Hindu man lynched by mob in Bangladesh over blasphemy allegations as unrest spreads
A Hindu man, Dipu Chandra Das, was lynched in Mymensingh, Bangladesh, following blasphemy allegations amid ongoing unrest. Police are investigating the horrific incident where the garment worker's body was burned after the attack. The event adds to escalating tensions across Bangladesh, which has been rocked by protests since a political activist's recent death.
New Delhi: Amid raging protests in Bangladesh, a Hindu man was lynched by a mob over blasphemy allegations in Mymensingh district on Thursday night, according to police and BBC Bangla. The incident took place in the Dubalia Para area of Square Master Bari.
Victim identified
The victim has been identified as Dipu Chandra Das. Das was a young local garment factory worker and was living as a tenant in the Dubalia Para area of Bhaluka Upazila. Bhaluka Police Station Duty Officer Ripon Mia reportedly said that a mob alleged that he was making derogatory remarks about Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). They attacked him around 9 pm, and beat Das to death. After killing him, they tied his body to a tree and set it ablaze.
Police swung into action and immediately reached the spot. They brought the situation under control. Later, Das's body was recovered and sent to the morgue at Mymensingh Medical College Hospital for post-mortem examination.
No case has been filed till now. Police said that they were trying to locate the victim’s family, and legal action will start once a formal complaint is registered. "We are trying to locate his relatives. Legal action will be taken in accordance with the law once a case is filed,” Ripon Mia told BBC Bangla.
Unrest rocks Bangladesh
The incident comes as the country is bristling with unrest following the death of radical political activist Sharif Osman Hadi, who succumbed to gunshot wounds while receiving treatment in Singapore.
Hadi was a spokesperson for Inquilab Mancha, Bangladesh’s socio-cultural platform set up after the July 2024 uprising. The 32-year-old was also a candidate in the upcoming general elections. He was kicking off his campaign in Dhaka last Friday when masked attackers shot him in the head.
Following his death, violent protests and vandalism broke out. Demonstrators took out marches, calling for swift justice. Tensions prevailed in several areas, forcing authorities to deploy additional police and paramilitary forces to check escalation.