Home ›› 15 Oct 2021 ›› Front
A wave of communal stress during the ongoing Durga Puja celebration led to sporadic clashes across the country that left at least four people killed and 250 others injured.
The violence erupted following an alleged desecration of the Holy Quran in Cumilla on Wednesday.
To bring the situation under control and avoid further untoward incidents members of Border Guard Bangladesh have been deployed in 22 districts ahead of Bijaya Dashami, the final ritual of Durga Puja.
Police have so far arrested over 100 people in allegation of their involvement with the attacks in Cumilla, Chandpur, Kurigram and Gazipur.
Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Anwar Hossain of Chattogram range of police said at least two probe committees have been formed and 43 people arrested including the prime accused Fayez Uddin in connection with the Cumilla incident.
Bangladesh Puja Ujjapan Parishad president Milon Kanti Datta told The Business Post that they were getting information about attack on temples and alters in different districts.
“So far, temples in Chattogram, Chandpur, Gazipur, Pabna, Lalmonirhat, Habiganj and Moulavibazar reportedly came under attack. The Hindu community people are in fear,” he said.
On Wednesday, a video went viral on the social media including Facebook and YouTube showing the sacrilege of the Holy Quran in a temple at Nanuadhigee in Cumilla.
Ananda Bishwash, executive secretary general, Hindu Mohajot, told The Business Post that 51 temples and 135 houses of the Hindus were attacked in two days in 22 districts across the country. He said the local administration in places asked the puja organisers to limit the events as they failed to ensure security.
“Hindu devotees are in panic of attacks in districts. All the temples across the country are now under threat,” he claimed.
The community leaders asserted that the minority people are attacked repeatedly as perpetrators often go punished.
After greeting devotees at Dhakeshwari National Temple in Dhaka, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said the government is investigating the Cumilla incident.
“The culprits will be bought to book,” added the premier who joined the event virtually from Ganabhaban.
“The group of people who failed to gain public trust and have no ideology tends to do so. Action will be taken against them.”
After visiting Ramakrishna Math and Ramakrishna Mission in Dhaka, Obaidul Quader, general secretary of the ruling Awami League, pointed out that ahead of the national election a section of fundamentalists attempted to destroy communal harmony in Bangladesh.
He asked the party activists to be conscious about the communal forces so that such incident does not repeat.
Information Minister Hasan Mahmud at a briefing at the secretariat said there was a political intension behind the attacks.
Bangladesh Nationalist Party Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir alleged that the government is trying to destroy communal harmony in the country.
“This is the government conspiracy to destroy communal harmony… We condemn such incidents and demand immediate arrest of the culprits,” he commented on the issue while addressing an event at Dhaka Reporters Unity marking the 11th founding anniversary of Jatiyatabadi Samabay Dal.
4 killed in Chandpur
Hajiganj police station Officer-in-Charge Md Harunur Rashid said the Barakul union resident Shamim, 19, in Randhunimura area under the upazila succumbed to his injuries on Wednesday.
The victim was caught in the clash that occurred between police and mob in Chandpur’s Hajiganj upazila.
The other three victims were – Al Amin (18) of Barakul union of the upazila, Yeasin Hossain Hridoy (15) of Randhunimura area and Bablu (30) from Chapainawabganj district.
The OC said 20 people were arrested in connection with the conformation that injured 60 others including 23 policemen, journalists and locals. “The filing of a case is underway,” he added.
Section 144 was imposed
Relatives of the victim told the media that Shamim died at Cumilla Medical College Hospital at 11:30pm after the lawmen shot him when he was selling bananas on a van.
However, Superintendent of Police Milon Mahmud said they did not shoot anyone on purpose but fired 139 rounds of bullets to bring the situation under control.
BGB deployed in 22 districts
The members of Border Guard Bangladesh have been deployed in 22 districts including Chattogram, Cumilla, Narsingdi and Munshiganj to assist the civil administration amid the escalating tension over the Cumilla incident, reports UNB.
BGB Director (operation) Lieutenant Colonel Foyjur Rahman said troops have been deployed following the demand of local administrations and as per the directives of the Home Ministry to ensure security during the ongoing Durga Puja celebrations across the country.
They will remain out there till October 16, added the official.
