Who was Dipu Chandra Das, the Hindu man lynched in Bangladesh, and why was he targeted? What we know
Muhammed Yunus had shared that seven suspects have been arrested in connection with the lynching of the Hindu man, Dipu Chandra Das
Dipu Chandra Das, a Hindu youth aged 25-years-old was barbarically lynched by a mob in Bangladesh's Mymensingh city on Thursday night amid fresh wave of violence that has gripped Dhaka after the death of Sharif Osman Hadi, who was a key figure in the massive student protests last year.
A police officer said that after the killing, the mob reportedly dumped the Hindu youth's body on the side of the Dhaka-Mymensingh highway and set it on fire, bringing traffic on both sides of the road to a standstill.
Who was the Hindu man?
The victim – Dipu Chandra Das – hailing from the Hindu community, used to live in Mymensingh. He was employed as worker at Pioneer Knit Composite Factory, a garment factory in the Square Masterbari area of Dhaka, as per reports.
He was a tenant in the Dubalia Para area of Bhaluka Upazila of Mymensingh.
How did the man die?
As per multiple reports, Dipu Chandra Das was beaten to death following allegations of blasphemy.
“On Thursday around 9 PM, an enraged crowd caught him and beat him to death, accusing him of making derogatory remarks about the Prophet. They then set the body on fire,” duty officer Mia had told BBC Bangla.
According to local and eyewitness accounts cited by Bangladeshi Bengali news outlet Barta Bazar, the allegations spread quickly within the factory and nearby areas, fuelling tension. Soon after, an enraged mob allegedly attacked Das, beating him brutally – during which he died on spot, as per reports.
Following Dipu's death, the mob poured kerosene and set the body on fire with dozens of people reportedly seen celebrating the horrifying scene.
“Then they poured kerosene on him and set him on fire. His burned body was left outside. They tied the burnt torso and head outside. It was horrible,” NDTV quoted the victim's father – Ravilal Das as saying.
Interim govt condemns incident; 7 arrested - Key points
— On Saturday, in a social media post, Yunus shared that seven suspects have been arrested in connection with the lynching.
— Yunus identified the suspects as, “Md Limon Sarkar (19), Md Tarek Hossain, Md Manik Mia (20), Ershad Ali (39), Nijum Uddin (20), Alomgir Hossain (38), and Md Miraj Hossain Akon (46).” And added that the RAB-14 “conducted operations at various locations and arrested the aforementioned suspects.”
– Strongly condemning the killing, interim Bangladesh government chief Yunus's press secretary Shafiqul Alam, in a statement in Bangla on Facebook, said: “There is no place for this kind of violence in New Bangladesh. No one involved in this brutal crime will be exempted.”
— The Hindu man's killing comes amid the violent protests that had gripped the nation over the assassination attempt on Sharif Osman Hadi. He was a key figure in the student uprisings last year which eventually resulted in former Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina's ouster.