New Delhi/Kolkata | Protests erupted on Tuesday in several parts of the country, including near the Bangladesh high commission in Delhi and its missions in other cities, against the lynching of a Hindu worker in the strife-torn neighbouring country.
Holding saffron flags and shouting slogans, the protesters belonging to right-wing outfits demanded strong diplomatic steps by India to ensure the safety of Hindus living 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 district of Bangladesh.
The demonstrations were held in multiple cities including Kolkata, Mumbai and Jammu. Protesters also burnt effigies and photos of Muhammad Yunus, the chief advisor of the interim government in Bangladesh.
In the national capital, the epicentre of the protests, hundreds of supporters of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and the Bajrang Dal broke through barricades and clashed with police near the fortified Bangladesh high Commission.
A sea of banners and placards bobbed in the air, reading denunciatory messages against the Bangladesh government.
A placard read: "Hindu rakt ki ek ek boond ka hisaab chahiye (Each drop of blood of a Hindu must be accounted for)".
The area around the high commission was secured with seven layers of barricades and a reinforced presence of police and paramilitary.
A 1,500-strong police force was deployed ahead of the demonstration, an officer said, adding that the police managed to hold the protesters about 800 metres from the high commission.
Angry protesters accused the Bangladesh authorities of failing to protect minorities and demanded strong diplomatic steps by India to ensure the safety of Hindus in the neighbouring country.
"What can one do when the people in Bangladesh are keeping a jihadi mentality. Every single worker of VHP and Bajrang Dal stands in support of Hindu families in Bangladesh. We will cross all the barriers and protest in front of the Bangladesh high commission," a protester told PTI, as slogan shouting reached a crescendo.
Several protesters claimed that the agitation would not be limited to a single day and warned of a intensified protest if their demands were not addressed.
Sumit Kashyap, a demonstrator, called for Hindu unity.
"Several Bangladeshis are staying in the national capital illegally. Not even a single person has ever been harmed. But people in Bangladesh are killing our brothers now," he said.
Another protester Satish Gupta said they were protesting against the "terrorist mentality".
Protesters were seen chanting the Hanuman Chalisa and raising religious slogans.
Minor scuffles broke out as demonstrators pushed against the police cordon.
A VHP leader asserted that the protest was peaceful and lawful. "We demand proper protection of every single Hindu, compensation to the Hindu families, and proper rehabilitation for those families who were openly looted."
In Kolkata, hundreds of supporters of a pro-Hindutva outfit tried to march to the Bangladesh deputy high commission here and clashed with the police when they were stopped.
The police resorted to lathicharge to disperse the protesters after they breached barricades in their attempts to move closer to the deputy high commission office at Beckbagan in central Kolkata.
In the clashes, several protesters and police personnel sustained minor injuries. At least 12 demonstrators were arrested as a preventive measure, police said.
The march titled 'Hindu Hunkar Padayatra' was organised under the banner of 'Bongiyo Hindu Jagaran Manch' with protestors carrying saffron flags and shouting slogans against alleged violence on Hindus in Bangladesh.
"The police here are acting like they want to protect those who are lynching our brothers in Bangladesh. They showed no such enthusiasm when Hindus were lynched in Murshidabad earlier this year," a protester alleged.
The protesters raised slogans like "Hindu Hindu Bhai Bhai" and "safety for Hindus in Bangladesh", and demanded action against those responsible for the death of Das and security for Hindus in Bangladesh.
In Mumbai too, activists of VHP and Bajrang Dal demonstrated outside the Bangladesh deputy high commission over the issue.
Holding saffron flags and 'save Hindus' placards, around 50 activists of the right-wing bodies gathered outside the Bangladesh deputy high commission in Cuffe Parade and shouted slogans.
Police personnel shifted the protesters to Azad Maidan in south Mumbai, an official said.
A simultaneous demonstration was held outside the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) building by more than 100 activists.
Raising 'Jai Shriram' slogans, they sat on a road between the BMC building and Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus railway station, and tried to block traffic. They were removed from the spot and shifted to Azad Maidan by police personnel.
In Jammu, the J&K High Court Bar Association protested the lynching of Das in Bangladesh and urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to either bring Hindus to India or ensure their protection there.
The lawyers also demanded that illegal Bangladeshi and Rohingya immigrants be evicted from Jammu.
"...We want to send a message to Prime Minister Narendra Modi ji and Home Minister Amit Shah ji that the entire country stands with them to take stern steps to ensure that atrocities against Hindus in Bangladesh are stopped," the bar's president, Nirmal K Kotwal, said.
Several right wing outfits under the banners of VHP and Bajrang Dal also demonstrated at Panja Chowk in Rajouri district against the lynching. An effigy of Muhammad Yunus was set ablaze during the protest.
Meanwhile, PDP president Mehbooba Mufti expressed concern over the alleged harassment of Hindu women in Bangladesh, saying the reports are "deeply disturbing".
The Jammu and Kashmir Congress also condemned the brutal lynching of the Hindu man in Bangladesh and urged the Modi government to take a tough stand to ensure the safety of minorities in the neighbouring country.
J&K Congress chief spokesperson Ravinder Sharma expressed anguish over the incident, alleging that the lynching took place with the connivance of the local police.
In Bangladesh, the Hindu population has been affected by a series of incidents against minority communities after the ouster of then-prime minister Sheikh Hasina in August last year.
The lynching of Das has sparked widespread protests by factory workers, students and rights groups in Bangladesh while India has expressed concerns as well.
Minority groups on Monday held a protest in Dhaka over the interim government's failure to prevent the persecution of minorities. Authorities have announced the arrest of 21 suspects linked to the lynching of Das, attacks on media offices and violent demonstrations near an Indian diplomatic mission.
