Protests over Bangladesh lynching turn violent in Kolkata and Delhi

Protests over the lynching of a Hindu man in Bangladesh turned violent in both Kolkata and New Delhi on Tuesday, with demonstrators attempting to march towards Bangladeshi diplomatic missions in the two cities and clashing with police amid heavy security arrangements.

In Kolkata, hundreds of supporters of a pro-Hindutva outfit tried to march to the Bangladesh Deputy High Commission in southern Kolkata on Tuesday afternoon. The protesters clashed with police after being stopped by uniformed personnel in the Beckbagan area.

Police resorted to lathi charges to disperse the crowd after protesters breached multiple barricades, including human chains and iron guard rails, in an attempt to move closer to the deputy high commission office. Several protesters and police personnel sustained minor injuries during the clashes, and at least 12 protesters were arrested.

“The situation in front of the Bangladesh Deputy High Commission has been brought under control. Those who attempted to gather there illegally have been removed. So far, 12 people have been arrested in the area. These are preventive arrests,” a senior officer of the Kolkata Police said. He added that a large police contingent would remain deployed near the mission to ensure the security of foreign diplomatic staff and prevent further attempts to lay siege to the premises.

The Kolkata march, titled 'Hindu Hunkar Padayatra', was organised under the banner of the Bongiyo Hindu Jagaran Mancha. Protesters carrying saffron flags raised slogans alleging violence against minority Hindus in Bangladesh. The rally began from Sealdah and was proceeding towards the diplomatic office when police stopped it in the Beckbagan area and pushed the protesters back.

Some demonstrators accused the police of bias. “The police here are acting like they want to protect those who are lynching our brothers in Bangladesh. They showed no such enthusiasm when Hindus were lynched in Murshidabad earlier this year,” one protester alleged. Slogans such as 'Hindu Hindu bhai bhai' and calls for 'safety for Hindus in Bangladesh' were raised during the protest.

Meanwhile, in New Delhi, hundreds of supporters of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad and Bajrang Dal clashed with police near the fortified Bangladesh High Commission while holding a separate protest over the same issue.

Protesters carrying saffron flags forced several barricades down as police struggled to contain the surge. The high-security diplomatic zone in the capital witnessed a beefed-up police presence from the morning ahead of the demonstration announced by Hindu right-wing groups.

Officials said the area had been secured with three layers of barricades and a reinforced presence of police and paramilitary forces. An officer said a 15,000-strong police force was deployed ahead of the protest. Police managed to stop the protesters around 800 m from the high commission, using barricades and parked Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) buses as obstacles to prevent them from advancing further.

A large number of banners and placards were visible during the Delhi protest, carrying denunciatory messages against the Bangladesh government. One placard read: 'Hindu rakt ki ek ek boond ka hisaab chahiye (each drop of blood of a Hindu must be accounted for).'

Both protests were triggered by the killing of Dipu Chandra Das, a 25-year-old garment factory worker in Bangladesh. On 18 December, Das was lynched by a mob in Baluka in the Mymensingh district following allegations of blasphemy.

According to Bangladeshi police, Das was first beaten by a mob outside the factory where he worked and then hanged from a tree. His body was left by the Dhaka–Mymensingh Highway and later set on fire.

Protesters in both cities demanded strict punishment for those responsible for Das’s death and called for greater protection for Hindus in Bangladesh. “A Hindu man was brutally assaulted and killed. We request our government to take strict action against those who are behind the killing. We also demand that the Bangladesh police take strict action against those who are behind the killing,” a protester in Delhi said. Another demonstrator added, “We in India consider every community as our brothers and sisters. Every Hindu in every country must be treated in the same way.”

The protests in Kolkata followed demonstrations at the same venue a day earlier. On Monday, senior BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari led a rally of around 2,000 supporters near the Bangladesh Deputy High Commission, where protesters squatted on the road after being stopped by police.

Adhikari had demanded strict punishment for those involved in Das’s killing and warned of further protests if attacks on Hindus in Bangladesh did not stop, saying demonstrators would return with 10,000 people on 26 December. A similar protest was also staged on Monday by state Pradesh Congress activists at the same location.

Police in both cities said security around Bangladeshi diplomatic missions would remain tight to prevent escalation and ensure the safety of foreign missions amid continuing protests linked to developments in Bangladesh.

With PTI inputs