Fresh unrest was seen in Bangladesh when one more Hindu temple was vandalized on Sunday, creating an atmosphere of communal unrest.
A group of unidentified people attacked minority groups’ worship places during the Durga pooja celebration. The occasion has been termed as a “blasphemous incident.” This incident has prompted the minority groups in Bangladesh to proclaim a country-wide hunger strike.
One hundred fifty-seven kilometers from the capital city of Dhaka, the temples were in Feni.
Not only were they ravaged, but the unidentified people also robbed the temple on Saturday during the clashes, which started after there was an attack on the people who were demonstrating and protesting against the attacks on the Durga pooja venues in several places in Dhaka.
In the Noakhali district of Bangladesh, cars were burnt down by a mob.
Reaction to the attacks
Forty people and an officer in charge, Nizamuddin, were injured. Bangladeshi authorities had to deploy supplementary police forces and paramilitary forces- the Bangladeshi Border Guard [BGB]- when Hindu people robbed and devastated several temples and businesses owned by Hindu people.
It lasted from 4.30 pm to midnight. The Bangladesh media reported that some of the malefactors destroyed six idols at the Daniapara Maha Shoshan Kali Mandir in the Rashunia union of Sirajdikhan Upazila on Saturday Munshiganj.
In the intervening time, the Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council declared a sit-in and hunger strike from October 23 in Chittagong’s southeastern port city.
The hunger strike will occur at Shahbagh in Dhaka and Andarkilla in Chittagong, informing the general secretary of the council advocate Rana Dasgupta. The council had conducted a six-hour strike against the attacks in Chittagong on Saturday.
The Bangladesh Pooja Udjapan Parishad said they expect strict punishments against the knaves for involvement in the violence against the minority community and their worship places. President of the same forum, Kanti Dutta, told the media that the panel and the community members would launch tougher agitations if the government didn’t take any action against the people.
Kanti Dutta commented, saying the Home Minister and the ruling party general secretary Obaidul Quader have assured them about getting detailed information about the attacks, yet they are not punishing the culprits.
More reactions came in against the attacks when Charu Chandra Das Brahmachari, general secretary of ISKCON Bangladesh, hit out at the government, warning that the community will take extreme actions and not just sit down and silently watch people attack their temples and faith.
He further added that they believe a group of fundamentalists are initialing such hatred to upset religious harmony. They also know some activists of the ruling party are associated with such atrocious crimes at some sites.
He also requested the Prime Minister of Bangladesh to take action against the disturbers of the peace. The forum and the community demanded that a protection law be passed, and a national minority council be made.
The ruling party, Awami League, reacted to the violence by backing the Blue Panel teachers of Dhaka University on Sunday.
They strongly expressed disapproval against the vandalism. They blamed the opposition party for instigating the destruction and violence against the minority groups. Information and Broadcasting Minister Hasan Mahamud blamed the Bangladeshi Nationalist Party [BNP] as the chief conspirators of the violence.
The Minister commented on the violence, informing about the involvement of BNP-Jammat as the instigators of the communal violence. They have chosen the path of an assortment of conspiracies by failing to deal with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina politically.
There was a political motive behind the incident in Comilla, which has aggravated communal indignation across the country.
