Protests Against Attack on Minorities in Bangladesh Rock Consular Offices in Delhi, Kolkata

PTI, KOLKATA/NEW DELHI, DEC 23, 2025: Hundreds of supporters of a pro-Hindutva outfit, protesting the alleged attack on minorities in the neighbouring nation, tried to march to the Bangladesh Deputy High Commission here on Tuesday afternoon and clashed with the police when they were stopped by the personnel in uniform.

Police resorted to baton charge to disperse the protestors after they breached barricades, both human and iron guardrails, in their attempts to move closer to the Deputy High Commission office at Beckbagan in central Kolkata. At least 12 protestors were arrested. Several protestors and police personnel sustained minor injuries in the clashes.

"The situation in front of the Bangladesh Deputy High Commission has been brought under control. Those who attempted to gather there illegally have been removed. So far, 12 people have been arrested in the area. These are preventive arrests," a senior Kolkata Police officer said. He added that a large police contingent remains deployed near the Deputy High Commission office to ensure security of the foreign diplomatic staff and resist further attempts to lay siege to the premises.

The march, titled 'Hindu Hunkar Padayatra', was organised under the banner of 'Bongiyo Hindu Jagaran Mancha' with protestors carrying saffron flags and shouting slogans against alleged violence on minority Hindus in Bangladesh. The rally started from Sealdah and was proceeding towards the diplomatic office when it was stopped by police in the Beckbagan area, and the activists were pushed back.

"The police here are acting like they want to protect those who are lynching our brothers in Bangladesh. They showed no such enthusiasm when Hindus were lynched in Murshidabad earlier this year," a protestor alleged. The protesters raised slogans "Hindu Hindu Bhai Bhai", "Safety for Hindus in Bangladesh" and cries denouncing the lynching of a Hindu man in Bangladesh.

Meanwhile, VHP and Bajrang Dal supporters on Tuesday broke barricades and clashed with police outside the fortified Bangladesh High Commission here, protesting the lynching of a Hindu man in the strife-torn neighbouring country. The police had a hard time quelling hundreds of angry protesters who shouted slogans and held saffron flags against the Bangladesh government. A placard read: "Hindu rakt ki ek ek boond ka hisaab chahiye" (Each drop of blood of a Hindu must be accounted for).

Even before the protesters stormed the cordon, police presence was beefed-up in the morning in the high-security diplomatic zone. The area was secured with seven layers of barricades and a reinforced presence of police and paramilitary. A 1,500-strong police force was deployed ahead of the demonstration to keep the protesters at bay. Barricades strewn around bore testimony to the clash.

On December 18, Dipu Chandra Das, a 25-year-old garment factory worker, was lynched by a mob and his body set on fire over blasphemy in Baluka in Mymensingh, Bangladesh.