Unruly mobs in Bangladesh’s Brahmanbaria district vandalised and looted at least 15 temples along with hundreds of Hindu community houses. This comes in the aftermath of a social media post allegedly showing disrespect towards Islam. Police have filed two cases against more than 1,000 people over Sunday’s attack, a media report said on Monday.
Hundreds of people armed with locally-made weapons attacked the Hindu community on Sunday afternoon, in response to a Facebook post satirising the Masjid al-Haram, the holy site of Muslims, reported IANS.
Later, two temples in adjacent Habiganj’s Madhabpur were also attacked. Brahmanbaria Superintendent of Police (SP) Mizanur Rahman told the Dhaka Tribune that around 150 to 200 people launched the attacks and vandalised at least seven to eight idols of temples in the area.
Blaming the Jamaat-Shibir men for the attack, he said, “Those who were behind the attack will be arrested as soon as possible. Already we have detained six persons in this connection.”
A large number of security personnel from different agencies including police, Rapid Action Battalion and paramilitary Border Guard Bangladesh have been deployed in the area.
Locals said the incident started with a Facebook post by one Rasraj Das, son of Jagannath Das from Harinberh village under Haripur Union Parishad, bdnews reported.
Police detained Rasraj on Friday immediately after the allegation of blasphemy surfaced against him and he was sent to jail following a court order.
A group of madrassa students also demonstrated on the premises of Brahmanbaria Press Club while hundreds of people blocked Sarail-Nasirnagar-Lakhai road by torching tyres on Sunday afternoon.
SP Mizanur blamed the Jamaat-e-Islami and its student wing Islami Chhatra Shibir for the attack.
Local citizens on Monday organised a rally to promote communal harmony.
