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The lynching of a Hindu man in the ongoing unrest in Bangladesh has invoked strong reactions from politicians in India, with leaders raising concerns over the treatment of minorities in Bangladesh. The violent protests in Bangladesh broke out following the death of anti-India radical leader Sharif Osman Hadi. The Hindu man, identified as 25-year-old Dipu Chandra Das, was lynched by a mob over alleged blasphemy. Das was working in a factory in Mymensingh. According to the police, Das was beaten by the mob outside the factory where he worked. His body was hanged from a tree and set on fire.

Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi, Andhra Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan, and exiled Bangladeshi writer Taslima Nasreen have reacted to the incident.

“Extremely Disturbing”
In a post on X, Priyanka Gandhi said on Friday night, “The news of the brutal murder of Hindu youth Dipu Chandra Das by a mob in Bangladesh is extremely disturbing. In any civilised society, discrimination, violence, and murder based on religion, caste, or identity are crimes against humanity.”

Gandhi said that the central government should take note of the increasing violence against Hindu, Christian, and Buddhist minorities in Bangladesh and raise the issue of their safety and security forcefully with Dhaka.

Andhra Pradesh Deputy CM Pawan Kalyan said on X, “History remembers sacrifice. But today, the soil that was once liberated with Indian blood is being stained with the blood of innocent minorities. In 1971, our Indian Armed Forces stood for the oppressed. Our brave soldiers didn’t just fight a war; they fought for the identity and dignity of millions of people of what is now called Bangladesh. Nearly 3,900 Indian soldiers sacrificed their lives, and over 10,000 were injured to ensure the birth of Bangladesh. We gave our lives so that others could live in peace.”

Kalyan said that in today’s time, “peace” is just a word, and persecution is the reality. Citing the Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council, he said that over 2,400 incidents of violence against minorities were documented between August 2024 and July this year.

“The pattern of targeting is clear and cruel – last year, we saw the unjust jailing of the ISKCON monk Chinmoy Krishna Das and the brutal lynching of the Communist party leader Pradip Bhowmik. And now the horrific murder of Dipu Chandra Das in Mymensingh. This young man was not just killed; he was subjected to a level of savagery that shames the 21st century,” he added.

The Deputy CM called upon the Bangladesh government to move beyond the mere words of condemnation and restore stability. He also urged the United Nations (UN) to “open their eyes to the plight of minorities in Bangladesh.”

“Hindu Man’s Coworker Wanted To Punish Him”
Meanwhile, Taslima Nasreen, who escaped from Bangladesh in 1994, made several allegations about the lynching. Nasreen said that Dipu Chandra Das’ coworker at the factory, who was a Muslim, wanted to punish the Hindu man over some trivial matter.

“…so, in the middle of a crowd he (the coworker) announced that Dipu had made derogatory remarks about the Prophet. That was enough. Frenzied followers of the Prophet pounced on Dipu like hyenas and began to tear him apart. Eventually the police rescued him and took him into custody – meaning Dipu was under police protection,” Nasreen said.

“Dipu told the police what had happened, stated that he was innocent, that he had made no comment whatsoever about the Prophet, and that it was all a conspiracy by that coworker. The police did not go after the coworker. Many among the police harbour a fondness for jihad. Was it in the excess of this jihadist zeal that they threw Dipu back to those fanatics? Or did jihadist militants shove the police aside and take Dipu out of the station? They held a full-blown celebration – beating Dipu, hanging him, burning him – a jihadist festival,” she added.

The writer also said that Das was the sole breadwinner of his family and pointed out that his family did not have the money to flee to India.

Bangladesh Ensures Action On Incident
On Friday, the Bangladesh government condemned the lynching of Das, saying that there is no space for violence in the country. The government assured that the perpetrators of this “heinous crime will not be spared.”

The government called upon citizens to honour student leader Sharif Osman Hadi by rejecting and resisting violence, incitement and hatred.