A students' group in Bangladesh protests against the killing of Dipu Das

LONDON: The UK govt has for the first time condemned the two recent murders by mobs of Hindus in Bangladesh.Whitehall sources told TOI that the UK govt “condemns the murders of Dipu Chandra Das and Amrit Mondal.

We extend our condolences to their families and friends.”

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Das (27), a Bangladeshi Hindu garment factory worker, was handed over to an enraged mob on Dec 18 in Mymensingh over fake blasphemy allegations. They killed him, tied him to a tree and set him on fire. The extreme brutality of the killing, which happened during unrest over the death of Sharif Osman Hadi, sparked protests across India.Whitehall sources said the UK govt “welcomes the 12 arrests that have been made” in the Das case.

“We welcome the public commitments made by Prof Yunus, Bangladesh’s interim head of govt, to the safety of minorities,” the sources added.Another Hindu, Amrit Mondal (29), was beaten to death by villagers on Dec 24 in Rajbari district. Bangladesh’s govt claims he was a criminal who had gone there to extort money.Westminster sources told TOI: “The UK is committed to defending freedom of religion or belief. We have raised the importance of protecting minorities with Bangladesh, including during Baroness Chapman’s trip to Bangladesh last month.”

This refers to the visit by international development minister Jenny Chapman in Nov when she met Yunus.The sources said: “We have underlined the importance of the current election campaign being peaceful. Meanwhile, we continue to provide Bangladesh support on protecting civic and human rights and tackling corruption.”Tom Morrison, a Liberal Democrat MP, has written to foreign secretary Yvette Cooper, saying the murder of Das “warrants urgent engagement by the UK govt”.British MP Apsama Begum, of Bangladeshi origin, tweeted there must be full accountability for the murder of Das and that religious freedom and protections for minority groups “must be heeded to over mob violence”.