The cycle of violence against Bangladesh’s Hindus spins on, claiming 19-year-old Joy Mahapatra in a Dirai upazila shop over mere 500 taka. Beaten and bereft of his phone, the teen turned to poison, dying in Sylhet hospital and amplifying cries for minority rights.
Transaction roots trace to a 5,500-taka phone buy: 2,000 cash down, 500 weekly for the rest from Amirul Islam. Joy honored most, but Thursday’s visit for the finale flipped to fiasco—thrashed, taunted, gadget gone. Evening despair drove him to fatal ingestion.
Family ferried him to local clinic; deterioration prompted Sylhet referral. RMO Moni Rani Talukdar noted the gravity. Friday’s demise at MAG Osmani confirmed via media from cousin Ayan and grieving mom Shaili: ‘Morning pleas ignored, evening pummeling sealed his fate at the store.’
Police OC Inamul Haq Chowdhury toured the spot, signaling action on FIR. Statistically stark: week’s fourth, 22-day eighth Hindu-targeted horror. Analysts link it to unrest aftermath, imploring swift reforms, hate-crime laws, and global scrutiny to stem the tide.
Joy’s family seeks redress, but broader implications loom—eroding trust, mass fear. Bangladesh must confront this scourge head-on, lest more young lives flicker out over trifles.