Rural Physician Succumbs to Horrific Arson and Stabbing

A “village doctor” from Shariatpur, who was subjected to a barbaric assault involving both a stabbing and a petrol fire, has tragically passed away. Khokon Chandra, 45, breathed his last on the morning of Saturday, 3 January 2026, while undergoing intensive treatment at the Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH).

The Officer-in-Charge (OC) of Damudya Police Station, Rabiul Haque, confirmed the news of the death, marking a grim conclusion to an incident that has shocked the local community. The attack occurred on the night of 31 December 2025, as Mr Chandra was returning home after closing his pharmacy in the Keurbhanga area of Koneshwar Union, under Damudya Upazila.

Incident Summary: The Assault on Khokon Chandra

A Calculated Act of Cruelty

According to police reports, the assailants intercepted Mr Chandra on a secluded path. The brutality of the attack was twofold: the perpetrators first stabbed him in the lower abdomen with such force that it caused an evisceration injury. After robbing him of his cash and mobile phone, the attackers doused his body in petrol and set him ablaze. In a desperate bid for survival, the victim reportedly jumped into a nearby body of water to extinguish the flames.

Local residents, alerted by the commotion, rescued the physician and rushed him to Shariatpur Sadar Hospital. Due to the critical nature of his injuries—which included extensive burns to his face and right hand—he was later transferred to the specialised burn unit at DMCH in the capital.

Legal Action and Grief

The victim’s father, Paresh Chandra Das, filed a formal case on Thursday night naming three local youths as the primary suspects: Sohag Khan (27), Rabbi Mollya (21), and Palash Sardar (25).

Pranto Das, a relative of the deceased, expressed the family’s profound shock and confusion over the motive. “He passed away at 7:20 this morning,” he told the media. “My uncle had no known enemies or personal feuds with these men. It was a senseless act of violence.”

The local police have intensified their efforts to apprehend the named suspects, who remain at large. The death of the rural doctor, a vital figure in the local healthcare network, has left the Keurbhanga community in mourning and prompted calls for stricter security measures for frontline health workers in remote areas.