Protesters clash with cops outside Bangladesh High Commission over lynching of Hindu man

Members of the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP), along with several other Hindu organisations including the Bajrang Dal, staged a large protest outside the Bangladesh High Commission in New Delhi on Tuesday, December 23 condemning the mob lynching of a Hindu man in Bangladesh last week.

The demonstration was held over the killing of Dipu Chandra Das, a 25-year-old garment factory worker, whose death has triggered outrage among Hindu groups in India. Anticipating the protest, security agencies imposed tight security arrangements around the diplomatic mission, deploying nearly 15,000 police and paramilitary personnel and erecting three layers of barricades to prevent demonstrators from approaching the premises.

Despite the heightened security, police faced difficulty containing hundreds of protesters, some of whom allegedly toppled barricades, raised slogans against the Bangladesh government, and displayed banners and placards demanding accountability. One of the placards read, “Hindu rakt ki ek ek boond ka hisaab chahiye” (each drop of a Hindu’s blood must be accounted for).

Authorities also parked Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) buses along the route to block the advancing crowd. According to senior police officials, security personnel managed to stop the demonstrators approximately 800 metres from the High Commission, preventing any breach of the diplomatic compound.

A protester at the site said the demonstration was aimed at urging the Indian government to take firm diplomatic steps and demanding strict action by Bangladeshi authorities against those responsible for the killing. “A Hindu man was brutally assaulted and murdered. We want strict punishment for those involved, and accountability from the Bangladesh police as well,” the protester said.

Meanwhile, the Bangladesh government condemned the protest and summoned the Indian High Commissioner to formally register its objection over the demonstration outside its diplomatic mission.

According to reports, Dipu Das was accused of blasphemy on December 18, following which he was allegedly forced to resign by his supervisors and handed over to a mob. He was brutally assaulted, killed, and his body was reportedly hung along the Dhaka–Mymensingh highway before being set on fire.

Bangladesh police have so far arrested at least 12 people in connection with the killing. Investigations into the incident are ongoing.