By Abdul Masih —
Accused of blaspheming Islam, a 27-year-old Hindu garment factory worker was beaten, lynched and burned to death in Bhaluka, Mymensingh, Bangladesh, on Dec. 18, 2025 during a workplace event marking World Arabic Language Day.
Dipu Chandra Das was filmed in a now viral video showing his body tied to a tree and set on fire while an enraged mob celebrated. Supposedly he had said something derogatory about Islam, but the case may have been sparked by jealousies at Pioneer Knit Composite Factory in the Square Masterbari area of Bhaluka Upazila.
Mob rage escalates quickly and gets out of control, so that no one has time to confirm if an actual crime or offense was committed. The Rapid Action Battalion stated that there was no direct evidence of “religious defamation” in the murder case. They found no one who personally heard or witnessed anything derogatory.
As of Dec. 22, 12 individuals — including two co-workers — have been arrested, as international pressure has mounted on the Bangladeshi authorities to deliver prompt justice.
Taking up the cause of fellow Hindus in the land that once belonged to India, Indian Ministry of External Affairs condemned the killing as a “heinous crime” and a “stain on civilization.”
Protests erupted in Bangladesh, particularly at universities, demanding justice and the resignation of law and home advisers. .
The Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council demanded the immediate arrest of the perpetrators, stating that the murder undermined communal harmony.
Bangladesh, created as a safe harbor for Muslims fleeing the newly independent India, is 91% Muslim. 8% Hindu, 0.6% Buddhist and 0.3% Christian. Bangladesh won its independence from Pakistan in 1971 after they gained independence from India in 1947 as Muslim majority state(s).
