Bangladesh police have arrested the prime accused in the brutal lynching of Hindu garment worker Dipu Das, who was killed following blasphemy allegations. Officials said that former teacher Yasin Arafat is suspected to have played a central role in both planning and carrying out the attack, which has drawn widespread international condemnation amid rising violence against minorities in the country.
The incident took place on December 18 in Mymensingh district, where 27-year-old Das was allegedly forced to resign by his factory supervisors, dragged out of his workplace, and handed over to an enraged mob of Islamist locals. The crowd beat him to death, hung his body, and set it on fire. Reports indicate several of his colleagues joined the mob in the assault.
Police stated that after the killing, Arafat fled the area and went into hiding. Arrested on Thursday, he is believed to have mobilised and provoked the group that attacked Das. Authorities said his influence in the local community allowed him to quickly gather a large crowd, turning the situation into a deadly attack.
According to investigators, Arafat not only incited the violence but personally dragged Das to a nearby intersection, where the victim was hanged from a tree and set ablaze.
Arafat, a local resident and former mosque teacher, is now under scrutiny over whether his influence extended beyond the events of the lynching.
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With his arrest, the total number of people taken into custody in connection with the case has risen to 21, and police say their investigation will continue to track down additional suspects.
In the days following Das’s lynching, five more Hindu men were killed in separate incidents across Bangladesh.
- Amrit Mondal was beaten to death by villagers in Rajbari district.
- Bajendra Biswas was shot dead in Mymensingh.
- Khokon Chandra Das, a Hindu businessman, was stabbed and set on fire by a mob on New Year’s Eve in Shariatpur; he later died during treatment in Dhaka.
- Rana Pratap, a newspaper editor and businessman, was shot dead by unidentified attackers in Jessore district.
- In Naogaon district, a 25-year-old Hindu man drowned after jumping into a pond while fleeing locals who suspected him of theft.