The unrest in Bangladesh has risen to a new level with the brutal murder of another Hindu man, 29-year-old Amrit Mondal, alias Samrat, who was beaten to death in the Pangsha sub-district of Rajbari late on Wednesday night. This incident happened just a few days after the lynching of Dipu Chandra Das and arson of his body, which has now made law and order very problematic in the country.

Muhammad Yunus, temporary leader of the government, said that the killing was not a result of the local conflict but rather was an unforeseen consequence of a violent fight between criminals over money. The police say that Mondal, who was one of the criminals having murder and extortion among the charges against him, had been extorting money from the locals but was overpowered during the fight. The police arrested a Mondal’s criminal associate and took the arms.

The political turmoil has unquestionably at least partly determined the political scene, especially the return of the acting chairman of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) Tarique Rahman, who had been in self-imposed exile for 17 years, back directly to the scene. Rahman, the son of former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia, was not only received but also cheered by his supporters, to whom he promised that they would be treated fairly and protected if his party wins the elections and comes to power. Additionally, he called upon all the faiths in the country, i.e., Muslims, Hindus, Christians, and Buddhists, to join hands in the endeavor of ushering in national peace.

The government took a strong stand against the murder and firmly stated that they would not tolerate mob justice or any other illegal means. In addition, the authorities made a strong appeal to the public urging them to be responsible and not to spread false or even somewhat provocative rumors. The Prime Minister, Sheikh Hasina, during her latest speech, did not let go of the opportunity to strongly attack the Yunus government by calling it a regime of the non-majority and voicing that it had gained power through unlawful methods.

Still, the significant problems that persist in the country are political instability and violence based on religion, and different groups such as student organizations and opposition leaders are not silent about this issue. The caretaker government has committed to keeping the case open and, eventually, through its investigation, to punishing those who committed this inhumane act.