VHP, Bajrang Dal protest, clash with police after breaking barricades outside Bangladesh High Commission

New Delhi: Hundreds of Vishwa Hindu Parishad and Bajrang Dal supporters clashed with police on Tuesday after breaking barricades during a protest near the Bangladesh High Commission over the lynching of a Hindu man in Bangladesh.

Carrying saffron flags and raising slogans against the Bangladesh government, protesters attempted to push past multiple layers of barricades as police struggled to control the crowd.

Security had been heightened around the diplomatic mission in anticipation of the protest, with additional police and paramilitary personnel deployed.

Placards condemning the killing were waved by demonstrators, including one demanding accountability for what it called the bloodshed of Hindus.

The protest followed the lynching of 25-year-old garment factory worker Dipu Chandra Das on Dec. 18 in Bangladesh’s Mymensingh district. Police said he was attacked by a mob over alleged blasphemy, hanged from a tree and later set on fire.

At least seven people have been arrested in connection with the killing.

Protesters in Delhi urged both the Indian and Bangladeshi governments to take strict action against those responsible and called for better protection of Hindus in neighbouring countries.