| Lynching of Dipu Chandra Das | |
|---|---|
| Part of the 2025 Bangladesh anti-Hindu violence and December 2025 political violence | |
| Location | Square Masterbari area, Bhaluka, Mymensingh, Bangladesh |
| Date | 18 December 2025 Around 9:00 pm (BST (UTC+06:00)) |
Attack type | Mob violence, lynching |
| Deaths | 1 |
| Victim | Dipu Chandra Das (aged 27) |
| Perpetrators | Mob of 140â150 people (per police report) |
| Motive | Alleged blasphemy |
On 18 December 2025, Dipu Chandra Das, a Hindu garment worker in Bhaluka, Bangladesh, was brutally beaten, hanged from a tree, and set on fire by a large Islamist mob in a Hinduphobic hate crime. He was accused of making derogatory remarks about Islam at a factory event, though investigators later reported no evidence was found to support the allegation.[1][2][3]
Background
The lynching took place against a backdrop of escalating Islamist violence in Bangladesh following the death of Sharif Osman Hadi, a prominent youth leader who died on 18 December 2025 from gunshot wounds. Hadi had been a key figure in the 2024 Bangladesh protests that led to the ousting of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in August 2024. His death sparked further violent unrest across the country.[4][5]
Following the removal of Sheikh Hasina's government, Bangladesh witnessed a surge in targeted violence against the Hindu minority fueled by Islamist groups.[6] According to the 2022 Bangladesh national census, there were approximately 13.1 million Hindus in Bangladesh, constituting about 7.95% of the country's population.[7]
Dipu Chandra Das was a garment factory worker employed at Pioneer Knit Composite Factory in the Square Masterbari area of Bhaluka Upazila.[8][9] He was a 27-year-old resident of Mukamiakanda village in Tarakanda Upazila of Mymensingh District. He was married and the father of a three-year-old daughter.[8] Das had been living as a tenant in the Dubalia Para area of Bhaluka.[10]
Lynching
On the evening of 18 December 2025, Dipu Chandra Das was accused of insulting the Islamic prophet Muhammad during a casual conversation among co-workers near closing time at the Pioneer Knitwear factory. The allegation spread rapidly, inciting Islamist fury. CCTV footage showed Das clocking out roughly 30 minutes after the conversation, before returning to the factory floor approximately two hours later. By around 6pm, a mob had gathered both inside the factory and outside on the street. The crowd that began at several hundred at the factory gates, demanding Das be handed over, swelled to more than a thousand.[11]
Factory management had alerted police, but even as officers arrived, they failed to protect him from the mob. The Islamists eventually seized Das. He was beaten outside the factory before his body was dragged more than a kilometre through crowded streets to a busy highway, tied by the neck to a tree, and set on fire before hundreds of onlookers. Police estimated that around 150 people were directly involved in the attack.[11] Videos widely shared on social media showed mobs chanting "Nara-e-Takbeer, Allahu Akbar" while kicking and beating Das's unconscious body. Another video showed his naked and hanging body surrounded by a cheering, dancing mob.[12]
Investigation
Police recovered Das's body and sent it to Mymensingh Medical College Hospital for a post-mortem examination.[8] Das's brother, Apu Chandra Das, filed a case with Bhaluka Police Station accusing 140â150 unnamed persons.[8]
The Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) stated that there was no direct evidence of "religious defamation." RAB also found no one who personally heard or witnessed anything related to religious defamation.[13][14] By 22 December, authorities had arrested a total of 12 people, including two of Das's co-workers.[15] Md. Sohel Rana was arrested later for allegedly inciting workers and abusing the dead body.[16]
Reactions
Domestic
The lynching was openly celebrated by many in Bangladesh, including a prospective parliamentary candidate who praised the killers for bringing "joy to the hearts of the people."[17]
International
The Ministry of External Affairs of India expressed deep concern over the barbaric killing and ongoing attacks on Hindu minorities.[18] Indian politicians strongly condemned the violence as part of a pattern of targeting Hindus.[19][20]
The US State Department condemned the lynching as "horrific" and urged protection of minorities.[21] US lawmakers highlighted concerns over attacks on Hindus and misuse of blasphemy accusations.[22][23]
Amnesty International called for action against those responsible for the violence rooted in blasphemy allegations.[24]
Protests
Protests demanding justice for Dipu Chandra Das erupted in Bangladeshi universities and across Indian cities, with demonstrators highlighting the systemic persecution of Hindus by Islamist mobs. Rallies were also held in the UK and Nepal.[25][26]
See also
- Bangladesh post-resignation violence (2024â2026)
- December 2025 Bangladesh violence
- Hinduism in Bangladesh
- Human rights in Bangladesh
- Persecution of Hindus in Bangladesh
References
- â "Lynching of Hindu man in Mymensingh: No direct evidence of derogatory remarks found, says RAB". The Business Standard. 21 December 2025. Retrieved 30 December 2025.
- â "No evidence found of derogatory remarks by lynched garment worker: Rab". The Daily Star. 21 December 2025. Retrieved 30 December 2025.
- â "Dipu Das forced to resign and handed over to enraged mob: RAB". Prothomalo. 21 December 2025. Retrieved 30 December 2025.
- â Hasnat, Saif; Travelli, Alex (19 December 2025). "Riots Erupt in Bangladesh After the Killing of a Student Leader". The New York Times. Retrieved 25 December 2025.
On Friday, while protesters took to the streets in anger over Mr. Hadi's death, the police reported that a mob had lynched a Hindu laborer in Mymensingh. The victim, Dipu Chandra Das, 27, was accused of blasphemy, the police said, and then tied to a tree and burned alive.
