An angry mob lynched a man accused of desecrating the Quran

Hundreds of people lynched a man, accusing him of desecrating the Koran, beating him to death and burning his body in the Bangladeshi city of Burimari, near the border with India.

According to the police, the mob kidnapped two men who had been detained for their own protection after being accused of trampling on the Koran in the largest mosque in the city.

“They beat one to death and then cremated the body,” said Abida Sultana, the local police chief. The second, although wounded, managed to escape.

More than 1,000 people attacked a municipal office where the two men were staying. The police tried to calm them down, but to no avail. The crowd grabbed them and then set the office on fire. The body of the victim was burned in the street.

The incident comes at a time when predominantly Muslim Bangladesh is increasingly angered by French President Emmanuel Macron’s comments about cartoons depicting the Prophet Muhammad. Tens of thousands of people participated in anti-French protests this week in the capital Dhaka and the city of Chittagong.