Mob Lynching of Dipu Chandra Das Exposes Bangladesh’s Deepening Human Rights Crisis

New Delhi, December 23, 2025 : The brutal lynching of Dipu Chandra Das, a 25-year-old Hindu garment factory worker from Bhaluka, Mymensingh (Bangladesh), has sent shockwaves across the region and exposed a grave failure of human rights, rule of law, and minority protection in Bangladesh.

Centre for democracy, pluralism and human rights president Dr Prerna Malhotra said, On 18 December 2025, Dipu Chandra Das was murdered by a mob of nearly 150 people after unverified rumours accused him of blasphemy. Without any evidence, due process, or investigation, the crowd beat him to death, tied his lifeless body to a tree, and set it on fire, leaving his charred remains in public view. The savagery of the act stands as a chilling reminder of how mob violence has replaced justice in parts of the country.

The lynching occurred amid nationwide unrest following the death of political activist Sharif Osman Hadi. While initial police reports confirm that the attack was triggered solely by rumours, no credible evidence has emerged to support the blasphemy allegations. Dipu’s family has categorically denied the claims, stating that he was targeted because of his religious identity.

Not an Isolated Crime, but a Disturbing Pattern

The murder of Dipu Chandra Das is not an aberration. It reflects a systematic and escalating pattern of violence against Hindus and other religious minorities in Bangladesh, particularly since the ousting of the previous government in August 2024.

According to credible reports:

• Over 2,200 incidents of violence against Hindus were recorded in 2024, compared to 302 in 2023 and just 47 in 2022.
• More than 2,400 attacks against religious minorities were documented between August 2024 and July 2025, including murders, rapes, looting, arson, and temple desecrations.
• In July 2025, Hindu neighbourhoods in Gangachara were attacked, homes were vandalised and looted, and families were forced to flee for their lives.

This pattern underscores a dangerous erosion of state protection, where mobs feel emboldened to act with impunity, often invoking religion as a justification for violence.

Selective Outrage and Global Silence

While international human rights organisations and global media outlets were quick to condemn the death of Sharif Osman Hadi, a radical Islamist student leader, the lynching of Dipu Chandra Das has been met with near-total silence from the same institutions.

This selective outrage exposes a disturbing double standard in global human rights advocacy. Human rights are universal and indivisible—they cannot depend on ideology, religion, or political convenience. Silence in the face of such brutality is not neutrality; it is complicity.

Our Call to the International Community

We urge governments, international institutions, and civil society organisations to:

• Unequivocally condemn the lynching of Dipu Chandra Das and all acts of violence against religious minorities in Bangladesh;
• Demand independent, transparent investigations and strict accountability for both perpetrators and those who enable or incite mob violence;
• Press for urgent legal and institutional reforms to prevent mob lynching, misuse of blasphemy allegations, and targeted persecution of vulnerable communities.