Dhaka. Another serious incident of violence against the minority community has come to light in Bangladesh. A 29-year-old Hindu youth was beaten to death by a mob in Pangsha upazila area of Rajbari district late on Wednesday night. The deceased has been identified as Amrit Mandal alias Samrat. This incident has come to light at a time when there is already an atmosphere of tension in the country due to the murder of Dipu Chandra Das a few days ago.
According to the police, the incident took place in Hossandanga Old Market area around 11 pm on Wednesday night. Locals reportedly accused Amrit Mandal of extortion, after which the matter escalated from an argument to violence. According to eyewitnesses, within a short time a large number of people gathered and attacked Amrit Mandal with sticks and punches. He was taken to the hospital in a seriously injured condition, where doctors declared him dead.
Confirming the incident, Sheikh Moinul Islam, in-charge of Pangsha Model Police Station, said that Amrit Mandal was recorded in the police records as the leader of a local group named “Samrat Bahini”. Police say that preliminary investigation has revealed that after some dispute with the local people, the situation went out of control and the crowd turned into violence. However, the police have also clarified that the veracity of the allegations is being investigated and strict action will be taken against those who take the law into their own hands.
The deceased Amrit Mandal was the son of Akshay Mandal and was a resident of Hosaindanga village. Tension has spread in the area after the incident. Additional deployment of police force has been made to deal with any untoward situation and patrolling has been increased in sensitive areas. The local administration has appealed to the people to maintain peace.
This incident has once again raised serious questions about mob violence and safety of the minority community in Bangladesh. Human rights organizations and social workers say that due to the weakness of law and order and lack of quick justice, such incidents are coming to the fore again and again. They allege that publicly thrashing a person to death on the basis of rumors or allegations is against democratic and constitutional values.
Concern is being expressed about this incident at the international level including India. Analysts believe that it is a big challenge for the Bangladesh government to effectively control mob violence and restore security confidence among minorities. At present, the police have registered the case and started investigation and efforts have been intensified to identify and arrest the culprits.
