Protests erupt outside Bangladesh High Commission in Delhi over lynching of Hindu youth

New Delhi: Large numbers of people gathered outside the Bangladesh High Commission in New Delhi on Tuesday to protest the brutal killing of a Hindu youth, Dipu Chandra Das, by a radical Islamist mob in Bangladesh’s Mymensingh district.

Dipu Chandra Das, a garment factory worker, was lynched in the Baluka area of Mymensingh following allegations of blasphemy levelled by a Muslim co-worker.

The mob attacked Das on the night of December 18, killed him, hung his body from a tree and then set it on fire over accusations that he had insulted Islam.

In response to the incident, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and Bajrang Dal led demonstrations outside the Bangladeshi mission, condemning what they described as the growing number of atrocities against minority communities in the neighbouring South Asian nation.

Delhi Police had made tight security arrangements around the High Commission in anticipation of the protest.

Despite heavy deployment, several protesters pushed through police barriers and attempted to move closer to the diplomatic establishment. Protesters managed to breach at least two layers of barricades amid the tense situation.

Many demonstrators were seen holding banners and placards while raising slogans demanding justice for Dipu Das.

Some protesters also burnt effigies of Bangladesh’s interim chief, Muhammad Yunus, while others tied shoes around photographs of the Nobel laureate as a mark of protest.

Security agencies had remained on alert ahead of the demonstration and put in place extensive arrangements to prevent any mischief.

The area surrounding the High Commission was secured with three layers of barricading, with personnel from the police and paramilitary forces deployed to regulate and control the crowd.

Meanwhile, authorities in Bangladesh have arrested at least 12 people in connection with the lynching and murder of Dipu Chandra Das, as outrage over the killing continues to grow both within the country and across the border.

IANS