Bangladesh’s interim government on December 20 announced the arrest of ten people in connection with the lynching of a Hindu man in Mymensingh, an incident that has intensified concerns over mob violence and minority safety in the country. Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus confirmed the arrests, saying security agencies acted swiftly to identify and detain those allegedly involved in the crime.
The victim, Dipu Chandra Das, a 25-year-old garment factory worker, was killed by a mob in Bhaluka following allegations of blasphemy. In a statement shared on social media platform X, Yunus said seven of the accused were arrested by the Rapid Action Battalion, while three were taken into custody by the police. He added that joint operations were conducted at multiple locations to apprehend the suspects, whose ages range from 19 to 46 years.
According to police accounts, Das was initially assaulted by a group of people outside the factory after the allegations surfaced. He was later hanged from a tree, and his body was reportedly left by the roadside along the Dhaka–Mymensingh highway before being set on fire. Police recovered the body and sent it to the Mymensingh Medical College morgue for a post-mortem examination.
The Interim Government of Bangladesh had earlier, on December 19, issued a strong condemnation of the killing, describing it as a heinous act with no place in what it termed a “new Bangladesh.” The government asserted that those responsible would be dealt with firmly and would not be spared under the law.
The incident has unfolded against a backdrop of heightened anxiety among minority communities in Bangladesh. Members of the Hindu community have reported a series of alleged anti-minority incidents across different parts of the country since the ouster of former prime minister Sheikh Hasina in August last year. The killing of Dipu Chandra Das has further fuelled debate over law and order, mob justice and the protection of vulnerable communities, even as authorities say investigations are ongoing and accountability will be ensured.
