India has reacted sharply to the latest killing of a Hindu man in Bangladesh, calling a series of recent attacks on members of the minority community “worrisome” and warning that such violence cannot be ignored.
Addressing the weekly media briefing on Friday, Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said New Delhi was closely monitoring developments across the border. He said the government had taken serious note of the incidents and stressed that attacks on minorities “cannot be brushed aside”.
‘Grave Concern’ Over Repeated Attacks On Minorities
Jaiswal said India condemned the violence and expected those responsible to be identified and punished. “The unremitting hostility against minorities in Bangladesh, including Hindus, Christians and Buddhists, at the hands of extremists is a matter of grave concern,” he said.
Condemning what he described as a “gruesome” killing of a Hindu youth in Mymensingh, the spokesperson added that more than 2,900 incidents of violence against minorities, including killings, arson attacks and land grabs, had been documented by independent sources during the tenure of the interim government. “These incidents cannot be brushed aside as mere media exaggerations or dismissed as political violence,” he said.
Rajbari Killing: What Police Say
The latest incident was reported on Wednesday from Pangsha upazila in Rajbari town, about 145 km west of Dhaka. According to local media reports quoting police, the victim, identified as Amrit Mondal, was beaten to death by local residents following allegations of extortion.
Police said Mondal was suspected of leading a criminal gang involved in extortion and other illegal activities. On the day of the incident, he and several associates allegedly tried to extort money from a resident’s house. Locals confronted the group and assaulted Mondal, leaving him critically injured. Police said they reached the spot after receiving information and took him to hospital, where doctors declared him dead around 2 a.m.
Mondal’s body was later sent to Rajbari Sadar Hospital for a post-mortem examination. Most of his alleged associates fled the area, though police said one person had been arrested and firearms recovered. Investigators also said Mondal had at least two cases registered against him, including a murder case.
Mymensingh Lynching Sparks Outrage
The Rajbari killing came just days after another Hindu man was lynched in Mymensingh, triggering widespread outrage.
The victim, identified as Dipu Das, also reported in some accounts as 25-year-old Dipu Chandra Das, was a factory worker in Mymensingh city, about 112 km north of Dhaka. Police and local media said he was attacked following allegations of blasphemy.
According to investigators, Das was first beaten by a mob outside a factory on Thursday night and later hanged from a tree. His body was then left by the side of the Dhaka-Mymensingh highway and set on fire, bringing traffic on both sides of the road to a halt.
Videos of the lynching circulated widely on social media, intensifying public anger and deepening concerns over the safety of minorities in Bangladesh.