Just a timely call could have saved the life of 27-year-old Hindu man Dipu Chandra Das, who was lynched by Islamists in Bangladesh. Investigators and reports have revealed that Das was forced to resign by his factory colleagues and handed over to the mob that broke into the factory to drag him out. He was brutally beaten to death and his body was set on fire.
Just a timely call from the factory management to the police could have saved the life of Bangladeshi Hindu man Dipu Chandra Das, who was lynched and killed on Thursday (December 16) following vague allegations of blasphemy. But instead of calling the police and saving him, Das was forced to resign by his factory supervisors, pushed out of his workplace, and handed over to an enraged mob of Islamists that beat him to death, hung his body and set fire to it. His colleagues reportedly joined the mob in killing him.
Shocking details have emerged in the lynching of 27-year-old Dipu Chandra Das, a Hindu garment factory worker in Bhaluka, Mymensingh, who was killed over unverified blasphemy claims. According to Bangladesh’s Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) and police officials, Dipu was forced to resign by factory supervisors and then handed over to the mob, which brutally assaulted and killed him, hung his body on the Dhaka-Mymensingh highway, and set fire to it, according to reports in Bangladeshi media outlets.
Authorities said that no clear evidence had been found to substantiate the blasphemy allegations. A total of 12 people have been arrested so far, including factory officials and workers, after CCTV footage and videos of the incident were reviewed.
But investigators suggest the killing of Dipu Chandra Das was far from a sudden flare-up. It bore clear signs of planning. Spanning several hours, the sequence — from a forced resignation and delayed police alert to his eventual handover to an Islamist mob — points to a deliberate chain of actions rather than an impulsive act of violence.
Exiled Bangladeshi author Taslima Nasreen on X suggested that the police might have been involved in Das’s lynching and questioned who will bring the perpetrators of the murder to justice.
Dipu, married three years ago, leaves behind a one-and-a-half-year-old child.
The lynching occurred hours before widespread riots, protests, and violence by Islamists erupted in Bangladesh on Thursday, immediately after news of the anti-India radical leader Sharif Osman Hadi broke the same night. However, the mayhem that erupted across Bangladesh on Thursday night and continued on Friday, was the culmination of a series of anti-India remarks by multiple leaders, operating with impunity under the Islamist-backed Muhammad Yunus regime. During the violent protests, Indian diplomatic missions were targeted amid a wave of anti-India protests.
BANGLADESH HINDU MAN WAS FORCED TO RESIGN, THEN HANDED OVER TO ISLAMIST MOB
At a press conference in Mymensingh on Saturday, RAB-14 commander Naimul Hasan said the violence began inside the factory itself.
“The incident began around 4 pm. The factory floor in-charge forced him to resign and handed him over to an enraged mob… We arrested two factory officials because they did not hand him over to the police and failed to ensure his safety,” Naimul Hasan was quoted as saying by Dhaka-based Prothom Alo.
Those arrested by the RAB include Mohammad Alamgir Hossain, the factory’s floor in-charge, Mohammad Miraj Hossain Akon, the quality in-charge, and five factory workers. Three more individuals were arrested separately by the police.
“As it was the time for shift change, workers for another shift also gathered in front of the factory and local people joined as the news spread outside,” reported The Daily Star.
“Around 8:45pm, the agitated people entered the factory, breaking open its pocket gate and took Dipu away from the security room, alleged the senior manager,” it reported.
The report and the arrests make it evident that Das’s colleagues from the factory were part of the mob that lynched him, hung his body and set fire to it.
BLASPHEMY CLAIMS ON BANGLADESH HINDU MAN VAGUE, NO EVIDENCE FOUND: AUTHORITIES
The RAB officials said the allegations that triggered the killing remain unclear.
“The issue of blasphemy is extremely vague. We tried to find out what he had actually said, but no one could clarify it,” Naimul Hasan said.
He further added, “We are investigating whether there was any prior enmity. It has not yet been possible to identify with whom the incident initially began”.
Rab officials confirmed arrests were made after reviewing video evidence and said further details would emerge following remand interrogation.
Dhaka-based newspaper The Daily Star reported that the incident coincided with the time for a shift change, when workers from the incoming shift gathered outside the factory, and local residents also assembled as news of the incident spread. Around 8:45 pm, agitated people broke open the pocket gate of the factory and took Dipu from the security room, where he was sheltered for safety.
Factory sources told the newspaper that Dipu was then dragged out of the premises, after which locals joined the assault, killing him on the spot and later setting his body on fire.
JUST A TIMELY CALL COULD HAVE SAVED BANGLADESHI HINDU MAN: POLICE
Police said factory authorities informed them of the escalating incident too late, despite the situation worsening for hours.
“I was informed about the incident around 8.00 pm. Immediately, we started running towards the spot, but it was too late,” Md Farhad Hossain Khan, the superintendent of Industrial Police in Mymensingh told The Daily Star.
Describing the scene, he added, “Hundreds of people were on the road. When we reached the factory gate, we saw the body being carried by a furious mob towards the Dhaka-Mymensingh highway”.
A massive traffic jam delayed law enforcement further. “A 10-kilometre traffic jam was created for nearly three hours, seriously obstructing our movement, Md Farhad Hossain Khan added.
“Just a timely call could have saved Dipu’s life,” the SP said pointedly.
FACTORY’S DEFENCE AND CONTRADICTIONS BANGLADESHI HINDU MAN’S BRUTAL KILLING
Factory officials have denied negligence, even as accounts differ sharply from law enforcement findings.
Sakib Mahmud, the senior manager of Pioneer Knitwears (BD) Ltd, where Dipu Chandra Das was employed, said, “A group of workers started protesting inside the factory around 5 pm, accusing Dipu of hurting religious sentiments”.
He, however, admitted that “There was no proof of the allegations [of blasphemy]”.
According to him, a “fake resignation” was arranged around 7.30 pm to pacify the Islamist mob that was going after Dipu’s life. But the agitating workers did not bother, said Mahmud, according to The Daily Star.
Factory sources claimed Dipu was kept in a security room and police were informed at 8.00 pm, but by 8.45 pm, the agitated Islamists entered the factory, broke open the pocket gate, and took Dipu away.
Dipu was handed over to the mob despite it being clear he would be killed to save the factory from any attack.
“When the situation became volatile, he was forcibly pushed out of the factory to protect the factory,” said Rab-14 company commander Md Samsuzzaman, adding, “No evidence was found that he wrote anything on Facebook that hurt religious sentiments”.
BRUTAL KILLING OF BANGLADESHI HINDU MAN AND AFTERMATH
According to police and local sources, Dipu was beaten to death, his naked body hung at a highway median, and then set on fire.
After a post-mortem at Mymensingh Medical College, his body was cremated late Friday night.
While it was alleged that Dipu made derogatory remarks, there is no evidence, the police said. Even if he had said something, it could have been handled legally, Dipu’s younger brother, Opu Chandra Das, who filed the case, said.
“Even if he had said something, and it was an offence, the matter could have been dealt with through legal channels. Instead, he was brutally murdered. I demand the terrorists who killed him by making false allegations be brought to book. At the same time, the question of how his family will survive must also be addressed,” Opu told Prothom Alo.
