Protests have erupted across India this week over the brutal killing of a Hindu youth in Bangladesh — triggering international concern about the safety of minorities in the neighbouring country. 27-year-old Dipu Chandra Das was beaten to death over blasphemy allegations before his body was hung from a tree and burned. Bangladeshi authorities have arrested 12 people in connection with the attack and investigation remains underway.
Apu Chandra Das told Times of India that he did not initially understand when a colleague called to reveal his older brother had been “taken away”. The mob had arrived at the factory where he worked on the night of December 18 — dragging him out and thrashing him with bamboo sticks, fists and kicks until he died. They had subsequently dragged his body to a central square, hung it from a tree and set him on fire.
“What happened to my brother is beyond imagination. Not even animals are treated the way a violent mob of around 140 people pounced on my brother,” Apu told the publication via phone.
Blasphemy claims
Bangladeshi police and the Rapid Action Battalion have found no evidence supporting the blasphemy allegations against Dipu Chandra Das.
Protests rage across India
Members of Bangiyo Hindu Jagran and several other groups staged a protest in Kolkata over ‘atrocities against Hindus in Bangladesh’. According to the police, they had planned to submit a deputation to the Bangladesh Deputy High Commission. But the situation became tense after a large number of demonstrators gathered near the premises. Officials had eventually resorted to a lathi charge in a bid to disperse the crowd and prevent a breach of law and order.
A separate protest in Mumbai saw members of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad detained by police. Protests were also staged over violence against minorities in Bangladesh at multiple locations including Delhi, Madhya Pradesh and Hyderabad. The Delhi police detained protesting members of the VHP and other Hindu organisations after they gathered near the Bangladesh High Commission on Tuesday morning.
