Bangladesh: Hindu boy accused of blasphemy, thrashed by mob inside police station
A 15-year-old Hindu boy named Utsav Mondal was brutally beaten by a mob inside a police station in Bangladesh after he was accused of making derogatory remarks about the Prophet Muhammad on social media.
The incident took place on Wednesday night in the Sonadanga residential area of Khulna.
Local media reports initially suggested that Mondal had succumbed to his injuries, but Khulna Metropolitan Police’s Deputy Commissioner (South), Mohammad Tajul Islam, later confirmed to India Today that the teenager is alive and receiving treatment.
“He is admitted to an army hospital and is out of danger,” Islam said.
The incident occurred around 11:45 PM when a group of local madrasa students brought Utsav to the police station, accusing him of posting “objectionable comments” on Facebook about the Prophet.
Tensions escalated quickly as more students and members of the Imam Association gathered outside the police station, demanding immediate and severe punishment for the boy.
Mohammad Tajul Islam recounted the sequence of events, stating that initially, the students demanded that Utsav be judged according to their own laws, which involved execution. The deputy commissioner assured them that a case would be filed under existing laws, but this did not satisfy the crowd. The situation turned volatile as the number of protestors swelled to nearly thousand by evening, creating a highly charged atmosphere outside the police station.
As tensions mounted, a false announcement was made via a mosque’s loudspeaker that the boy had been lynched, prompting the gathered crowd to disperse temporarily. However, when it became clear that Utsav was still alive and in police custody, the protestors became even more agitated. They demanded that he be handed over to them.
By midnight, the mob had grown uncontrollable. Despite the presence of police, army, and navy personnel, the crowd stormed the police station and thrashed Utsav in their presence.
Utsav, critically injured, was eventually taken away by army personnel for medical treatment.
On Thursday morning, authorities confirmed that Utsav is undergoing treatment at an army hospital and is currently out of danger. A blasphemy case has been filed against him, and the police have assured that appropriate legal action will be taken.
