PTI
New Delhi/Dhaka
A Hindu fuel station worker was crushed to death in Bangladesh after he tried to stop a vehicle from leaving a petrol pump without paying, police said.
It has not been confirmed whether the incident, which took place on Friday in Rajbari district, is related to the recent spate of violence targeting Hindus in
Bangladesh.
The victim has been identified as 30-year-old Ripon Saha, The Daily Star newspaper reported on Saturday, quoting police officials.
He was working at Karim Filling Station in Goalanda Mor at the time of the incident, it said.
“We will file a murder case. The worker stood in front of the car after they refused to pay for fuel, and they ran him over before fleeing.” Rajbari Sadar Police chief Khondakar Ziaur Rahman was quoted as saying by news portal bdnews24.Com.
According to police and eyewitnesses, a black SUV arrived at the filling station around 4:30 am on Friday and took fuel worth about Tk 5,000 (approx INR 3,710). When the driver attempted to leave without paying, Saha tried to block the vehicle. The car allegedly ran him over and sped away, killing him on the spot.
Another worker, Jakir Hossain, also ran after them and later found Ripon’s body on the highway with severe injuries to the head and face, the report said.
Police later seized the vehicle and arrested its owner, Abul Hashem alias Sujan, 55, and his driver Kamal Hossain, 43.
Hashem, a former treasurer of Rajbari district Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and former president of the district Jubo Dal, is a contractor by profession, police said.
When asked who was driving at the time of the incident, the officer said the incident is being investigated, the report said.
According to the 2022 census, the Hindu population in Bangladesh is approximately 13.13 million, which accounts for about 7.95 per cent of the country’s total population.
