Zakir Hossain from Dhaka
Leaders of minority organisations on Monday accused the interim government of failing to stop violence, killings and persecution of minority communities.
Addressing a human chain organised by the Minority Unity Front in front of the Jatiya Press Club, Manindra Kumar Nath said the government did not contact the family of Dipu Chandra Das, who was “beaten and burned to death” in Mymensingh on December 18 over alleged blasphemy.
Referring to the chief adviser, he said, “He claims he will build a humane Bangladesh, but in reality he is an inhumane chief adviser,” and called for his removal. He also expressed concern over minorities’ ability to participate freely in the upcoming election, calling it a “sham election”. Subrata Chowdhury of the Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council said minorities were living in extreme insecurity, alleging law enforcement agencies were acting as “silent spectators”.
Nim Chanda Bhowmik alleged militant and divisive forces were being patronised and cited attacks on The Daily Star, Prothom Alo, Chhayanaut and Udichi. Speakers demanded accountability, justice for Dipu Chandra Das, and immediate steps to ensure minority safety.
Judicial probe sought into mob killing of Hindu youth in Bangladesh
Meanwhile a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) has been filed in the Supreme Court seeking an independent judicial inquiry into the mob beating and burning to death of a garment worker in Bhaluka, Mymensingh.
The victim, Dipu Chandra Das, was accused of religious insult, an allegation the petition says was never verified by any police, judicial or religious authority. He was neither arrested nor questioned before being attacked in broad daylight and set on fire. Filed by Advocate Biplab Kumar Poddar of Integrity Law Chamber along with advocates Falikul Ishba and Mohammad Sanjar, the petition terms the killing a “catastrophic failure of law and state accountability” and an extrajudicial act driven by rumour.
It alleges police inaction despite visible threats and seeks formation of a judicial commission comprising a retired Supreme Court judge, a National Human Rights Commission representative, a senior police officer and a Supreme Court advocate.
The plea also seeks criminal proceedings against those responsible, protection for the victim’s family and vulnerable minorities, and Tk 2 crore in compensation. “This is not merely a failure to prevent a killing; it reflects a systemic collapse that risks normalising mob violence,” Poddar said.