Another man lynched in Bangladesh over alleged extortion
Dhaka/New Delhi (PTI): A Hindu man has been lynched in Bangladesh over alleged extortion, according to media reports, days after another man from the minority religion was lynched in the country.
The incident took place on Wednesday in Rajbari town's Pangsha upazila, The Daily Star newspaper on Thursday quoted police as saying.
The deceased, identified as Amrit Mondal, had allegedly formed a criminal gang and was involved in extortion and other criminal activities.
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The interim government led by Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus "strongly condemned" the killing while asserting that it was not a communal attack.
On the day of the incident, Mondal was beaten up by locals when he, along with his group members, tried to extort money from a resident's house, the report said.
Upon receiving information about the incident, police rushed to the spot and rescued Mondal in a critical condition.
He was taken to a hospital where doctors declared him dead around 2:00 am, Assistant Superintendent of Police (Pangsha Circle) Debrata Sarkar said, according to the report.
Mondal's body was sent to Rajbari Sadar Hospital morgue for an autopsy, Sarkar said.
Most of his associates fled after the incident, but police arrested one man and recovered firearms from his possession.
According to the police, Mondal had at least two cases filed against him, including a murder case.
Condemning the killing, the interim government said in a statement that it "does not support any kind of illegal activities, mass beatings or violence,” the state-run BSS news agency reported.
In a statement, the government said that the incident was not a communal attack but one stemming from a violent situation arising from extortion and terrorist activities.
Legal action will be taken against everyone directly or indirectly involved in the incident, it said.
The incident comes a week after another Hindu man, Dipu Das, was lynched and his body set on fire over blasphemy allegations in Mymensingh.
Police and other law enforcement agencies have made 12 arrests in the case so far.
Das’ killing sparked widespread protests by factory workers, students and rights groups in Dhaka and elsewhere in Bangladesh, and India expressed its concerns as well.
The interim government has said it would take care of Das' minor child, as well as his wife and parents.
The Hindu population in Bangladesh has been affected by a series of incidents against minority communities in the country after the ouster of then-prime minister Sheikh Hasina in August last year.
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PM's silence on Kharge's insult by Himanta is his consent: Rahul
New Delhi (PTI): Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday said the use of "derogatory language" against party chief Mallikarjun Kharge by Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma is an insult to the entire SC/ST community, and the silence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the matter "is not his helplessness, but his consent".
"If the prime minister sees an attack on the dignity of crores of Dalits in the country and does not speak up - he is not only shirking his responsibility, but is also a party to that insult," Gandhi said in a post in Hindi on X.
Gandhi said the use of "vulgar and derogatory language" by Sarma against Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Kharge "is entirely condemnable, shameful, and unacceptable".
"Kharge ji is a senior and popular Dalit leader of the country - his experience, stature, and prestige are unparalleled. Insulting him is not an insult to one individual alone, but also to crores of people from the SC-ST community in this country," he posted.
This, he said, just reflected the "old and premeditated mindset" of the BJP-RSS and was nothing new, the leader of opposition in Lok Sabha said.
"Whether it is the insult to Babasaheb Ambedkar, belittling Dalit leaders, or personal attacks on representatives of the SC-ST community - the history of BJP and RSS bears witness that whenever a Dalit leader speaks the truth, they stoop to humiliate him," he posted.
"This is their ideology, this is their true character and face," he added.
Posing a direct question to the PM, he asked, "do you support Himanta Sarma's use of this language? Your silence is not helplessness, it is consent."
Sarma earlier hit out at Kharge, claiming that he was "speaking like a madman" due to old age, after the latter put the onus on central agencies to probe the charges made against the Assam chief minister.
Slamming the Congress chief, Sarma said, "Kharge is ageing and is speaking like a pagal (madman)."
