VHP, Bajrang Dal protestors clash with police at Bangladesh High Commission
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New Delhi: Hundreds of supporters of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and the Bajrang Dal clashed with police near the heavily fortified Bangladesh High Commission here on Tuesday while protesting the lynching of a Hindu man in Bangladesh.
Holding saffron flags and raising slogans against the killing, the protesters broke through multiple police barricades, forcing security personnel to struggle to contain the surge. Several barricades were pushed down as demonstrators attempted to advance towards the high-security diplomatic zone.
Anticipating the protest announced by Hindu right-wing organisations, authorities had intensified security arrangements in the area since morning. The entire stretch near the high commission was secured with three layers of barricades and a reinforced deployment of police and paramilitary personnel.
A senior police officer said around 15,000 personnel were deployed in and around the area to prevent any breach. He added that police managed to stop the protesters nearly 800 metres away from the Bangladesh High Commission.
To further block the protesters’ movement, Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) buses were positioned as physical obstacles along the route leading to the diplomatic mission.
The protest site witnessed a sea of banners and placards carrying denunciatory messages against the Bangladesh government. One placard read, “Hindu rakt ki ek ek boond ka hisaab chahiye” (Each drop of blood of a Hindu must be accounted for).
The demonstration was organised in response to the lynching of Dipu Chandra Das, a 25-year-old garment factory worker, in Baluka area of Mymensingh district in Bangladesh on December 18. According to police, Das was beaten by a mob outside the factory over allegations of blasphemy, later hanged from a tree, and his body was left by the Dhaka–Mymensingh Highway before being set on fire.
“A Hindu man was brutally assaulted and killed. We urge our government to take strict action against those responsible for the killing. We also demand that the Bangladesh police take stringent action against the perpetrators,” a protester said.
Another demonstrator said, “We in India consider every community as our brothers and sisters. Every Hindu in every country must be treated in the same way.”
With PTI inputs