Man Killed In Bombing Near Dhaka Church Amid Rising Bangladesh Tensions

Siam sustained critical head injuries, started bleeding heavily and died on the spot.. (Image: PTI)

Amid widespread violence and arson in Bangladesh, a pedestrian was killed on the spot after being hit by a crude bomb thrown from a flyover near a church in Dhaka on Wednesday.

As per Bangladeshi media outlets, the incident took place around 7 pm (local time) in the Moghbazar area when unidentified assailants threw a crude bomb from the Moghbazar flyover on the road adjacent to the Assemblies of God (AG) Church located at 401/1, New Eskaton, under Hatirjheel Police Station on Christmas Eve.

The bomb struck the head of the deceased, identified as 21-year-old Saiful Siam, an employee of Zahid Car Decoration in Mogbazar, who was having tea at a roadside stall.

Inspector (Operations) of Hatirjheel Police Station Md Mohiuddin confirmed the incident to The Daily Star and said, “Saiful was having tea at a roadside stall when a crude bomb, hurled from the flyover above, struck him.”

He sustained critical head injuries, started bleeding heavily and died on the spot.

Tea-stall owner Faruk told Jago News that Siam had come to him to have a cup of tea. “I was preparing to wash cups. At that time, there was a sudden bang. Then I saw that Siam had fallen to the ground. Blood was coming out of his head. The brains were scattered all around,” he told the news outlet.

As per the reports, police cordoned off the area and started a probe to identify the attackers and determine the motive behind the attack. The police are also probing the angle of targeted killing as the incident took place on the eve of Christmas in front of a church.

Bangladesh Minister Resigns

Meanwhile, Bangladesh’s interim government Minister of State for Home Affairs, Khoda Baksh Chowdhury, has resigned amid rising tensions.

Khuda Baksh’s resignation has been accepted by the President.

A former Inspector General of Police (IGP), Baksh was appointed as a special assistant to Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus on November 10, 2024.

Bangladesh Unrest

Bangladesh continues to boil under violence following the death of July uprising organiser Sharif Osman Hadi in Singapore. Hadi, the convener of Inquilab Mancha, died while undergoing treatment after he was shot in the head in Dhaka on December 12.

Media houses, cultural centres and political offices were attacked. A Hindu man, Dipu Chandra Das, was lynched and burnt to death in Mymensingh over alleged blasphemy. The lynching of Dipu Das, meanwhile, invited sharp condemnation in India, with protests swelling outside the Bangladesh High Commission in Delhi.

Bangladesh authorities have faced criticism from minority rights advocates and international observers over the handling of such attacks, with critics saying religious tensions and mob violence reflect deeper social fractures. Dhaka’s leadership has described some narratives of targeted communal attacks as misleading, even as tensions and protests continue.