'No evidence of Blasphemy' in lynching of Hindu man

Investigators probing the lynching of Dipu Chandra Das in Bangladesh’s Mymensingh district have found no evidence to support claims that the victim made any remarks offensive to religious sentiments.

Das, a 25-year-old Hindu garment worker, was brutally killed in Bhaluka after rumours spread that he had made derogatory comments about Islam. According to investigators, no proof has emerged to substantiate these allegations. Despite this, a mob assaulted him, later hanging his body from a tree and setting it on fire. Videos of the attack, accompanied by slogans, were circulated widely on social media.

A Company Commander of the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB), Bangladesh’s elite counterterrorism force, told The Daily Star that investigators found no Facebook posts or online activity by Das that could have hurt religious feelings. Md Samsuzzaman said neither local residents nor Das’s colleagues at the garment factory could point to any direct statement or action by him that could explain the accusation. “No one has been found who personally heard or saw him say anything offensive,” he said.

Local media reports indicate that unrest began after a rumour spread among factory workers alleging that Das had insulted Prophet Muhammad. Alamgir Hossain, the factory’s floor in charge, told Prothom Alo that workers demanded Das’s dismissal and gathered outside the premises. In an attempt to defuse tensions, management relieved him of his duties. “We tried to protect him, but the situation spiralled out of control,” Hossain said, adding that the mob eventually attacked Das.

Officials said that as the crowd surrounded the factory on Friday night and tensions escalated, Das was pushed out in an effort to shield the establishment. He was then beaten with sticks and improvised weapons before his body was hung on a tree along the median of the Dhaka–Mymensingh highway and set ablaze.

The incident has triggered widespread outrage. Police have arrested ten people in connection with the killing.

Bangladesh’s interim government, led by Muhammad Yunus, strongly condemned the lynching. “There is no place for such violence in the new Bangladesh,” the Chief Advisor’s office said, adding that those responsible for the crime would be brought to justice.