Dhaka: In a shocking incident, a Hindu teenage boy was hacked to death by a mob inside a police station in Bangladesh for allegedly making "objectionable comments" about Prophet Mohammad on social media, once again turning the spotlight on the plight of Hindus and other minorities after the recent turmoil that resulted in the ouster of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
"A college student Utsav Mandol (a Hindu Youth) was hacked to death at Khulna City of Bangladesh by Islamists. Allegations against him was he posted statement that is considered blasphemy in social media. Without forensic evidence he was detained by police and the mob lunched him in the police station where Army personnel was also present," said the Human Rights Congress for Bangladesh Muslims (HRCBM) on X, citing local media in the post.
"This act of mob lynching violates norm of being human. Those who perpetrated this crime gone unpunished. The law enforcement agencies of Bangladesh can also be considered perpetrators in this case given that brutal crime happens on their watch," the HRCBM said. The incident took place on Wednesday.
According to local media, Mandol was taken to the police station by locals and students at around 11:45 pm on Wednesday. As the news of his alleged blasphemy spread, a mob gathered at the police station and demanded strict punishment for the teenager. Despite attempts from the police to calm the situation, the angered mob hacked the boy in the deputy police commissioner's office.
Reports of attacks on Bangladeshi Hindus 'exaggerated': Yunus
The incident came as Bangladesh's interim government chief Muhammad Yunus questioned India's concerns of the violent attacks on Hindus and said the issue of such attacks on minorities has been "exaggerated". In an interview with PTI at his official residence, Yunus said the attacks on minorities in Bangladesh are more political than communal.
He suggested that the attacks were not communal, but a fallout of a political upheaval as there is a perception that most Hindus supported the now-deposed Awami League regime. “I have said this to (Prime Minister Narendra) Modi also that this is exaggerated. This issue has several dimensions. When the country went through an upheaval following the atrocities by (Sheikh) Hasina and the Awami League, those who were with them also faced attacks,” the Nobel laureate told PTI.
The minority Hindu population faced vandalism of their businesses and properties, as well as the destruction of Hindu temples during the student-led violence that erupted following the Hasina's ouster. “Now, while beating up Awami League cadres, they had beaten up Hindus as there is a perception that Hindus in Bangladesh mean Awami League supporters. I am not saying that what has happened is right, but some people are using it as an excuse to seize property," he said.
Don’t identify yourselves as Hindus: Yunus
The noted economist added, “The issue of trying to portray the conditions of minorities in such a big way is just an excuse.” Yunus said that when he met leaders of the minority community, he urged them to protest as citizens of the country with equal rights and not merely as Hindus. “Even when I met members of the Hindu community, I had requested them: please don’t identify yourselves as Hindus; rather, you should say you are citizens of this country and you have equal rights. If someone tries to snatch your legal rights as citizens, then there are remedies,” he said.
Discussing the future of India-Bangladesh relations, Yunus expressed a desire for good ties with India but insisted that New Delhi must abandon the narrative that Bangladesh will turn into another Afghanistan without Sheikh Hasina at the helm. “These attacks are political in nature and not communal. And India is propagating these incidents in a big way. We have not said that we can’t do anything; we have said that we are doing everything,” the Chief Adviser told PTI.
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