A video widely circulating on social media shows Dipu Chandra Das, 25, speaking with several men wearing what appear to be police uniforms shortly before he was lynched by a mob in Mymensingh, Bangladesh. In the footage, Das—barefoot and dressed in a blue full-sleeve sweatshirt and trousers—is seen trying to explain himself. The incident occurred far from Dhaka, where violent protests and arson broke out following the assassination of anti-India leader Sharif Osman Hadi.
Exiled Bangladeshi author Taslima Nasreen has shared an account of events that she claims sheds light on the circumstances leading to Das’s death and raises questions about the role of the police.
In a post on X, Nasreen said that Das was a poor factory worker in Bhaluka, Mymensingh. According to her, a Muslim co-worker accused Das of making derogatory remarks about the Prophet over a minor dispute, triggering anger among people present. A mob then attacked Das. Nasreen claimed that the police later intervened, took him into custody, and that he was therefore under police protection at the time.
Nasreen’s account has fueled debate and concern over law enforcement’s handling of the incident, as well as broader issues related to mob violence and minority safety in Bangladesh.
