The lynching of a Hindu man in Bangladesh has renewed concerns over the safety of minorities as fresh violence erupts following the death of a prominent anti-India radical leader.
Dipu Chandra Das, a garment factory worker from Mymensingh, was beaten to death on Thursday night by a mob after being accused of insulting Islam. The killing came as violent protests demanding justice for the assassination of radical leader Sharif Osman Hadi spread across parts of the country, with demonstrators vandalising public and private property in Dhaka, more than 100 kilometres away.
Following the attack, Das’s body was tied to a tree and set on fire, according to witnesses. Videos circulating on social media showed crowds celebrating the act, drawing widespread condemnation.
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Speaking to NDTV, Das’s father, Ravilal Das, expressed anguish and said he had received no assurance from authorities despite the interim government led by Muhammad Yunus condemning the lynching and ordering action.
“No one from the government has given any assurance. No one said anything,” he said, adding that he first learned of his son’s killing through Facebook.
“We started hearing things from Facebook, and then more people were talking about it. We found out about it when someone told me he was beaten badly. Half an hour later, my uncle came and told me they took my son and tied him to a tree,” he recounted.
Ravilal Das said he could not yet identify who led the mob, whether members of Jamaat-e-Islami Bangladesh or its student wing, Chhatra Shibir. “We can’t say for sure whether they were from Chhatra Shibir or not. Nobody can be certain; it’s what people are saying,” he said.
Police have arrested at least seven people in connection with the killing.
The incident has once again highlighted the vulnerability of minorities in Bangladesh, particularly Hindus, amid heightened tensions ahead of national elections. Hadi’s death, following a shooting attack, has become a flashpoint, with Islamist hardliners accused of using the unrest to target individuals and institutions they oppose.
Political And Public Reaction
Former information minister and ex-MP Mohammad Ali Arafat, who served under the Sheikh Hasina government, said radical Islamist groups had effectively taken over protests organised in the wake of Hadi’s death.
“Hadi’s supporters held a sit-in at Shahbagh on Friday (December 19), demanding justice for the murder of Sharif Osman Hadi. The programme later turned into a gathering dominated by jihadist and radical Islamist elements,” Arafat wrote on social media platform X.
He said figures such as Jashimuddin Rahmani and Ataur Rahman Bikrampuri of Towhidi Janata were present, along with members of other extremist groups who delivered provocative speeches.
Arafat further alleged that Rahmani, a former head of the Al-Qaeda-linked Ansarullah Bangla Team, had earlier been detained under the Anti-Terrorism Act during the Awami League government for supporting the killing of atheist bloggers between 2013 and 2016, and was released under the Yunus administration. “He has since publicly reiterated and justified his support for those killings,” Arafat said.
He also claimed that mobs attempting to demolish the remains of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman’s residence at 32 Dhanmondi were carrying ISIS flags. “When these extremists first attacked the house, Yunus neither took steps to protect it nor ensured that those responsible were held accountable,” Arafat alleged, adding that the violence had been downplayed.
The lynching drew sharp reactions from India, which has repeatedly raised concerns over minority rights in Bangladesh. Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra described the killing as “extremely alarming” and urged the Indian government to act.
“The news of the brutal murder by a mob of Hindu youth Deepu Chandra Das in Bangladesh is extremely alarming,” she said. “In any civilised society, discrimination, violence and murder based on religion, caste or identity are crimes against humanity.”
She called on New Delhi to “take cognisance of the rising violence against Hindu, Christian and Buddhist minorities in the neighbouring country and firmly raise the issue of their safety with the Government of Bangladesh”.
