A disturbing video that has been circulating widely on social media appears to show Dipu Chandra Das, a young Hindu man, speaking to several men dressed in what look like police uniforms shortly before he was brutally lynched by a mob in Bangladesh’s Mymensingh district. In the footage, the 25-year-old, dressed in a blue full-sleeve sweatshirt and trousers and standing barefoot, can be seen trying to explain himself. The incident occurred far from the capital, Dhaka, where large-scale violent protests had erupted following the killing of prominent anti-India radical leader Sharif Osman Hadi.
The video and the circumstances surrounding Das’s death have sparked outrage and raised serious questions about the role of law enforcement. Exiled Bangladeshi writer Taslima Nasreen, best known for her autobiography Amar Meyebela, shared a detailed account of the events on X. In her post, she suggested that the police may have been complicit, directly or indirectly, in the lynching and questioned whether justice would ever be delivered to those responsible for the killing.
According to Nasreen, Dipu Chandra Das was a poor labourer working at a factory in Bhaluka, Mymensingh. She wrote that a Muslim coworker, allegedly angered over a minor and trivial issue, publicly accused Das of making derogatory remarks about the Prophet Muhammad. This accusation, she said, quickly incited a mob, which began attacking Das.
Nasreen further claimed that police personnel intervened and took Das into custody, meaning that at that point he was under official police protection. She alleged that Das repeatedly told the police that he was innocent and that the accusation was part of a conspiracy by his coworker. However, she said no action was taken against the person who made the allegation.
Raising troubling questions, Nasreen asked whether the police later handed Das back to the mob due to ideological extremism, or whether they were overpowered by militant elements. She alleged that Das was ultimately beaten in public, hanged, and set on fire by his attackers.
Highlighting the human cost of the killing, Nasreen wrote that Dipu Chandra Das was the sole breadwinner of his family. His income supported his disabled father, his mother, his wife, and his young child. She questioned what would now happen to his family, who would help them survive, and who would ensure that those responsible for such a savage crime are punished.
Nasreen also pointed out that Das’s family lacked the financial means to flee to India or elsewhere to escape potential threats, adding that the poorest and most vulnerable are often left without protection, support, or even a country that will stand up for them.
Taslima Nasreen herself has lived in exile for many years, residing at different times in India, Western Europe, and North America. Her Bangladeshi passport was revoked after repeated threats to her life over her writings, which offended religious fundamentalists. She was later granted Swedish citizenship.
Reacting to Nasreen’s post, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor also weighed in, describing the incident as a horrifying example of mob rule. He demanded to know what concrete steps were being taken to punish those responsible and to prevent such atrocities in the future. Tharoor called the killing “an unbearably tragic incident amid the mob violence raging across Bangladesh” and said that while he welcomed the condemnation issued by the Bangladeshi government, words alone were not enough.
He asked what actions were being taken to ensure justice for Das and to guarantee that similar acts of violence would not recur.
Meanwhile, the Chief Adviser of the Government of Bangladesh said on December 20 that the Rapid Action Battalion had arrested seven suspects in connection with the case. This development came two days after Das was lynched by a mob that accused him of blasphemy.
Reports said the attackers beat Dipu Chandra Das to death, tied his body to a tree, and set it on fire. Police later arrived at the scene, managed to restore order, and recovered his body. Despite the arrests, the incident has continued to fuel anger and concern over communal violence, mob justice, and the safety of minorities in Bangladesh amid the broader unrest gripping the country.
