The Bangladesh foreign ministry sidestepped India's concerns over "hostilities" against Hindu minorities amid Dipu Chandra Das' lynching.
It called them as "systematic attempt to portray isolated criminal incidents as organised persecution of Hindus”, reported The Dhaka Tribune.
On the Hindu youth's murder in Mymensing, it alleged that characterising the incident as an issue involving minorities was both incorrect and misleading. The statement also claimed that the incidents were being exploited in parts of India to generate anti-Bangladesh sentiment.
According to the Bangladeshi news outlet Prothomalo, Dhaka’s position was communicated in a press statement by SM Mahbubul Alam, spokesperson for Bangladesh’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Alam further said that the Indian spokesman’s remarks “do not reflect the facts”.
India flags concerns
At Friday’s weekly briefing, Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal stated that the persistent hostility against minorities in Bangladesh was deeply concerning.
He mentioned, “The unremitting hostilities against the minorities in Bangladesh including Hindus, Christians and Buddhists at the hands of extremists is a matter of grave concern", adding, “We condemn the recent gruesome killing of a Hindu youth in Bangladesh and expect that the perpetrators of the crime would be brought to justice.”
Jaiswal was speaking about the December 18 incident in which Dipu Chandra Das was fatally attacked by a mob over allegations of blasphemy.
He added that more than 2,900 cases of violence targeting minorities, ranging from killings and arson to land seizures, have been recorded by independent sources during the interim government’s tenure.
Dipu Chandra Das' death
Das, a young garment factory worker who rented a home in Bhaluka Upazila, was accused by locals of making blasphemous remarks and was attacked. Police stated that he was beaten to death, after which his body was tied to a tree and set on fire. The remains were later recovered and sent to Mymensingh Medical College Hospital for a post-mortem examination.
The brutal killing prompted condemnation from the interim government led by Muhammad Yunus, which stated that there was no place for communal hatred or mob violence in what it described as a “New Bangladesh” and vowed to take strict action against those responsible.
Bangladesh’s Education Adviser, CR Abrar, visited Das’s family on behalf of the interim government, offering condolences and assuring them of support. The Office of the Chief Adviser also conveyed its deep sorrow over the killing of Dipu Chandra Das and extended heartfelt condolences to his family.
