Bangladesh unrest: Hindu man lynched, body tied to tree and set on fire as tensions escalate - report

NEW DELHI: A Hindu youth was beaten to death by a mob and his body set on fire in Bangladesh’s Mymensingh district on Thursday night following allegations of blasphemy, BBC Bangla reported, amid continuing unrest in the country and growing concerns over attacks on minorities and media institutions.

The incident took place in the Dubalia Para area of Square Master Bari in Bhaluka upazila. Police identified the victim as Dipu Chandra Das, who worked at a local garment factory and lived in the area as a tenant.



“A group of agitated people caught him and beat him up around 9 pm on Thursday for insulting the Prophet. Then they set his body on fire,” Ripon Mia, duty officer of Bhaluka police station, told BBC Bangla. He said the attackers tied the body to a tree before setting it ablaze.

Police reached the spot after receiving information and brought the situation under control. The body was recovered and sent to the morgue of Mymensingh Medical College Hospital for autopsy. No case has been filed so far. “We are searching for his relatives. If they come and file a case, action will be taken according to the law,” Mia said.

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The interim government condemned the incident in a statement on X, which is also the first response to the ongoing unrest in the country. "We wholeheartedly condemn lynching of a Hindu man in Mymensingh. There is no space for such violence in new Bangladesh. The perpetrators of this heinous crimine will not be spared," the statement read.

The killing comes amid a broader wave of violence across Bangladesh following the death of Sharif Osman Hadi, a 32-year-old student leader and key figure in last year’s uprising. Hadi, who was shot by masked gunmen earlier this month, died in hospital on Thursday, triggering large-scale protests in Dhaka.

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Several buildings in the capital, including those housing leading newspapers Prothom Alo and the Daily Star, were vandalised and set on fire. Journalists were trapped inside smoke-filled newsrooms as firefighters carried out rescue operations. “I can't breathe anymore. There's too much smoke. I am inside. You are killing me,” Daily Star reporter Zyma Islam wrote on Facebook.

Firefighters brought the blaze at the Daily Star building under control around 1.40 am, rescuing 27 employees. “For the first time in the newspaper's history, the publication had to be halted,” consulting editor Kamal Ahmed told AFP. Prothom Alo executive editor Sajjad Sharif said the attack was “an attack on freedom of the press, expression, dissent and diversity of opinion”.

The violence has drawn international concern. The Committee to Protect Journalists said it was alarmed and urged Bangladeshi authorities to ensure the safety of journalists and hold those responsible accountable.

In New Delhi, a parliamentary standing committee on external affairs said the situation in Bangladesh was “complex and evolving” and flagged continued attacks on minorities, media groups and intellectuals. “The political events of August 2024 have created significant instability and uncertainty with incidents of violence, attacks and intimidation of minorities, tribal communities, media groups, intellectuals, journalists, academicians, etc., becoming the norm,” the panel said in a report presented in Parliament.

The ministry of external affairs told the committee that India remains concerned about extremism and attacks on minorities in Bangladesh, even as it continues engagement with the interim government and seeks to insulate bilateral ties from recent political developments.

Police in Bangladesh have launched a manhunt for Hadi’s attackers and announced a reward for information leading to their arrest, as authorities struggle to contain unrest that has raised fresh questions about law and order and minority safety in the country.