Villagers in Bangladesh's Rajbari Beat Extortionist Amrit Mandal to Death Amid Clash; Police Deny Communal Angle
A man named Amrit Mandal who is Hindu was fatally killed in Bangladesh, just a few days after the same fate happened to Dipu Chandra Das in a mob violence.
Aadrika Tayal 
New Delhi (India) December 25: A group of villagers in Rajbari district of Bangladesh beat to death a Hindu man who was accused of extortion late on Wednesday night. The killing of Dipu Chandra Das over false and unverified blasphemy claims happened just a few days ago.
Police Clarification on Motive
The local police said that the attack was not communal and the riot was due to extortion and other criminal activities. The police said the man who died in a violent clash with the local people was a top tier criminal named Amrit Mandal.
He was forced into the streets to collect the extortion money and killed in the fighting with the mob. The mob attacked on Wednesday at around 11 pm. The victim was identified as Amrit Mondal, or Samrat, a 30 year old man of the same village. He was found extremely sick and taken to a local hospital where he was declared dead at about 2 am.
Gang's Arsenal Seized
The cops also located one of Samrat’s colleagues, Mohammad Selim, and from him recovered two guns, one a pistol and one local made one shooter gun.
During the investigation, police officials informed that there were at least two cases, including murder, registered against Samrat. They alleged that Samrat was the head of a local gang called Samrat Bahini which he had created himself and used to extort money by frightening the people of the area.
Extortion Bid Sparks Chaos
The villagers reported that Samrat had allegedly demanded extortion money from Shahidul Islam, a local resident. On Wednesday night, it is said that Samrat with his accomplices went to Shahidul's house to collect the money.
The family by raising the alarm shouting robbers attracted the villagers to the spot. When the villagers reached there, they assaulted Samrat. While the rest of the gang escaped, Selim was apprehended with weapons and later handed over to the police.
Recent Violence Pattern
The report was made as the political heavyweight and aspiring prime minister Tarique Rahman came back to Bangladesh on Thursday after 17 years in self imposed exile with a pledge to bring law and order and justice if his party comes to power next year.
This occurrence also follows the killing of a Hindu man by a mob over alleged blasphemy in Mymensingh district of Bangladesh, only a few days back. The victim, Dipu Chandra Das, a young garment factory worker, was accused by locals of making blasphemous remarks and was subsequently attacked.
