Tensions escalated in India’s capital today as members of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and Bajrang Dal staged a massive protest outside the Bangladesh High Commission.
The demonstrations were sparked by the brutal killing of Dipu Chandra Das, a 28-year-old Hindu garment worker, who was lynched and his body set on fire in Bhaluka, Mymensingh, last Thursday over allegations of blasphemy.
Protesters clashed with law enforcement, successfully breaching two layers of police barricades in an attempt to reach the diplomatic mission. In response, Delhi Police and paramilitary forces have established a rigorous three-tier security perimeter to prevent further escalation.
In Bangladesh, legal proceedings are underway with a Mymensingh court granting a three-day remand for 12 suspects arrested in connection with the lynching.
Meanwhile, the diplomatic fallout has deepened; the Bangladesh government officially summoned Indian High Commissioner Pranay Verma on Tuesday morning to voice "serious concern" over the security of its missions in New Delhi and the recent vandalism at a visa center in Siliguri.
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