Dipu Chandra Das and Amrit Mondal: The tale of 2 lynchings in Bangladesh

Bangladesh is in a crisis; the country continues to grapple with violence. Even as the country faces flak and condemnation for the lynching of a Hindu man, identified as Dipu Chandra Das, reports have emerged that another Hindu youth has been killed.

The killing of the second Hindu youth occurred on Christmas Eve in Rajbari’s Pangsha upazila, with the authorities noting that it wasn’t “a communally motivated attack but related to extortion and terrorist activities”.

On the other hand, ousted Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has criticised the interim government led by Muhammad Yunus, accusing it of committing “unspeakable atrocities” against non-Muslims and setting “horrific precedents such as burning religious minorities to death”.

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So, what’s exactly going on in Bangladesh? We explain.

Second Hindu man lynched in Bangladesh

On Wednesday night, news emerged of a 29-year-old Hindu man being beaten to death in Rajbari’s Pangsha sub-district, which is around three-and-a-half hours from the capital, Dhaka.

The victim has been identified Amrit Mondal alias Samrat, with locals being quoted as telling The Daily Star that Samrat was the leader of a criminal gang, called the ‘Samrat Bahini’, which was involved in extortion, among other activities. Residents said that he had fled the country after Sheikh Hasina’s ouster last year only to return to his village, Hosendanga in Kalimohor union, recently.

The Pangsha Model Police Station has revealed that there were at least two cases filed against him, including a murder case.

So, what led to his death on Wednesday?

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Around 11 am on Christmas Eve, accompanied by members of his gang, Samrat reportedly went to the house of a villager, Shahidul Islam, to extort money. On seeing the gang approaching, Islam’s family alerted the other villagers, who believed they were thieves. The villagers then surrounded the gang members and Samrat and began to thrash them mercilessly.

When the police arrived at the spot, they rescued Samrat from the mob and rushed him to a nearby hospital, but doctors declared him dead.

The authorities were able to arrest one of Samrat’s associates, Mohammed Selim, who was carrying a pistol and another gun.

Bangladesh government speaks

Reacting to the incident, the Yunus-led administration said that going by what the police said, the killing of Samrat wasn’t a “communally motivated attack”.

The interim government in Dhaka said that the matter was “unfortunate” but added that it was “not at all a communally motivated incident”. In a press release, the interim administration “strongly condemned” the killing but said that a “particular segment” was trying to project the incident as a “communal attack”.

“From the information provided by the police and from preliminary investigation, it appears that it was not at all a communally motivated attack. It is related to extortion and terrorist activities.

“The person killed is top terrorist Amrit Mandal, Samrat who came to the area seeking money and died after clashes with the angry local people,” added the press statement by the interim government of Bangladesh.

The lynching of Dipu Das

The death of Samrat comes days after factory worker Dipu Chandra Das was lynched, raising questions about the safety of minorities in Bangladesh.

On December 18, the 25-year-old resident of Mymensingh was beaten and set ablaze over alleged blasphemy. According to reports, news spread like wildfire within his factory that Das has reportedly made blasphemous remarks. Soon enough, an angry mob surrounded Das and subjected him to a savage beating. Following the assault, the mob then left Das’ body on the side of the Dhaka-Mymensingh highway and set it on fire, bringing traffic on both sides of the road to a standstill.

The victim’s father, Ravilal Das, told NDTV that they heard of the tragedy via social media. “We saw it on Facebook. From Facebook we started hearing things, then more people were saying it — and then we found out when someone said to me , my brother… my brother, he was beaten, beaten badly. Then my uncle came after half an hour later and told me they took my son…and they tied him to a tree,” Ravilal Das said, describing how the lynch mob committed the crime.

The father said the mob then poured kerosene on the man and set him on fire. “His burned body was left outside. They tied the burned torso and head outside together. It was horrible,” he said.

Das’ killing led to a massive uproar in India with many questioning the lack of safety accorded to minorities in the neighbouring country. Even the Indian government took note of the lynching, with Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal urging the Bangladesh authorities to ensure justice and nab the perpetrators behind the incident.

Investigations into Das’ killing has revealed that there is no evidence that the factory worker had committed blasphemy. Until now, at least 12 people have been arrested in connection with the lynching. Moreover, Bangladesh’s Education Adviser CR Abrar visited Das’ family on Tuesday to express his condolences. “On behalf of the government, Education Adviser Professor C R Abrar visited the bereaved family in Mymensingh on Tuesday to convey the government’s sympathy and assurance of support during this difficult time,” Chief Advisor of the Interim Government of Bangladesh, Muhammad Yunus, said in a post on X.

Minorities under attack in Bangladesh

The lynching of Dipu Das is just the latest example of Hindus being attacked in Bangladesh since the ouster of Sheikh Hasina last year. Following the killing of youth leader Osman Sharif Hadi, reports emerged that houses of at least seven Hindu families were burnt down.

Last November, Chinmoy Krishna Das, a Hindu monk, was charged and arrested for sedition.

There have also been numerous attacks on Hindus with Abhro Shome Pias, a 27-year-old Hindu student who studies at Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET), telling Al Jazeera that there have been “countless incidents of violence and persecution of Hindus”.

In fact, the Bangladesh Hindu Bouddho Christian Oikyo Parishad, the largest minority organisation in the country, noted that Bangladesh witnessed 258 incidents of violence against the minority communities in the first half of 2025.

Hasina attacks Yunus government on minorities

As Bangladesh continues to grapple with the violence against minorities, former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, attacked the Yunus administration in her Christmas message, stating that the “current ruling group” has seized illegal power and is now subjecting minorities to “unspeakable torture”.

The former leader, who has been sentenced to death by the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) in Bangladesh, said: “It is sad to say that the current ruling group that has seized illegal power is interfering with the freedom of people of all religions and communities to practice their own religion.”

She further added that “unspeakable atrocities are being perpetrated against non-Muslims. It has even set horrific precedents such as burning religious minorities to death. I firmly believe that the people of Bangladesh will not allow this dark time to continue any longer.”

With inputs from agencies