Earlier, eight platoons of BGB members were deployed in different parts of Chattogram district to maintain law and order in the wake of tension.
Gazipur Metropolitan Police Deputy Commissioner Zakir Hasan said three temples came under attack at Kashimpur in Gazipur on Thursday following the Cumilla incident.
Quoting locals, he said 400-500 people vandalised the temples, and 20 were arrested in this connection.
PM vows action
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Thursday said the people involved in vandalising Hindu temples must face exemplary punishment, calling upon all to work in unison and remain vigilant to stop recurrence of such heinous acts.
“We have already taken proper measures (against ransacking of Hindu temples). Those who carry out such incidents will definitely be traced out as we did in the past.
“Exemplary punishment will be given to them irrespective of their religions so that none can dare to do so in future,” she said.
The prime minister said this while exchanging greetings with leaders of the Hindu community being connected virtually with the Dhakeshwari National Temple marking the Sharadia Durga Puja from Ganabhaban.
Terming the incident of vandalizing temples in Cumilla “very unfortunate”, Sheikh Hasina said, “Massive investigation is going on into the matter.
“We’re getting much information (regarding the incident). This is an era of technology and those involved in the incident will definitely be found out using the technology.”
The prime minister said the people irrespective of caste, creed and religion in Bangladesh celebrate all festivals together, adding, “Religion is for individuals and festival is for all and we enjoy every festival together.”
But, there are a few cliques who are out to destroy the spirit by staging some communal incidents, she said.
“Some people are religiously blind and they always want to create communal conflicts. These people belong not only to the Muslim community, but also to all other religions. In that case, if we all work together, they can’t commit any harm,” she said.
The prime minister said the Cumilla incident occurred at a time when the country was progressing towards development at full speed and it was aimed at hampering the journey of the nation’s uplift and creating a problem in the country.
“Those who can’t earn the confidence and trust of the people and have no politics and ideology can commit such incidents,” she added.
Principal of Ramkrishna Math and Ramkrishna Mission, Dhaka, Swami Purnatmananda Maharaj, President of Bangladesh Puja Udjapon Committee, Milon Kanti Dey and General Secretary of Maganagar Sarbojonin Puja Committee, Advocate Krishna Ranjan Mandol, spoke on the occasion. President of Maganagar Sarbojonin Puja Committee, Shree Shailendranath Majumder presided over the function while General Secretary of Bangladesh Puja Udjapon Committee, Nirmol Kumar Chatterjee moderated it.
As a Hindu community leader sought the government’s intervention in view of the information that some people are planning to attack them during immersion of the idols of goddess Durga on Friday, the Prime Minister said they are aware of it and measures have already been taken to this end.
She called upon the leaders of Hindu community, particularly the Bangladesh Puja Udjapon Committee, to formulate a policy to determine how many Puja mandaps will be set up across the country to celebrate the Durga Puja keeping in mind the constraint of security personnel to ensure safety and security of the mandaps.
The prime minister called upon the Hindu community not to consider them as minority and perform their religious rituals with the same rights enjoyed by followers of other religions as they have born and brought up in the country and fought shoulder to shoulder to liberate the country during the Liberation War.
“We believe that those who are born on the soil of this country and who are its children will practice their respective religions freely,” she said.
In this connection, the prime minister recalled Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, saying that he had turned Bangladesh into a secular country by incorporating the matter in the constitution.
“Bangabandhu wanted the people of all faiths to perform their respective religions freely,” she added.
Describing Bangladesh as a country of religious harmony, the Prime Minister said that people of Bangladesh will perform their religious rituals with dignity and sincerity.
Sheikh Hasina renewed her determination to build Bangladesh as a peaceful country where there will be no room for militancy and terrorism.
The prime minister said: “Our aim is to build Bangladesh with that thought and spirit with which Bangabandhu brought independence for the nation ... We want Bangladesh to be established as a hunger- and poverty-free developed and prosperous country as dreamt by the Father of the Nation.”
Highlighting various measures taken by her government for uplift of the Hindu community, she said that her government was committed to ensure welfare of all irrespective of caste, creed and religion.
Sheikh Hasina said the dignity of Bangladesh has been established in the global stage as it has turned into a developing nation.
