A Hindu youth was brutally killed in a mob attack in Sonadanga residential area of Bangladesh’s Khulna late Wednesday night for allegedly making derogatory remarks about the Prophet Muhammad, locals and witnesses said.
The victim, Utsab Mondal, is a student at Azam Khan Government Commerce College.
According to local people and students, Utsab had made offensive remarks about the Prophet Muhammad on social media.
In response, a group of students apprehended him and took him to the office of the deputy commissioner (South) of Khulna Metropolitan Police, Tajul Islam, at about 7:45pm on Wednesday.
Within hours, thousands of Islamists came in front of the police station.
The mob started demanding that Utsav Mondal should be handed over to them. But, initially police didn’t agree.
To control the situation, the police informed the Bangladesh Army later.
But, the mob overpowered the Army personnel and snatched away Utsab Mondal from the law enforcement agency members and later lynched him to death in front of them said at least three locals including a senior journalist of the area seeking anonymity.
However, Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR) press release said the youth was apprehended by locals and taken to the office of the deputy commissioner of police, Khulna (South), for further legal actions. Later, around 3,000-3,500 people gathered at the spot, creating unrest and demanding public punishment for the individual.
According to the press release, members of the armed forces arrived at the location to take control of the situation. At this time, some unruly people from the crowd breached the office of the deputy commissioner and attacked the accused who was in police custody.
Members of the armed forces put in a tremendous effort to rescue him alive, said the press release.
He is now being treated under the supervision of the army, and is out of danger, the press release said.
A case against the accused over hurting religious sentiments was being processed by law enforcement, and subject to his recovery, the army will hand him over to law enforcement abiding by due legal process, the ISPR press release also added.
The victim allegedly “taunted” Prophet Muhammad on a Facebook post said the journalist from Khulna who works in a mainstream media of Bangladesh.
In the evening, the agitated students took him to Khulna Metropolitan Deputy Commissioner (South) Tajul Islam’s office and demanded exemplary punishment to him, he said.
To avoid any untoward incident, a team of Army and Navy reached the spot and took control of the situation.
Later, when he was taken out to the police station, the agitated mob beat him up brutally, he added.
At night, the local mosque announced that the boy was dead, the journalist added.
“Utsab’ father is a bank officer. They are our tenants. For the last ten years this family are living here. They were hailed from Sathkira’s Kaligang upazila”, said KM Mizanur Rahman of the area.
“After leaving the house yesterday afternoon Utsab and his family didn’t return. Their mobile phones are also switched off”, he said.
Seeking anonymity, an associate professor of Azam Khan Government Commerce College said, “There is no law and order in Bangladesh now. It is really heartbreaking when we were informed that the Islamic fanatics group mercilessly beaten to death our student Utsab.”
This comes as the minority Hindu community in Bangladesh has been under attack by violent protesters after fall of the Sheikh Hasina government.
Hasina resigned and fled to India on 5 August after unprecedented anti-government student-led protests over a controversial quota system in government jobs.
Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council and the Bangladesh Puja Udjapan Parishad said that since the fall of the Hasina government, minority communities have suffered at least 205 incidents of attacks across 52 districts in Bangladesh.
Source: The Chittagong Hill Tracts
