Interim government adviser C R Abrar said the state will take responsibility for the welfare of the family of Dipu Das.
Das was a Hindu garment worker lynched by a mob in Mymensingh on December 18.
The killing sparked nationwide protests and unrest, with 12 people arrested so far, amid a broader wave of violence following the death of an anti-government protest leader.
Bangladesh To Support Family Of Hindu Worker Lynched On Blasphemy Charges: Govt Adviser
Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus conveyed the government’s “profound sorrow and deepest condolences”, reaffirming that violence cannot be justified by allegations, rumours or differences of belief.
Summary
A senior adviser in Bangladesh’s interim government has said the state will take responsibility for the family of the Hindu worker who was lynched on blasphemy charges last week.
Bangladesh's Education adviser C R Abrar on Tuesday met the family of 25-year-old Dipu Das, who was killed by a mob and whose body was set on fire on December 18 in Mymensingh.
“The state has taken the responsibilities of taking care of Dipu Das’ child, wife and parents,” Abrar said, describing the killing of the garment factory worker as a “brutal crime which has no excuse”.
Abrar said that before meeting the family, he had spoken to Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus, who asked him to convey the government’s “profound sorrow and deepest condolences”.
According to newspaper reports, Das’ father, Rabi Chandra Das, demanded justice for his son’s killing and explained the family’s condition to the adviser.
Yunus’s office, meanwhile, reiterated that financial and welfare assistance would be extended to Das’ family and that the relevant authorities would remain in close contact with them in the coming period.
So far, 12 people have been arrested for their alleged involvement in the murder.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, Yunus’s press wing said “allegations, rumours or differences of belief can never excuse violence, and no individual has the right to take the law into their own hands”.
“The government reaffirmed its unwavering commitment to the rule of law, noting that the authority to investigate alleged offences and ensure justice through due process rests solely with the state,” it said.
Das’ killing triggered widespread protests by factory workers, students and rights groups in Dhaka and other parts of Bangladesh, while India also expressed concern over the incident.
The lynching coincided with the death of radical right-wing cultural group Inqilab Mancha leader Sharif Osman Hadi at a hospital in Singapore, six days after he was shot by masked gunmen in Dhaka.
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Hadi had emerged as a prominent figure during last year’s anti-government protests that led to the fall of Sheikh Hasina’s government.
Following his death, Bangladesh saw a fresh wave of unrest, with mobs setting fire to the offices of mass-circulation dailies The Daily Star and Prothom Alo, as well as the premises of two leading cultural organisations, Chhayanot and the Udichi Shilpi Goshti, founded in the 1960s.
(with PTI inputs)
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