NEW DELHI: Hundreds of people protested near Bangladesh's High Commission in New Delhi on Tuesday against the lynching of a Hindu man over allegations of blasphemy that has exacerbated tensions between Hindu-majority India and its Muslim-majority neighbour.
Factory worker Dipu Chandra Das, 27, was beaten and set on fire in Bangladesh's Mymensingh district last week by a crowd that accused him of making derogatory remarks about the Prophet. At least 10 people have been arrested in connection with his death.
The lynching has worsened relations between India and its neighbour weeks before Bangladesh holds a parliamentary election, and both countries have suspended visa services. Ties have been strained since Bangladesh's former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina fled to New Delhi following deadly protests against her last year.
Tuesday's demonstration, called by Hindu groups, involved people clashing with police personnel as they tried to push through barricades set up near the High Commission, television footage showed.
They also chanted slogans and burnt pictures of Yunus, with some holding posters demanding "boycott Bangladesh".
"We needed to raise the voice of Hindus in Bangladesh in Delhi, and we have done that ... as long as even one Hindu is being harmed there, we will be awake and will not stop," a protester told broadcaster India Today.
Demonstrations were also held in other parts of the country, including Jammu and Kashmir territory.
Bangladesh said it summoned the Indian envoy on Tuesday to express concern over a similar protest near its mission in New Delhi on Saturday and "violent protests" outside other diplomatic missions, urging India to investigate the incidents.
India's foreign ministry said on Sunday that the New Delhi demonstration consisted of "20-25 youths" who were dispersed by police after a few minutes, adding that India was "committed to ensure the safety of foreign missions". The tensions with India come as Bangladesh struggles to deal with domestic unrest over the death of youth leader Sharif Osman Hadi, who was shot in the head while launching his campaign for February's parliamentary election last week. His killing sparked widespread protests that spiralled into arson and vandalism targeting major media outlets and cultural institutions.
Hundreds protest in New Delhi over killing of Hindu man in Bangladesh
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Hundreds protest in New Delhi over killing of Hindu man in Bangladesh
Palestine Action hunger strikers launch legal action against UK govt
- They accuse authorities of abandoning prison safety policies
- Several of the imprisoned activists have been hospitalized
LONDON: Hunger strikers from Palestine Action in the UK have launched legal action against the government, accusing it of abandoning the policy framework for prison safety, The Independent reported.
A pre-action letter was sent to Justice Secretary David Lammy by a legal firm representing the activists.
It came as several imprisoned members of the banned organization — including one who has refused food for 51 days — were hospitalized due to their deteriorating health while on hunger strike.
They say they have sent several letters to Lammy, who is also deputy prime minister, but have received no response.
He was urged in the latest letter to respond within 24 hours as the issue is a “matter of urgency.”
The letter added: “Our clients’ health continues to deteriorate, such that the risk of their dying increases every day.”
An “urgent meeting” is needed “with the proposed defendant to discuss the deterioration of our clients’ health and to discuss attempts to resolve the situation,” it said.
Seven of the Palestine Action prisoners have been admitted to hospital since the hunger strike was launched on Nov. 2, including 30-year-old Amu Gib and Kamran Ahmed, 28.
They are being held in prisons across the country. Two members of the group have been forced to end their hunger strike due to health conditions: Jon Cink, 25, ended on day 41, while 22-year-old Umer Khalid finished on day 13.
Gib, now on day 51, was hospitalized last week and reportedly needs a wheelchair due to health concerns.
Dr. James Smith, an emergency physician, warned journalists last Thursday that some of the imprisoned activists “are dying” and need specialized medical care.
In a letter signed by more than 800 doctors, Smith said the hunger strikers were at “very high risk of serious complications, including organ failure, irreversible neurological damage, cardiac arrhythmias and death.”
The strikers are demanding that Palestine Action, which is classified as a terrorist organization, be de-proscribed.
They are also urging the government to shut down defense companies with ties to Israel, among other demands.
In response to the latest letter, a Ministry of Justice spokesperson said: “We strongly refute these claims. We want these prisoners to accept support and get better, and we will not create perverse incentives that would encourage more people to put themselves at risk through hunger strikes.”
