Radical Islamist mobs attack Hindus destroy temples and pandals continuously and their Puja rituals in Bangladesh Despite the government’s strict orders against violence, people vandalized Durga idols and burnt ISKCON temples while brutally abusing Hindus.
Mobs Attack Hindus Destroy On the 13th of October, while India celebrated Navratri, minorities in Bangladesh suffered extreme abuse and attacks. Extremists of the country vandalized pandals, temples, and idols. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s promise to deliver justice as soon as possible does not calm the bereaved hearts who declared the date ‘Black Day.’
Mobs Attack Hindus Destroy: Why the sudden outbreak?
The widespread violence against the minorities of the country took place because of a stray Facebook post that claimed the Quran was being insulted by the Hindus. With the post getting viral among the majority community, a mob formed, which immediately took the lives of three Hindu men in a violent clash and attacked around 150 Hindu families.
The Islamic extremists then immediately went on to wreak havoc on temples in Chandpur’s Hajiganj, Chattogram’s Banshkhali, Chapainawabganj’s Shibganj, and Cox Bazar’s Pekka.
Mobs Attack Hindus Destroy: Words of an eye-witness
The Bangladesh Hindu Unity Council presented an eye-witness who testified that the attack on Hindus was deliberate and well planned. According to him, the holy book of Islam was placed in a puja pandal of Comilla to instigate the communal riot. The pandal, relatively empty after midnight, was also visited by Bangladesh police, but they did not suspect the conspiracy and protected the minorities.
Islam extremists took videos of the book in Hindu puja pandal and made it public on Facebook without anyone’s knowledge, thereby fuelling misconceptions. Based on this narrative, the police have received numerous criticisms about why none of them received the first complaints.
The brutal violence
The most violated place in Bangladesh is the Hajiganj of Chittagong, where the police opened fire at the mob that attacked a temple. Residents and devotees in Noakhali’s ISKCON temple also suffered similar atrocities by the Islam extremists.
Dhaka, which arranged 238 pujas, too witnessed tension on Friday as a vast crowd gathered outside the Baitul Mukarram mosque and began protesting against the sacrilege as mentioned above. However, police acted fast and controlled the outrage by arresting at least five people.
Prime Minister’s promise
The Prime Minister of Bangladesh, Sheikh Hasina, assured the victims that the wrongdoers and those behind rumor-mongering would be sentenced to grievous punishments.
The official spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs, Arindam Bagchi, commented that the authorities understand the festivities of Durga Puja and want it to continue in Bangladesh with complete Government support. Moreover, the disturbances will be handled sternly and promptly by the authorities.
India’s comment on the crime
The disturbing reports of violence against Hindu minorities in Bangladesh have unnerved the Indian government as well. However, the government of Bangladesh has acted promptly in controlling the outrageous situation, and the Indian government requested for deeper investigation.
The authorities in Bangladesh have declared a ban on rallies in Hajiganj, where officials confirmed the death of four people.
Is Facebook to be blamed?
The attacks have led Bangladesh authorities to blame, and question Facebook policies used to spread hate in this case. The Telecom Minister of Bangladesh has tried to contact Facebook to take down the video. Still, all efforts have been in vain as the attacks continued for days leaving the minority community deprived and destroyed.
