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Sunday, December 21, 2025
On Thursday, a mob in Bhaluka, Mymensingh, beat a Hindu garment worker to death and set his body on fire following allegations of blasphemy. The victim, identified as Dipu Chandra Das, was an employee of Pioneers Knitwears (BD) Limited.
According to the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB), the factory’s floor in-charge forced Das to resign from his position before handing him over to an “enraged mob.” The violence reportedly began around 4:00 p.m. local time (UTC+6).
Witnesses and officials stated that the group beat Das and subsequently hanged his naked body from a tree on the median of the Dhaka–Mymensingh highway. The mob then set the body on fire. The incident caused traffic stoppages on both sides of the highway.
RAB-14 Mymensingh commander Naimul Hasan addressed the press on Saturday, stating that investigators have found no direct evidence supporting the blasphemy accusations. “The issue of blasphemy is extremely vague. We tried to find out what he had actually said, but no one could clarify it,” Hasan said.
RAB officials noted that no one interviewed had personally heard the alleged derogatory remarks about the Prophet Muhammad. “If the victim had written something on Facebook, that would be one thing. But everyone is saying they heard he said something, but no one actually heard it themselves,” said RAB company commander Md. Shamsuzzaman.
Law enforcement has arrested 10 individuals in connection with the killing. RAB arrested seven suspects, including the factory’s floor in-charge, Mohammad Alamgir Hossain, and quality in-charge, Mohammad Miraj Hossain Akon. Police arrested three other individuals. A case has been filed with Bhaluka Police Station accusing 140 to 150 unnamed persons.
Alamgir Hossain, the detained floor in-charge, claimed he released Das from employment to manage the situation after workers demanded his dismissal. “Although we tried to save the worker, there was a highly volatile situation both inside and outside the factory,” Hossain told the press.
Authorities are investigating whether prior enmity played a role in the killing. Police have not found any audio or video footage verifying the blasphemy allegations.
The interim government of Bangladesh issued a statement on Friday condemning the lynching. “We strongly and unequivocally condemn all acts of violence, intimidation, arson, and destruction of properties,” the statement read, adding that there is “no space for such violence in the new Bangladesh.”
Das, who was from Tarakanda upazila, is survived by his wife and a young daughter.
- Dipu Das forced to resign and handed over to enraged mob: RAB — Prothom Alo, December 21, 2025
- Hindu man lynched to death in Bangladesh over alleged blasphemy — The Hindu, December 20, 2025
- Mob kills man over ‘hurting religious sentiments’ — The Daily Star (Bangladesh), December 20, 2025
- ভালুকায় হিন্দু যুবককে পিটিয়ে পুড়িয়ে হত্যা, কী ঘটেছিল সেখানে (Hindu youth beaten and burned to death in Bhaluka, what happened there) — BBC News, December 20, 2025 (Bengali)
