Protesters march to Bangladesh Dy High Commission to protest alleged violence on Hindus

Kolkata, Dec 23 (PTI) Hundreds of protesters carrying saffron flags and shouting slogans against alleged violence on minority Hindus in Bangladesh tried to march to the Bangladesh Deputy High Commission here on Tuesday but were stopped by police.

The protest march titled 'Hindu Hunkar Padayatra' was organised under the banner of 'Bongiyo Hindu Jagaran'. The march started from Sealdah and was proceeding towards the Bangladesh Deputy High Commission office, when it was stopped by police in the Beckbagan area.

A huge police force has been deployed near the Bangladesh Deputy High Commission office here.

The protesters raised slogans "Hindu Hindu Bhai Bhai", "safety for Hindus in Bangladesh" and the lynching of a Hindu man in Bangladesh.

On December 18, Dipu Chandra Das, a 25-year-old garment factory worker, was lynched by a mob and his body set on fire over blasphemy in Baluka in Mymensingh, Bangladesh.

According to the police, Das was first beaten up by a mob outside the factory and then hanged from a tree. The crowd left the body of the deceased by the Dhaka-Mymensingh Highway and later set it on fire.

Tension escalated in the Beckbagan area when a section of the protesters tried to break the police barricades in an attempt to move closer to the Deputy High Commission office. Police pushed back the demonstrators and used mild lathi charge to disperse the crowd, officials said.

The protesters demanded action against those responsible for the death of Das and security for Hindus in Bangladesh. PTI BSM RG