Dhaka/New Delhi, Dec 19: A Hindu man was lynched to death and his body set on fire over alleged blasphemy in Bangladesh, in the latest incident of violence against the religious minority in the country.
The deceased, identified as 25-year-old Dipu Chandra Das, was a factory worker in Mymensingh city, the Bangla Tribune news portal reported on Friday.
In a statement, the interim government on Friday condemned the lynching of the Hindu man in Mymensingh city, saying there is no space for such violence in the new Bangladesh. “The perpetrators of this heinous crime will not be spared,” it added.
Das was first beaten up by a mob outside the factory over blasphemy allegations on Thursday night and hanged from a tree, police said.
“After the incident, the angry crowd left the body of the deceased on the side of the Dhaka-Mymensingh highway and set it on fire. This stopped traffic on both sides of the highway,” Inspector (Investigation) of Bhaluka Model Police Station Abdul Malek was quoted as saying by the news portal.
The police recovered the body and sent it to the Mymensingh Medical College morgue for autopsy.
Malek added that the incident created tension in the area, and the police are trying to control the situation.
The video of the incident went viral on social media.
“We strongly and unequivocally condemn all acts of violence, intimidation, arson, and destruction of properties,” the interim government said.
“At this critical hour, we call upon every citizen to honour Hadi by rejecting and resisting violence, incitement and hatred,” it said, referring to the death of the prominent July Uprising leader six days after he was shot by masked gunmen in Dhaka.
The Hindu population in Bangladesh has been affected by a series of incidents against minority communities in the country after the ouster of then-prime minister Sheikh Hasina in August last year. (PTI)
