Hindu man lynched to death in Bangladesh over alleged blasphemy

Dhaka/New Delhi: A Hindu man was lynched to death and his body set on fire in Bangladesh’s Mymensingh city over alleged blasphemy, in the latest incident of violence against a religious minority in the country, police said on Friday.

The deceased was identified as 25 -year -old Dipu Chandra Das, a factory worker, according to the Bangla Tribune news portal.

Police said Das was first beaten up by a mob outside the factory on Thursday night following blasphemy allegations and later hanged from a tree. His body was then left on the side of the Dhaka–Mymensingh highway and set on fire, disrupting traffic on both sides of the road.

Inspector (Investigation) Abdul Malek of Bhaluka Model Police Station said the body was recovered and sent to the Mymensingh Medical College morgue for autopsy. He added that the incident created tension in the area and police were working to control the situation.

Videos of the incident went viral on social media.

In a statement issued on Friday, the interim government condemned the lynching, saying there was no place for such violence in the new Bangladesh. “The perpetrators of this heinous crime will not be spared,” it said.

“We strongly and unequivocally condemn all acts of violence, intimidation, arson and destruction of property,” the statement said, urging citizens to reject violence, incitement and hatred. It referred to the recent killing of a prominent July Uprising leader, who died six days after being shot by masked gunmen in Dhaka.