Kathmandu, Dec 27 (IANS) Several protests were organised in major cities of Nepal – including Birgunj, Janakpurdham, and Golbazar – on Friday and Saturday to protest against the brutal killing of Hindu men in Bangladesh.
A 25-year-old Hindu youth, Dipu Chandra Das, was brutally killed in a mob lynching incident over false blasphemy accusations by a Muslim coworker at his factory on December 18. The mob killed Das and then hung his body from a tree before setting it on fire.
In another heinous incident this week, another Hindu man, Amrit Mondal, was also beaten to death by a mob, on Wednesday.
The killings have raised fresh concerns over the safety of the Hindus in Bangladesh, where Islamist radicals have increased their influence under the interim government headed by Muhammad Yunus which came to power after the fall of democratically-elected Sheikh Hasina government in August 2024.
Rastriya Ekata Abhiyan, a Hindu rights group, organised protests in the Golbazar area of Siraha district against violence targeting Hindus in Bangladesh.
During the demonstration in Siraha, angry protesters briefly blocked the East–West Highway, enforcing a temporary chakka jam (road blockade). Protesters raised slogans such as “Stop the killing of Hindus”, “Ensure the security of minorities”, and “Respect human rights”.
The protest was led by Hemant Singh, the district president of Rashtriya Ekta Abhiyan in Siraha. He said, “We want to pressure the Bangladesh government, through peaceful protests, to guarantee the lives and security of minorities. Our struggle will continue until such incidents come to an end.”
On Saturday, a Muslim group of Nepal — the Jamiat Ulema-e Nepal, Bara and Parsa district committees — also organised a rally in Birgunj, Parsa district, against the killings. The rally, led by Maulana Ali Asgar Madani, the Vice-President of Jamiat Ulema-e Nepal, saw participation from leaders and people of the Muslim community.
“Hang the murderer of Dipu Chandra Das”, “Down with the Bangladesh government”, “Stop the killing of Hindus in Bangladesh”, “Down with Mohammad Yunus”, and “Long live Hindu–Muslim unity” were among the slogans raised during the protest.
Earlier on Friday, a demonstration was also organised in Janakpurdham under the banner of Mahila Abhiyani Janakpurdham, protesting the killing of Hindus in Bangladesh.
Nepal is a Hindu-majority country with around 81 per cent of the population representing Hindus as per the Population Census 2021.
–IANS
scor/as
