What TV doesn't, print can't; we deliver.
What TV doesn't, print can't; we deliver.
A 22-year-old Hindu youth, Debashish Roy of Nilphamari, has been detained by police in Rangpur over allegations that he posted derogatory remarks targeting Islam on social media.
The detention came amid growing public pressure for punishment. Following Friday prayers on September 11, demonstrators under the banner of the local Muslim Tawhid Janata marched and held a rally demanding action against Roy. Police deployed additional personnel to prevent any untoward incident.
Nilphamari Sadar Police Station Officer-in-Charge Zillur Rahman confirmed that Roy had been taken into police custody and said the allegations would be investigated before further legal action.
An accusation may demand investigation, but it cannot bypass evidence, due process or a fair trial. The state has a responsibility to protect religious sentiment and the fundamental rights of vulnerable religious minorities.
Roy’s father Pradip Roy struck a measured note. He said his son should be punished if he is genuinely guilty and released if he is innocent.
Bangladesh has seen repeated cases in which blasphemy allegations against Hindus have be used to make them targets of mob violence. In September 2024, Utsob Mondal was brutally attacked in Khulna after being accused of making blasphemous remarks and was left critically injured. A mob lynched Dipu Chandra Das and his body burnt his mortal remains after similar allegations in December 2025. Bangladesh’s Rapid Action Battalion later said investigators had found no direct evidence that Das had made the alleged religiously offensive remarks.
These cases expose the terrifying power of a blasphemy accusation when rumour becomes evidence and a mob becomes judge, jury and executioner.
The real test for Bangladesh remains whether the authorities can establish the truth through an impartial investigation, protect the accused from mob pressure and deliver justice based on evidence rather than religious majoritarian sentiment.
