Bangladeshi Hindu Boy Utsav Mondol Brutally Lynched by Islamists in Police and Army Presence
Violence against Hindus in Bangladesh continues unabated despite a change in regime, leaving the minority community vulnerable to Islamist attacks. On September 4, 2024, an 18-year-old Hindu youth, Utsav Mondol, was brutally attacked by a mob of Islamists in Sonadanga, Khulna. Disturbingly, the attack occurred in the presence of police and army personnel, who reportedly stood by as mute spectators.
The mob alleged that Utsav had posted disrespectful comments about Prophet Muhammad on Facebook. His fellow students accosted him and took him to the Khulna Police Station, demanding severe punishment. While Utsav was being escorted out of the station by uniformed officers, a frenzied mob surrounded him and launched a vicious assault.
The attackers tortured Utsav until he became unconscious and began to bleed profusely. Mistakenly believing him to be dead, the mob announced his death over the loudspeakers of a local mosque.
