The police in Bangladesh on Thursday arrested six more persons for their alleged involvement in the lynching of a Hindu man accused of blasphemy, The Daily Star reported.

Dipu Chandra Das, a factory worker, was beaten to death by a mob in the Mymensingh district on December 18, after which his body was allegedly tied to a tree and set on fire.

Mymensingh Additional Superintendent of Police Mohammed Abdullah Al Mamun was quoted as saying by The Daily Star that the six persons arrested on Thursday allegedly incited employees at the factory with slogans and pressured Das to resign.

The six accused persons were identified as Taqbir, Ruhul Amin, Noor Alam, Shamim Mia, Selim Mia and Masum Khalasi.

Twelve others had earlier been arrested in the case. With the arrests on Thursday, 18 persons have been taken into custody for the lynching.

Das was killed amid widespread unrest in Bangladesh following the death of student leader Sharif Osman Bin Hadi, who succumbed to gunshot injuries at a hospital in Singapore earlier that day.

Hadi was a prominent leader in the 2024 student protest that led to the ouster of the earlier government headed by Awami League leader Sheikh Hasina.

Das’ killing sparked protests in several parts of India, including Delhi, West Bengal and Assam. On December 23, members of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad and Bajrang Dal clashed with the police and broke barricades during a protest near the Bangladesh High Commission in the national capital.

On Friday, the Hindutva organisations held a protest rally in front of the Puri Jagannath temple, ANI reported.

In Bangladesh’s capital Dhaka, members of a civil society group named National Hindu Mahajot also protested against Das’ killing at National Press Club, PTI reported.

Also read:

View from Bangladesh: Minority protection has been a signal failure of this interim government