Durga Puja celebrations conclude amid communal unrest in Bangladesh; Another devotee found dead – Times of India

Dhaka: Durga Puja celebrations in Bangladesh have come to a close, while another devotee was found dead on Saturday amid communal unrest and violence by unidentified persons who vandalized temples over alleged blasphemy, leading to more than half Paramilitary forces were deployed in the administration. district
A nationwide security vigil was put in place overnight, while officials said preliminary investigations have revealed significant evidence against those who perpetrated violence against the minority Hindu community’s Durga Puja.
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.
Expressing optimism over the investigation, Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal told reporters that “we expect the investigation to develop in the next day or two”.
Meanwhile, police said they have recovered the body of a devotee from a pond near a temple in Noakhali’s south-eastern Begumganj sub-district.
According to a community leader, the deceased was the victim of an attack on devotees on Friday.
Four people were killed and several others injured during clashes between miscreants and police in Hajiganj sub-district of central Chandpur on Wednesday and Thursday, prompting the government to call in paramilitary forces to maintain law and order across the country. fell.
With the fresh murder, the death toll during Durga Puja celebrations across the country has reached five.
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 religious fanatics 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”.
Armed police, armed with water cannons and other riot gear, kept a close watch.
The Durga Puja celebrations concluded without the traditional Bijoy Dashami procession due to the Covid-19 situation.
In addition, idols were immersed around 4 pm instead of 12 noon on Friday in honor of Friday prayers of the majority Muslim community, Dhaka Tribune newspaper reported.
Sporadic attacks and vandalism were also reported on Friday, with authorities issuing prohibitory orders in Noakhali district, banning public gatherings in Chaumuhani municipality from morning till evening on Saturday.
The report, quoting the police, said mobs attacked, ransacked and looted minority homes, businesses and several temples in Chaumuhani.
The government and law enforcement agencies described the events as “planned” with the aim of destabilizing the country.
In Sylhet, locals and police foiled an attempt to vandalize two pavilions in Havaldar Para area of ​​the city on Friday. The report said that the attackers threw bricks at the pavilions as well as the adjoining houses.
More than 150 people took out a march carrying sharp weapons and tried to attack the Kalibari pavilion. However, as soon as the devotees protested, the crowd marched towards the Hawaladar Para area and broke the gate of another mandap, the report said.
According to police, Facebook and YouTube were largely used to incite communal tension, while reports said that the Bangladesh Telecom Regulatory Commission (BTRC) identified over a hundred identities that were used to spread provocative comments. was done for.
Mobile phone operators said that under the BTRC’s directions, they had on Friday shut down 3G and 4G internet connectivity for 12 hours, which officials said was done due to “unavoidable reasons”.
RAB Colonel KM Azad said, “The violence appears to be part of a conspiracy against inter-religious harmony and the perpetrators were involved in similar incidents earlier also.”
“We are preparing to take strict legal action and arrest some of them soon,” he said.