‘Son Tied To Tree And Set On Fire’: Father Of Hindu Man Lynched By Mob In Bangladesh | India News

While fresh violence erupted following the death of a prominent anti-India radical leader, the lynching of a Hindu man in Bangladesh has renewed concerns about the safety of minorities.

Dipu Chandra Das, a garment factory worker from Mymensingh, was beaten to death by a mob on Thursday night after he was accused of insulting Islam. The killing came as violent protests demanding justice for the killing of radical leader Sharif Osman Hadi spread to various parts of the country, with demonstrators damaging public and private properties in Dhaka, more than 100 kilometers away.

According to eyewitnesses, after the attack, Das’s body was tied to a tree and set on fire. Videos circulating on social media showed the crowd celebrating the action, prompting widespread condemnation.

Speaking to NDTV, Das’s father, Ravilal Das, expressed his anguish and said that although the interim government led by Muhammad Younis condemned the lynching and emir action, it did not get any assurance from the authorities.

“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 about it on Facebook, then more people started talking about it. We learned about it when someone told me that he had been beaten badly. Half an hour later, my uncle came and said that they took my son and tied him to a tree,” she recounted.

Ravilal Das said he could not yet identify whether they were members of Jamaat-e-Islami Bangladesh or its student wing Chhatra Shibir. “We cannot say for sure whether they are from Chhatra Shibir or not. No one can be sure; people say that,” he said.

Police arrested at least seven people in connection with the murder.

The incident has again highlighted the vulnerability of Bangladesh’s minorities, especially Hindus, amid rising tensions ahead of national elections. Hadi’s death following a gun attack has become a flashpoint, with Islamist extremists accused of using the unrest to target people and institutions they oppose.

Political and Public Reaction

Mohammed Ali Arafat, the former information minister and former member of parliament who served in Sheikh Hasina’s government, said radical Islamist groups had effectively taken over the protests following Hadi’s death.

Arafat wrote on the social media platform

He said figures like Jashimuddin Rahmani and Towhidi Janata’s Ataur Rahman Bikrampuri were also present, as were members of other extremist groups who made provocative speeches.

Arafat also claimed that Rahmani, the former head of the Al Qaeda-linked Ansarullah Bangla Team, was arrested 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 these killings,” Arafat said.

He also claimed that the gangs who tried to destroy the ruins of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman’s residence at 32 Dhanmondi were carrying ISIS flags. “When these extremists first attacked the house, Younis neither took steps to protect the house nor held accountable those responsible,” Arafat said, adding that the violence was underestimated.

The lynching drew harsh reaction from India, which has repeatedly expressed concern over minority rights in Bangladesh. Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra called the murder “extremely worrying” and called on the Indian government to take action.

“The news of the brutal murder of Hindu teenager Deepu Chandra Das by a gang in Bangladesh is extremely worrying,” he said. “In any civilized society, discrimination, violence and murder based on religion, caste or identity are crimes against humanity.”

He called on New Delhi to “take note of the increasing violence against Hindu, Christian and Buddhist minorities in the neighboring country and firmly raise the issue of their security with the Government of Bangladesh.”