All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) MP Asaduddin Owaisi condemned the alleged lynching of Hindu youths Dipu Chandra Das and Amrit Mondal in separate incidents in Bangladesh.
Calling out the atrocities on minorities in ‘majority-run politics’, Owaisi said, “We condemn what happened to Dipu Chandra Das and Amrit Mandal.”
He said, “Bangladesh was created on secular Bangla nationalism, and there are 20 million minorities who are not Muslims who live in Bangladesh.”
The AIMIM MP further claimed that these lynchings happen “when the rule of law breaks and majoritarian-run politics overtakes everything, and we have to condemn it.”
Death of Hindu youths in Bangladesh
A worker in a garment factory, Dipu Chandra Das, was beaten to death by a mob over alleged blasphemy charges and had his body hanged and set on fire on December 18.
The Daily Star, citing Mymensingh’s Additional Superintendent of Police, Abdullah Al Mamun, stated that a factory official had informed Bhaluka police that a group of workers attacked Dipu inside the factory, accusing him of making “derogatory remarks” in a Facebook post.
Later, the Daily Star reported that a Hindu youth identified as Amrit Mondal was lynched at Hosendanga village of Kalimohor union in Rajbari’s Pangsha sub-district over an extortion allegation.
Owaisi supports Indian govt
Owaisi said he supports the steps taken by the Government of India “to ensure that the relationship with Bangladesh remains stronger.”
Owaisi told news agency ANI, “I sincerely hope that the tensions don’t escalate between India and Bangladesh, and whatever is happening in Bangladesh in terms of what happened to the sad incident of Dipu Chandra Das and Amrit Mandal is contrary to their own constitutional mandate.”
“I hope that Mr Yunus will ensure that all the minorities living in Bangladesh are protected. But at the same time, we must remember that the stability in Bangladesh is very important for the security of India, especially in the Northeast,” the AIMIM leader said.
Owaisi added that a “popular revolution” happened in Bangladesh, and “we hope that when the elections are held in February, the relationship between India and Bangladesh will improve for good.”
Concern over India’s security
Owaisi also warned about the presence of forces inimical to India, including Pakistan’s ISI and China, in the region.
“We must also remember that ISI, China and all these forces which are inimical to India are now in Bangladesh…,” he said.
US Congressman condemns mob lynching of Hindu youth in Bangladesh
US Congressman Ro Khanna “unequivocally” condemned the lynching of a Hindu youth, Dipu Chandra Das, in Bangladesh, calling the killing an “act of hatred and bigotry”.
In a post on X on Saturday, Khanna, a member of the US House of Representatives from California, reacted to the killing of Das, 27-year-old Hindu garment worker, and stressed the need for a strong and clear response to such incidents.
“The killing of Dipu Chandra Das, a 27-year-old Hindu garment worker in Bangladesh is horrific and my thoughts and prayers are with his friends and family. We must unequivocally condemn and speak out against these vile acts of hatred and bigotry,” his post read.