At least seven people have been arrested in connection with the murder of a Hindu scrap trader in Bangladesh last week, an incident that triggered widespread protests in the South Asian country that has witnessed a rise in atrocities against minorities in recent months.

Apart from the seven people arrested, 12 other accused are still on the run, media reports said.

The scrap trader, who was identified as Lal Chand Sohag, 39, was killed by a mob in front of the Mitford Hospital in Old Dhaka.

Home Affairs Adviser Lieutenant General (retd) Jahangir Alam Chowdhury described the incident as 'barbaric'.

He told Prothom Alo: "The murder that took place in Mitford of the capital is extremely tragic and barbaric. Such incidents have no place in a civilised society.”

“No matter who the perpetrator is, no one will be spared on the grounds of political identity. The law is equal for all,” said the home adviser.

He said no one called the police emergency number to report the incident when the trader was lynched in broad daylight.

On July 9, the attackers targeted the trader and hit him with bricks and stones.

Sohag's body was crushed by the attackers and even stripped naked.

At one point, the attackers jumped on his body to ensure his death.

Prothom Alo reported that members of BNP’s affiliate organisations, Jubo Dal, Chhatra Dal, and Swechchhasebak Dal were involved in the murder.

Jubo Dal announced the expulsion of two of the accused on Friday evening. Chhatra Dal and Swechchhasebak Dal have also expelled two others linked to the case, the newspaper reported.

BNP or Bangladesh Nationalist Party is a political outfit that has ruled the country for several years and has been the key rival of ousted PM Sheikh Hasina's Awami League.

Bangladesh has witnessed a spike in attacks against Hindus and other minorities ever since the fall of Hasina and her government has year amid severe protests against her regime.