On October 28, a violent mob laid siege to Kadirdi Degree College in Boalmari, Faridpur district, Bangladesh, after accusing a Hindu student, Hridoy Pal, of committing ‘blasphemy’ against Prophet Muhammad. The incident unfolded when a large group of madrasa students gathered outside the college, demanding that the administration hand over Hridoy, a Class XI student, for allegedly posting offensive content on Facebook.
As tensions escalated, Hridoy was summoned to the principal’s office, where he denied the accusations, asserting that he did not possess a mobile phone. He explained to the administration that the alleged post was made from a hacked account two years prior. However, the mob outside continued to grow, chanting slogans and calling for action against the student.
The mob soon breached the college grounds, vandalising motorcycles and damaging property in an attempt to force their demands.
In response, the Officer-in-Charge of Boalmari police station arrived on the scene, along with local political leaders who attempted to pacify the mob. With the situation intensifying, military personnel were eventually called in to prevent further violence. They took Hridoy into protective custody, with a video later surfacing on social media showing the young student, blindfolded and forced to crawl on all fours, being led away by army officials.
Disturbingly, members of the crowd were seen slapping Hridoy, while an army official struck him with a stick as he was taken to safety. The video also shows how army personnel keep hitting Hridoy as the mob asks them to do so.
The crowd, unrelenting, attacked the army convoy with stones and shoes as they transported Hridoy to the army camp.
Sharing the video of this incident, activist, Tasleema Nasreem wrote on X, “In Faridpur, a teenager named Hriday Pal is being taken away by the army in a bizarre manner, but what is his crime? Behind him, the miscreants are telling the soldiers to beat the boy, and according to them, the soldiers are attacking the boy. The boy is Hindu. Fanatics are trapping Hindus with accusations of hurting religious feelings. However, there is no difference between mob lynching and the army’s intervention.”
In Faridpur, a teenager named Hriday Pal is being taken away by the army in a bizarre manner, but what is his crime? Behind him, the miscreants are telling the soldiers to beat the boy, and according to them, the soldiers are attacking the boy. The boy is Hindu. Fanatics are… pic.twitter.com/irFz1UcrrF
— taslima nasreen (@taslimanasreen) October 28, 2024
This incident is part of a worrying pattern of mob violence targeting Hindu youth over alleged blasphemy in Bangladesh. In September, a similar mob nearly lynched a young Hindu boy named Utsab Mandal in Khulna, while another mob laid siege to a police station in Chittagong, demanding the handover of a Hindu youth accused of the same offence. In that incident, 22-year-old Partha Biswas Pintu was detained on blasphemy charges, and military personnel were injured while trying to protect another individual mistaken for the accused.
These recurring incidents have raised serious concerns among minority communities in Bangladesh, highlighting the vulnerability faced by Hindus in the face of escalating accusations of blasphemy.
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