Dhaka’s minority communities continue to face relentless violence, with another heartbreaking incident unfolding in Sunamganj district’s Dirai upazila. A 19-year-old Hindu youth, Joy Mahapatra, took his own life by consuming poison after enduring brutal torture from a local shopkeeper over a meager 500 taka debt.
Local reports detail that Joy had purchased a mobile phone from kirana shop owner Amirul Islam for 5,500 taka. He paid 2,000 taka upfront and agreed to weekly installments of 500 taka for the balance. Despite making regular payments, a slight delay in the final installment triggered unimaginable cruelty.
On Thursday, Joy visited the shop to settle the dues, only to be beaten, publicly humiliated, and have his phone confiscated. Devastated, he ingested poison that evening. Family rushed him to Dirai Upazila Health Complex, but his condition deteriorated rapidly. Doctors referred him to Sylhet’s MAG Osmani Medical College Hospital, where he succumbed Friday morning.
Joy’s cousin, Ayan Das, recounted the ordeal to Sylhet View 24, highlighting the shopkeeper’s aggression. Joy’s mother, Shaili Mohapatra, tearfully shared how her son was assaulted and forced to poison himself right at the shop. ‘They demanded money in the morning, snatched his phone when he couldn’t pay immediately, and beat him mercilessly in the evening,’ she said.
Dirai Police Station’s Officer-in-Charge, Inamul Haq Chowdhury, confirmed visiting the scene and promised legal action upon formal complaint. This tragedy marks the eighth attack on Hindus in Bangladesh in just 22 days and the fourth this week alone, underscoring a disturbing surge in anti-minority violence.
As international eyes turn to Bangladesh’s fragile stability post-political upheaval, such incidents demand urgent intervention from authorities to protect vulnerable communities. Families like Joy’s are left grieving, calling for justice amid a pattern of unchecked brutality.