A brutal lynching of a Hindu man by an Islamist mob has reignited fears over the safety of minorities in Bangladesh, even as fresh violence erupts following the killing 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 that accused him of blasphemy. According to reports , after the assault, Das’s body was tied to a tree and set on fire, with videos showing several onlookers celebrating the act.
The killing came amid widespread unrest triggered by the death of Osman Sharif Hadi, whose supporters vandalised landmarks in Dhaka, more than 100 km away from the lynching site.
Das’s father, Ravilal Das, in an interview with NDTV, said he first learnt of his son’s death through social media and received no assurance from authorities despite condemnation from the interim government led by Muhammad Yunus.
“No one from the government has said anything to us,” he told NDTV, recounting how relatives later informed him that his son had been dragged away, tied to a tree, doused with kerosene and set ablaze. “They left his burnt body outside. It was horrible,” he said.
Seven people have been arrested in connection with the lynching, in a statement on X, the interim government led by Chief Adviser Muhhamad Yunus said that the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) has arrested seven individuals as suspects in the case.
The arrests were made during operations at various locations, and the ages of those arrested ranges from 19 to 46, it said.
Ravilal Das said he could not conclusively identify those behind the attack, amid speculation about the involvement of Jamaat-e-Islami Bangladesh or its student wing Chhatra Shibir. “We can’t say for sure. That’s what people are saying,” he told the news channel.
The lynching has once again drawn attention to the plight of religious minorities in Bangladesh, particularly Hindus, as hardline Islamist groups appear to capitalise on unrest following Hadi’s death, which occurred months ahead of national elections.
Former MP and Information Minister under the Sheikh Hasina government, Mohammad Ali Arafat, warned that radical Islamist forces were taking over protests linked to Hadi’s killing.
In a post on X, Arafat said a sit-in at Shahbagh on December 19 demanding justice for Hadi had turned into a gathering dominated by jihadist elements, including Jashimuddin Rahmani and Ataur Rahman Bikrampuri of Towhidi Janata.
Arafat identified Rahmani as the head of the Al-Qaeda-linked Ansarullah Bangla Team, noting that he had earlier been detained under anti-terror laws during the Awami League government for supporting the killing of atheist bloggers between 2013 and 2016. He alleged that Rahmani was released under the Yunus-led administration and had since reiterated his support for those killings.
Arafat further claimed that mobs attempting to vandalise the historic Dhanmondi 32 site were openly waving ISIS flags, accusing the interim government of failing to act decisively against extremist violence.
The lynching has also prompted strong reactions in India. Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra described the incident as “extremely alarming” and urged New Delhi to take up the issue of minority safety with Dhaka.
“The brutal murder of a Hindu youth by a mob in Bangladesh is extremely alarming,” she said, calling on the Government of India to raise concerns over violence against Hindu, Christian and Buddhist minorities in the neighbouring country.
The developments come as India has repeatedly flagged concerns over the deteriorating security situation for minorities in Bangladesh amid rising radicalism.
Exiled Bangladeshi author Taslima Nasreen has shared a post on X outlining a sequence of events that, she suggested, pointed to possible police involvement in Dipu Chandra Das’s lynching. She also questioned who would ultimately ensure justice and hold those responsible for the killing to account.
Congress MP Shashi Tharoor questioned what concrete steps were being taken to bring those responsible for Dipu Chandra Das’s lynching to justice.
Describing the killing as “an unbearably tragic incident amid the mob rule raging across Bangladesh,” Tharoor said condemnation alone was not enough. While expressing grief over the death of the Hindu man, he said he appreciated the statement issued by the Government of Bangladesh but sought clarity on how the perpetrators would be punished and what measures were being put in place to prevent such attacks in the future.
“What are they doing to punish the murderers, and what steps are they taking to ensure that such incidents do not recur?” Tharoor asked.