Massive Protest Demonstrations in Delhi, Kolkata and other Centers against Killing of Hindu Youth in Bangladesh

Rohit Kumar

NEW DELHI, Dec 23: Rightist Hindu organizations including the Vishwa Hindu Parishad, Hindu Mahasabha and Bajrang Dal held major protests outside the Bangladesh High Commission in New Delhi and the deputy high commission in Kolkata on Tuesday in the wake of the brutal killing of a Hindu man, Dipu Chandra Das, by an Islamist mob in Bangladesh’s Mymensingh last week.

Reports of protest demonstrations were received from many other places in the country to denounce alleged atrocities against Hindus and vandalism of their religious places in Bangladesh.

In Delhi, the protesters clashed with police and broke barricades as they demanded accountability from Bangladeshi authorities, with some calling for justice and protection of minorities. To contain the situation, cops lathi-charged on protesters.

Tensions rose when a massive crowd of demonstrators pushed the security barricades. Protestors were chanting “Bharat Mata Ki Jai”, “Yunus Sarkar Hosh me Aao”, and “Hindu Hatya Band Karo,” As per reports, protesters managed to break at least two layers of barricades. “I’ll also be a Dipu, and you’ll also be a Dipu if we don’t raise our voice today,” a protestor said.

Kolkata witnessed intense unrest on Tuesday as protests by Hindutva organizations against the brutal killing of the Hindu youth spiraled into clashes with the police. Barricades were broken, blood was spilled and fires were reported, forcing the police to resort to a lathi charge to bring the situation under control.

Bak Bagan area resembled a battlefield as tensions escalated during the demonstration. Even Sealdah railway station witnessed massive demonstration as the protesters assembled there and shouted anti-Bangladesh slogans. The march began from Sealdah, with protesters carrying saffron flags and tridents, accompanied by the blowing of conch shells.

The procession was headed towards the office of the Bangladesh Deputy High Commission but was stopped by police at Bak Bagan. When security forces blocked the route, protesters attempted to break through the barricades, triggering heated arguments, scuffles and physical clashes with the police. During the confrontation, Hindutva leader Lalbaba reportedly fell to the ground after sustaining injuries. Several Hindutva leaders were subsequently taken into custody, with police arresting protesters one after another.

Several demonstrators were seen holding banners and placards and raising slogans, demanding justice for Dipu Das. Protestors also burned the effigies of Bangladesh’s interim chief, Muhammad Yunus. Police are detaining protesters to remove the protesters from the area and contain the situation. They also managed to re-establish the barricading. Security agencies had already been on alert in anticipation of the protest and have put in place tight security arrangements outside the building to prevent any untoward incident. The area has been secured with three layers of barricading, with troops from the police and paramilitary deployed to control the crowd.

Protesters leveled sharp allegations against the police. Some were heard shouting, “These police are not state police, these police are Bangladeshi police. These police beat the monks with sticks and tore the clothes of protesting women.” An injured sadhu said, “The way the Daldas police lathi-charged Hindu saints showed ruthless barbarity and incivility.” Another protester said, “We will protest this atrocity. Traditional saints have been atrocities in Kolkata. We will protest this.” As arrests continued, demonstrators staged a sit-in in front of police vehicles, further escalating tensions at the site.

Bangladesh’s Foreign Ministry summoned Indian High Commissioner Pranay Verma amid concerns over the security of Bangladeshi Missions in India. The Foreign Ministry, in a statement, said Verma was conveyed Dhaka’s “grave concern over the regrettable incidents” outside the perimeter of the Bangladesh High Commission and residence in New Delhi on December 20, 2025, and the “acts of vandalism at” its Visa Center in Siliguri on December 22 by “different extremist elements.” “Bangladesh also expressed deep concern over violent protests staged outside the premises of the different Diplomatic Missions of Bangladesh in India,” the statement said.

Holding saffron flags and shouting slogans against the lynching of the Hindu man in Bangladesh, hundreds of supporters of the VHP and the Bajrang Dal broke barricades and clashed with police in Delhi and several other places in the country. A young man from West Bengal studying in Bangladesh said until recently it was easy to get accommodation in that country as an Indian but the anti-India sentiments have become so strong since mid-2024 that the situation now was exactly the opposite. On August 5, 2024, the Sheikh Hasina government, which had ruled Bangladesh with an iron fist for nearly sixteen years, collapsed following the quota reform movement led by students and political parties.

Meanwhile, the Jammu and Kashmir High Court Bar Association protested the lynching of a Hindu man 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 condemn the repeated attacks and killings of Hindus in Bangladesh. We want the protection of Hindus. 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. “There are two solutions — either bring Hindus to India or ensure their protection there. Our country is capable of doing it,” he said.

The PDP president Mehbooba Mufti on Tuesday expressed concern over the alleged harassment of Hindu women in Bangladesh, saying the reports were “deeply disturbing.” “Reports from Bangladesh alleging that Hindu women fear moving freely while wearing sindoor are deeply disturbing,” the former chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir said in a post on X.

Dipu Chandra Das’s killing has triggered massive outrage in India, with people protesting outside the Bangladesh High Commission in Kolkata. They have reportedly warned of further agitation, including border blockades. Not only in Kolkata, protest also took place outside Bangladesh’s assistant high commission in Tripura, by the Tipra Motha Party and other groups. After the protests outside its diplomatic missions in India, Bangladesh reportedly suspended visa services at the High Commission in New Delhi and missions in Tripura and Siliguri, citing security concerns.

India also reacted to the violence across the border, and condemned the killing of the Hindu man in Mymensingh. The country raised concerns over the condition of minorities in Bangladesh and also summoned Bangladesh High Commissioner Riaz HamidullahThe summons were issued over a speech by National Citizen Party (NCP) leader Hasnat Abdullah in which he claimed that Bangladesh could shelter separatist forces from India and severe the country’s seven north-eastern states,

The United Nations Secretary General Antionio Guterres on Tuesday condemned the ongoing violence in Bangladesh, including the killing of a Hindu man in Mymensingh. The UN chief’s spokesperson expressed concern over the violence and said people who don’t belong to the ‘majority’ need to feel safe in all countries.