A 30-year-old fuel station worker was killed in Bangladesh after being run over by a vehicle whose occupants allegedly tried to leave without paying for fuel, police said Friday.
The victim, Ripon Saha, was working at Karim Filling Station in Goalanda Mor when a black SUV took fuel worth about ₹3,710 around 4:30 a.m., according to police and eyewitnesses. When the vehicle appeared to depart without payment, Saha stood in front of it to stop the driver. The SUV allegedly struck him and fled, killing him at the scene.
Rajbari Sadar police chief Khondakar Ziaur Rahman said a murder case would be filed. Authorities later seized the vehicle and arrested its owner, Abul Hashem, also known as Sujan, 55, and the driver, Kamal Hossain, 43.
Police said Hashem is a former district treasurer of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party and a former president of the party’s youth wing, Jubo Dal. He works as a contractor, investigators added.
The killing has drawn attention amid broader concerns about violence against minorities in Bangladesh, where Hindus make up about 7.95 per cent of the population—approximately 13.13 million people—according to the 2022 census. The Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council said it recorded 51 incidents of communal violence in December 2025 alone and warned that attacks often rise ahead of elections.
India has also raised concerns over the treatment of minorities in Bangladesh, cautioning that attributing such incidents to personal disputes risks emboldening extremist elements.