Hindu-owned temples and shops in Feni, about 157 km from the country’s capital, were ransacked and looted during fresh clashes on Saturday, following attacks on protesters protesting attacks on Durga Puja places at several places. . Bangladesh, Dhaka Tribune newspaper reported.
It said that at least 40 people, including the in-charge of Feni Model police station, Nizamuddin, were injured in the clashes.
ISKCON along with other Hindu community members protest on the streets of Noakhali, Bangladesh. happening now. https://t.co/mwgL2vMjUn
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On Saturday night, authorities deployed additional police force and paramilitary force – Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) after several temples and businesses owned by Hindus were ransacked and lasted from 4:30 am (local time) to midnight Looting took place during the clashes. stated in the report.
The report said that on Saturday, some miscreants vandalized six idols in Daniyapara Maha Shoshan Kali Temple About 40 km from here in Munshiganj in Rasuniya Sangha of Sirajdikhan Upazila.
It said protests against attacks and vandalism on Hindu temples during Durga Puja celebrations continued across the country on Saturday, with the vandalism sparking public outrage.
Meanwhile, in the country’s southeastern port city of Chittagong, the Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Ekta Parishad announced a sit-in and hunger strike from October 23 to protest the attacks during Durga Puja celebrations.
At a press conference at the Chittagong Press Club, Advocate Rana Dasgupta, general secretary of the council, said that the protest programs would be held in Dhaka’s Shahbagh and Chittagong’s Adarkila.
Before making the announcement, the Manch held a six-hour strike in Chittagong on Saturday.
Bangladesh Puja Ujjain Parishad has demanded exemplary punishment for those involved in vandalism, violence and scuffles during Durga Puja celebrations.
Forum president Milan Kanti Dutta said that they would launch a strong agitation if the government did not pay heed to their demand.
“From the Home Minister to the ruling party general secretary Obaidul Qader, everyone has assured us saying that they have been informed about everything. If you know everything, why are you not punishing the culprits Huh?” He asked.
ISKCON Bangladesh general secretary Charu Chandra Das Brahmachari warned that the community would not remain silent and watch the attacks.
“We believe that a group of fundamentalists is initiating such hatred to disturb religious harmony. We also know that some activists of the ruling party are involved in such heinous crimes at some places.
“I want to urge the Prime Minister not to be weak and take action against him too,” he said.
Forum leaders also demanded the enactment of a Protection Law and a National Minorities Council.
Meanwhile, the ruling Awami League-backed Blue Panel teachers of Dhaka University on Sunday strongly condemned the vandalism of Durga Puja places and idols at various places across the country.
Holding the opposition responsible for the violence, Information and Broadcasting Minister Hassan Mahmood on Saturday blamed the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) for engineering the violence.
“… BNP-Jamaat is involved in communal provocation. BNP-Jamaat has chosen the path of various conspiracies by failing to deal with the Prime Minister sheikh hasina politically.
“There was a political motive behind the incident in Comilla, which led to communal outrage across the country,” the minister said.
Mahmood said those who vandalized temples and attacked law enforcers were being identified from CCTV footage.
He said that the mastermind of the violence would also be brought to justice.
Durga Puja celebrations concluded on Friday in Bangladesh amid days of communal unrest and violence over alleged blasphemy, leading to the deployment of paramilitary forces in more than half of its administrative districts.
Paramilitary Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) has increased vigil from 22 to 34 of the 64 administrative districts.
The Elite Anti-Crime Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) said it hoped to arrest some of the key perpetrators of the sporadic violence that took place in the last three days.
So far five people were killed and several others injured during clashes between Muslim fundamentalists and police in Hajiganj sub-district of central Chandpur on Wednesday and Thursday.
On Thursday, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina promised justice to the perpetrators of the violence, saying no one involved in the attacks on Hindu temples and Durga worship places in Comilla would be spared.
Exchanging greetings with members of the Hindu community during an event in Dhakeshwari, he said, “The incidents in Comilla are being thoroughly investigated. No one will be spared. It doesn’t matter who they are.” belong to religion. They will be hunted and punished.” National Temple in Dhaka on the occasion of Durga Puja.
Violence erupted after an alleged blasphemy incident at a Durga Puja pavilion in Kamila, bordering Chandpur, about 100 km from Dhaka, following which an investigation was launched.
Sporadic clashes between police and extremists continued on Friday, while the extreme right-wing Islamic Shashantantra Andolan took out a large procession in Dhaka’s Purana Paltan area on Saturday in what they called an “insult to the Holy Quran”.
The Durga Puja celebrations, considered the biggest festival of the minority Hindu community in Bangladesh, concluded without the traditional Bijoy Dashami procession.
Due to the COVID-19 situation, the procession was not taken out this year.
This year Durga Puja is starting from October 11.
Hindu devotees pay homage to Goddess Durga for four days and immerse the idols in rivers on the fifth and last day on Friday.
This year, Durga Puja was celebrated in 32,118 puja mandaps across the country, including 238 in the capital Dhaka, the report said.
Watch Anti-Hindu violence in Bangladesh: ISKCON asks PM Modi to talk to Hasina after Noakhali temple attack
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