- â "Sharif Osman Hadi death: Bangladesh urges citizens to 'resist mob violence', condemns lynching of Hindu man". The Statesman. 19 December 2025. Retrieved 20 December 2025.
- â "Hindu man lynched to death in Bangladesh over alleged blasphemy". The Hindu. 20 December 2025. Retrieved 20 December 2025.
- â "Bangladesh violence live updates, Sharif Osman Hadi's death". Sunday Guardian Live. 20 December 2025. Retrieved 20 December 2025.
- â 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 "Mob kills man over 'hurting religious sentiments'". The Daily Star. 20 December 2025. Retrieved 20 December 2025.
- â "Hindu man lynched, body set ablaze over blasphemy allegation in Mymensingh: BBC Bangla". The Business Standard. 19 December 2025. Retrieved 20 December 2025.
- â "Hindu man lynched in Bangladesh over blasphemy charges amid unrest over youth leader's death". India TV News. 19 December 2025. Retrieved 20 December 2025.
- â 11.0 11.1 Biswas, Soutik (16 February 2026). "'Dragged out and set on fire' â the Bangladesh mob killing that shocked the world". BBC. Retrieved 3 March 2026.
- â Choahan, Neelima; Hossain, S M Faiyaz (4 January 2026). "Bangladeshi Hindus on edge as Islamic extremists target minority community". ABC News. Retrieved 3 March 2026.
- â "āĻŽāĻ¯āĻŧāĻŽāĻ¨āĻ¸āĻŋāĻāĻšā§āĻ° āĻāĻžāĻ˛ā§āĻāĻžāĻ¯āĻŧ āĻšāĻŋāĻ¨ā§āĻĻā§ āĻ§āĻ°ā§āĻŽāĻžāĻŦāĻ˛āĻŽā§āĻŦā§ āĻ¯ā§āĻŦāĻāĻā§ āĻĒāĻŋāĻāĻŋāĻ¯āĻŧā§ āĻĒā§āĻĄāĻŧāĻŋāĻ¯āĻŧā§ āĻšāĻ¤ā§āĻ¯āĻž, āĻā§ āĻāĻā§āĻāĻŋāĻ˛ā§ āĻ¸ā§āĻāĻžāĻ¨ā§". BBC News āĻŦāĻžāĻāĻ˛āĻž (in Bengali). 20 December 2025. Retrieved 20 December 2025.
- â "No evidence of religious slurs in Mymensingh killing, 10 held: RAB". jagonews24.com. 20 December 2025. Retrieved 23 December 2025.
- â "12 accused put on three-day remand over Dipu Chandra Das murder". Daily Sun. Retrieved 23 December 2025.
- â bdnews24.com. "āĻĻāĻŋāĻĒā§ āĻšāĻ¤ā§āĻ¯āĻž: 'āĻ˛āĻžāĻļā§āĻ° āĻāĻĒāĻ° āĻ¨āĻŋāĻ°ā§āĻ¯āĻžāĻ¤āĻ¨' āĻāĻžāĻ˛āĻžāĻ¨ā§ āĻ¸ā§āĻšā§āĻ˛ āĻā§āĻ°ā§āĻĒā§āĻ¤āĻžāĻ°". āĻĻāĻŋāĻĒā§ āĻšāĻ¤ā§āĻ¯āĻž: âāĻ˛āĻžāĻļā§āĻ° āĻāĻĒāĻ° āĻ¨āĻŋāĻ°ā§āĻ¯āĻžāĻ¤āĻ¨â āĻāĻžāĻ˛āĻžāĻ¨ā§ āĻ¸ā§āĻšā§āĻ˛ āĻā§āĻ°ā§āĻĒā§āĻ¤āĻžāĻ°. Retrieved 15 March 2026.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - â Hasnat, Saif; Mashal, Mujib (22 December 2025). "Lynching of a Hindu in Bangladesh Fans Fears of Rising Intolerance". New York Times. Retrieved 22 December 2025.
But the religiously motivated murder of Mr. Das was openly celebrated by many. "You have brought joy to the hearts of the people," Jubayer Ahmad Tasrif, who is planning to run in parliamentary elections, said in a video he posted on Facebook.
- â "India urges justice for Dipu killing, voices concern over attacks on minorities in Bangladesh". The Business Standard. 21 December 2025. Retrieved 25 December 2025.
- â "Pawan Kalyan, Priyanka Gandhi Condemn Lynching of Hindu Worker in Bangladesh". India Today. 20 December 2025. Retrieved 20 December 2025.
- â "Congress MP Shashi Tharoor questions Bangladesh over the mob lynching of Hindu man Dipu Chandra Das". The News Mill. 20 December 2025. Retrieved 20 December 2025.
- â "US Condemns Lynching Of Hindu Worker Dipu Chandra Das In Bangladesh, Urges Protection Of Minorities". Free Press Journal. Retrieved 28 December 2025.
- â "US lawmaker seeks briefing from Marco Rubio on killings of Hindu minorities in Bangladesh". Firstpost. 24 December 2025. Retrieved 28 December 2025.
- â "U.S. lawmaker condemns killing of Hindu garment factory worker in Bangladesh". The Hindu. 28 December 2025. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 28 December 2025.
- â "Those responsible for violence and killings must be brought to justice without delay: Amnesty". Prothomalo. 20 December 2025. Retrieved 21 December 2025.
- â "Protests held across Nepal against killing of Hindus in Bangladesh". Lokmat Times. 27 December 2025. Retrieved 11 June 2026.
- â "UK condemns murders of Dipu Das and Amrit Mondal in Bangladesh". The Times of India. 31 December 2025. Retrieved 11 June 2026.