Delhi, 26 December (H.S.): India on Friday strongly condemned the killing of a Hindu man in Bangladesh, calling the continuing violence against minorities in the country a matter of grave concern.

Dipu Chandra Das, a 30-year-old garment factory worker, was lynched by a mob last week in Mymensingh, around 100 km from Dhaka. A video of the incident that went viral showed the mob celebrating as his naked body was tied to a tree and set on fire.

“Continuing hostilities against minorities in Bangladesh, including Hindus, Christians and Buddhists, is a matter of grave concern. We condemn the recent gruesome killing of a Hindu youth in Mymensingh and expect the perpetrators to be brought to justice,” Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said at a media briefing.

He said independent sources have documented more than 2,900 incidents of violence against minorities in Bangladesh during the tenure of the interim government, adding that such incidents cannot be brushed aside as media exaggeration or dismissed as mere political violence.

A wave of communal violence broke out in Bangladesh following the death of student leader Sharif Osman Hadi, a prominent figure of the July 2024 uprising that led to the ouster of the then prime minister. During the violence, Dipu Chandra Das was killed after being accused of blasphemy.

The incident triggered protests across several Indian cities and counter-protests in Bangladesh, prompting both countries to summon each other’s envoys.

Indian visa operations in Chittagong were suspended indefinitely after a security incident at the Assistant High Commission of India earlier this week. Subsequently, the Bangladesh High Commission in New Delhi temporarily suspended all consular and visa services.

Reiterating India’s position, Jaiswal said India stands for peace and stability in Bangladesh and supports fair, free, inclusive and participatory elections to be held in a peaceful atmosphere.

Bangladesh is scheduled to hold elections in February. Ahead of the polls, a senior opposition leader returned to Dhaka on Thursday after 17 years in exile and addressed his first public rally. Meanwhile, the former ruling party remains banned under anti-terrorism laws, and its leader has been sentenced by the country’s war crimes tribunal. Dhaka has repeatedly sought her extradition from India, to which New Delhi has not issued a formal response.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar