Zakir Hossain from Dhaka
Bangladesh’s Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) has arrested seven people in connection with the lynching of a Hindu garment worker in Mymensingh’s Bhaluka area. The victim, Dipu Chandra Das (27), was allegedly beaten to death on December 18 following accusations of blasphemy. Police said his body was later hung from a tree and set on fire.
Those arrested include Md Limon Sarkar (19), Md Tarek Hossain (19), Md Manik Mia (20), Ershad Ali (39), Nijum Uddin (20), Alamgir Hossain (38), and Md Miraj Hossain Akon (46).
The Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council condemned the killing, calling it “a brutal act that threatens communal harmony.” The interim government also issued a strong condemnation, stating, “There is no space for such violence in new Bangladesh. The perpetrators will not be spared.”
BNP leader’s home torched in Bangladesh, sleeping child killed
Dhaka
A seven-year-old girl was killed and three others injured after the house of a local BNP leader was allegedly set on fire by assailants in Lakshmipur early Saturday.
The victim, Ayesha Akter, was the daughter of Belal Hossain, joint organising secretary of the BNP’s Bhabaniganj Union unit. Police said attackers poured petrol on the house, locked the door from outside and set it ablaze while the family was asleep. Belal Hossain and his two daughters, aged 14 and 17, sustained burn injuries and are undergoing treatment. The house was completely destroyed. “This was a premeditated act of terror,” said district BNP leader Hasibur Rahman, demanding immediate arrests. Police said an investigation is underway to determine responsibility for the attack.