Protests in Agartala against Hindu youth's lynching in B'desh      

Activists of the Sanatani Hindu Sena on Saturday staged a protest outside the Bangladesh Assistant High Commission office in Agartala, condemning the alleged lynching of a Hindu man in the neighbouring country and accusing authorities there of failing to curb atrocities against religious minorities.

The protesters demonstrated against the killing of Dipu Chandra Das in Mymensingh city, who was allegedly lynched over accusations of blasphemy and whose body was reportedly set on fire.

Twenty-seven-year-old Das was lynched to death by a mob and his body set on fire over alleged blasphemy in Mymensingh city on December 18.

Terming the incident as part of a systematic violence against minorities in Bangladesh, the demonstrators raised slogans against the present regime.

As the protesters attempted to move towards the Bangladesh Assistant High Commission office here, they were stopped by a large deployment of security personnel led by senior police officials.

Sanatani Hindu Sena’s district President Gautam Laskar claimed that Hindus in Bangladesh were being repeatedly targeted and claimed that similar incidents were also occurring in parts of India.

Referring to the Mymensingh incident, he questioned the lack of humanity involved in the killing and described it as a brutal act against a member of the minority community.

Laskar further said that despite anger over such incidents, the protesters refrained from violence, asserting that their demonstration was peaceful.

He warned that continued attacks on minority Hindus in Bangladesh must stop immediately, failing which, he threatened, there could be stronger reactions in the future. The protest concluded peacefully under tight security arrangements.

Meanwhile, media reports quoting the interim Bangladesh government Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus said that the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) has arrested seven individuals as suspects in connection with the incident.

Bangladesh has witnessed escalating violence against minorities, including Hindus under the Yunus-led interim government, sparking outrage among people and several human rights organizations across the globe.

After the death of Sharif Osman Hadi, spokesperson of the radical group Inqilab Mancha, fresh violence erupted in many parts of Bangladesh, including the capital Dhaka.

Hadi, a key figure in last year's uprising against the then former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina-led Awami League government, was shot by masked gunmen while leaving a mosque in the capital, Dhaka, last week.

He was initially wounded and flown to Singapore for treatment, but eventually succumbed to his wounds on December 18.

Earlier, on December 17, India’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) summoned Bangladesh High Commissioner to India Riaz Hamidullah to convey New Delhi’s strong concerns over the deteriorating security situation in Bangladesh.

Bangladesh has witnessed a sharp rise in violence and a worsening law-and-order situation under the Muhammad Yunus-led interim government.