range before the attackers fled.
“Bairagi was shot three times in the head and his throat was slit,” said Md Rajiullah Khan, Officer-in-Charge of Monirampur Police Station, adding that he died on the spot. “The motive behind the killing is not yet clear,” he said, confirming that a formal investigation has been launched.
Confirming the incident, Bashudeb Dhar, president of the Bangladesh Puja Celebration Committee, said: “We have received information that Rana Pratap Bairagi was shot dead in the Keshabpur area of Jessore.”
Police officials said preliminary findings suggest that Bairagi “appeared to be a victim of an internal feud” within the banned Purbo Banglar Communist Party, describing him as an “active member” of the organisation. Authorities also confirmed that four cases had previously been registered against him across two police stations, though details were not disclosed.
The killing comes amid heightened concern over a spate of violent incidents targeting members of Bangladesh’s Hindu minority in recent weeks. On January 3, Khokon Chandra Das (50) died after being attacked, hacked and set on fire. Earlier, on December 24, Amrit Mondal was lynched in Rajbari’s Pangsha upazila over alleged extortion.
On December 18, Dipu Chandra Das (25) was lynched and his body set ablaze in Mymensingh city over allegations of blasphemy. In another incident, unidentified attackers set fire to the home of Qatari expatriate workers Shukh Shil and Anil Shil in the Raojan area near Chattogram on December 23. The occupants escaped without injuries. Police said investigations into Bairagi’s killing were ongoing and that efforts were underway to identify and arrest those responsible.
