A youth from Belgharia, on the northern fringes of the city, alleged that he was beaten up by a group in Dhaka on November 26 allegedly because he was a Hindu from India.

Sayan Ghosh, 25, said on Sunday that he had suffered deep cuts on his head and below his left eye and bruises on his legs and chest.

The group attacked him around 8.30pm when Ghosh and his friend in Dhaka had stepped out for a stroll in the Baganbari area of Jurain, he said.

A resident of Deshapriyanagar in Belgharia, Ghosh had gone to the Bangladesh capital on November 23 following an invitation from the friend.

He was scheduled to take a train to Gede in Nadia close to midnight on November 26 on his way back home. He finally returned home three days later, on Saturday.

“I was walking around with my friend when a group of five to six Bangladeshi youths stopped us and asked me where I was from because they had not seen me in the locality before. They also asked me my religion,” Ghosh told reporters on Sunday.

“When I told them I was a Hindu from India, they dragged me to a somewhat dark corner and tried to take away my mobile phone and money. But I resisted.”

The group then allegedly hit Ghosh on his head with a brick and lunged at him with a knife that barely missed his left eye.

Ghosh said he had gone to Bangladesh a few times when Shiekh Hasina was the Prime Minister and was touched by the warm hospitality he received there.

But on the night of November 16, when he was being beaten up, no one came to his rescue except his friend, a Muslim, Ghosh said.

The Belgharia youth alleged that police, instead of cooperating with him, were more keen on finding out how he reached Dhaka and how long he had known the friend before refusing to register his complaint.

He said he moved from one private hospital to another for around four hours before finally receiving treatment at Dhaka Medical College Hospital. He was discharged after being administered four stitches on his head and two below his left eye.

“I stayed at my friend’s house for a few more days but the family continued to receive threats for giving shelter to an Indian Hindu," Ghosh said.

“On Saturday, my friend managed to sneak me out of the house and dropped me at Dhaka railway station in the early hours. I am worried about their fate.”

Ghosh's father Sukanta said the family had never imagined that their son would face such an ordeal before he left for Dhaka.

Back home, Ghosh said he is struggling to cope with the trauma.

“The administration didn’t appear to be keen on helping the minorities in Bangladesh. Seeing my condition you can understand how unsafe are the minorities in Bangladesh,” the youth said.