Protest erupts in India’s capital city over lynching of Hindu man in Bangladesh
NEW DELHI (AP) — A protest broke out in India’s capital on Tuesday in response to the death of a Hindu man who was lynched and burned by an angry mob in neighboring Bangladesh; This is a new sign of tension in relations between neighboring countries.
Protest in New Delhi led by predominantly Hindu nationalist organization Vishva Hindu Parishad highlights highlights Fragility in relations between India and BangladeshThis is often cited as a rare example of stability in South Asia.
Bangladeshi student leader Şerif Osman Hadi He died in a hospital in Singapore on Thursday after being shot in Dhaka on December 12. Bangladesh police said they had identified the suspects and that the attacker had probably fled to India.
Hadi’s death triggered widespread violence in Dhaka. The offices of two national daily newspapers were set on fire and India’s diplomatic missions were targeted. The burning alive of a Hindu in India on Tuesday sparked protests.
Hundreds of demonstrators gathered near the Bangladesh High Commission in New Delhi on Tuesday, chanting slogans and accusing Bangladeshi groups of unfairly targeting minorities. They carried signs and banners saying “India will not tolerate the torture of Hindus in Bangladesh” and “Our silence should not be taken as weakness, we are lions.”
Authorities set up barricades around the diplomatic area, including police and armored vehicles, and took strict security measures. Security personnel used batons to restrain some protesters who breached barricades in an attempt to enter the embassy.
Rajkumar Jindal, one of the Indian protesters, threatened “dire consequences” if authorities in Bangladesh did not stop violence against Hindus.
“People who commit cruelty should stop doing it. We are here to wake up sleeping people,” Jindal said.
Hadi participated in the 2024 political uprising that ended the former president’s 15-year rule. Prime Minister of Bangladesh Sheikh HasinaHe, who has been in exile since fleeing Bangladesh on August 5, 2024, has been a harsh critic of India and Hasina and was planning to run as an independent candidate in a major Dhaka constituency in the next national elections in February.
Hadi’s death sparked a new diplomatic row with India and led New Delhi to summon Bangladesh’s envoy this week.
The Bangladesh Foreign Ministry also summoned Indian high commissioner to Bangladesh Pranay Verma to brief him on the security situation at Bangladesh missions in New Delhi and state capitals Kolkata and Agartala, a leading Bengali newspaper reported on Tuesday.
Tensions between India and Bangladesh rose again on Thursday with the death of 25-year-old Hindu Dipu Chandra Das, who was lynched and publicly burned in Bhaluka sub-district of Mymensingh district following allegations of blasphemy.
The killing of Das contributed a model of fear Among the Hindu community in Bangladesh after Hasina’s ouster.
Religious minority groups, including Hindus and Christians, blamed Bangladesh’s interim government headed by the Nobel Peace Prize winner Muhammad Yunus from failing protect security Hindus and others. Yunus management denied the allegations.
Sreeram Sundar Chaulia, an international relations expert at the Jindal School of International Affairs in New Delhi, said Tuesday’s protest could complicate cooperation on trade, border management and regional connectivity at a time when the region is already grappling with economic uncertainty and political polarization.
“Antagonizing India and the allegation that India is intervening in Bangladesh is done with the aim of solidifying a clearly Islamist and non-inclusive path for the country,” Chaulia said.
Chaulia said the break was a setback in India’s broader regional strategy, while for Bangladesh, the loss of India’s development aid and markets could further weaken the country’s slowing economy and make it more dependent on China.
Bangladesh and India have enjoyed a warm relationship since Hasina came to power in 2009 and until her ouster. Hasina was considered a friend by India and both countries enjoyed success in bilateral cooperation. But Hasina’s opponents accused her administration of being subservient to India, a major trade and investment partner.
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Alam reported from Dhaka.
