Bangladesh  Unrest: Hindu Man Lynched in Bangladesh Amid Rising Violence

A Hindu man was brutally beaten to death and his body set on fire by a mob in Bangladesh’s Mymensingh district on Thursday night, following allegations of blasphemy, according to BBC Bangla. The incident has sparked renewed concerns over attacks on minorities and media institutions amid ongoing unrest in the country.

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

“A group of agitated people caught him around 9 pm for allegedly insulting the Prophet. They beat him and then tied his body to a tree before setting it on fire,” said Ripon Mia, duty officer of Bhaluka police station. Authorities recovered the body and sent it to Mymensingh Medical College Hospital for autopsy. No formal case has been filed yet. “We are searching for his relatives. If they file a complaint, legal action will follow,” Mia added.

The interim government condemned the lynching on X, stating: “We wholeheartedly condemn the lynching of a Hindu man in Mymensingh. There is no space for such violence in new Bangladesh. The perpetrators of this heinous crime will not be spared.”

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

During the unrest, several buildings in the capital, including the offices of leading newspapers Prothom Alo and The Daily Star, were vandalized and set on fire. Journalists were trapped inside smoke-filled newsrooms as firefighters conducted rescue operations. “I can’t breathe anymore.

 There’s too much smoke. I am inside. You are killing me,” wrote Zyma Islam, Editors condemned the attacks as assaults on press freedom. Kamal Ahmed, consulting editor of The Daily Star, said the publication was forced to halt for the first time in its history, while Sajjad Sharif, executive editor of Prothom Alo, described the incident as “an attack on freedom of expression, dissent, and diversity of opinion.”

International organizations have expressed alarm. The Committee to Protect Journalists urged Bangladeshi authorities to ensure journalists’ safety and hold perpetrators accountable.

In India, a parliamentary standing committee on external affairs noted the “complex and evolving” situation in Bangladesh, citing attacks on minorities, media groups, intellectuals, and tribal communities following the political events of August 2024. The Ministry of External Affairs stated that India remains concerned about extremism and attacks on minorities while continuing engagement with the interim government to safeguard bilateral ties.

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