We voted believing in democracy, hope new govt delivers justice: Dipu Das' kin

As Bangladesh moves towards the formation of a new democratically-elected govt led by the BNP, the family of 28-year-old Dipu Chandra Das - who wasburnt alive on Dec 18 last year - said they exercised their right to vote in the hope of securing justice.

Dipu, a garment factory worker, was killed in a brutal attack that sent shockwaves across the world after a video of the attack was widely circulated on social media.




On Thursday, all five eligible voters in his household cast their ballots in the Mymensingh-2 constituency of Mymensingh district. Speaking to TOI over the phone, his father, Rabi Chandra Das, said, "All five voters in our household - including me, Dipu's mother, his wife, his brother and his aunt - exercised our franchise because we believe in the democratic values of the country. We now hope that the new govt will deliver justice to us."

He said the family is trying to come to terms with the loss but the trauma remains raw. "The scars will remain forever in our hearts. We just hope that the newly formed govt will expedite the process of delivering justice to our son, who never deserved such a fate," he added.

Dipu's younger brother, Apu Chandra Das, 22, who is the complainant in the case naming a mob of around 140 people, said representatives of both the BNP and the Jamaat-e-Islami visited their home during the election campaign.

"They urged us to use our voting rights for democracy and assured us of their support whenever required. While we continue to cope with the loss, we see participation in the electoral process as a step towards accountability and justice under the incoming govt," he said.

On the night of Dec 18, Dipu was at work when two colleagues allegedly accused him of posting blasphemous content on social media. They assaulted him before handing him over to a mob waiting outside the factory. The crowd attacked him with canes and rods amid religious sloganeering, hanged him from a tree at a nearby square and set him ablaze. The assailants also recorded and circulated videos of the attack. Married three years ago, Dipu is survived by his wife and one-year-old daughter. He was the sole earner for a family of eight.