Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) personnel have been deployed in 22 districts to maintain the law and order following the alleged desecration of the Holy Quran at a Durga Puja venue in Cumilla.
BGB Director (Operations) Lt Col Faizur Rahman has confirmed the matter on Thursday.
BGB was deployed as per the demand of district administration and the direction from the home ministry, he said.
BGB will be deployed in the capital if there is a demand from the authorities concerned, he added.
The force will carry out the duties along with other forces by patrolling temples and their surroundings.
Earlier on Wednesday, several puja mandaps were attacked after a copy of Holy Quran was found at a mandap at Nanuar Dighi in Cumilla city, reported BBC citing Nirmal Pal, general secretary of Cumilla district Puja Udjapan Parishad.
Meanwhile, Deputy Inspector General (Chattogram Range) Anwar Hossain has said that those involved in the Cumilla incident will be hunted down, reports UNB.
“Efforts are on to identify those involved in desecration of the holy Quran after reviewing close circuit camera (CCTV) footage and the offenders will be hunted down,” said DIG Anwar while visiting the spot, Nanuar Dighirparh, on Thursday morning.
Meanwhile, additional security measures have been taken to avert any untoward incident, he said, adding,
“The [law and order] situation in the area is still calm.”
Already, four platoons of BGB members have been deployed and police and Rab are patrolling the area, he added.
At the same time, two separate probe bodies—one by the local administration and another by the district police—will be formed to look into the incident.
Awami League General Secretary Obaidul Quader has warned that those involved in the Cumilla incident will be brought to justice and no offender will be spared.
“It’s an act of an evil communal force, and those who attack Hindu temples won’t be spared either, even if they belong to any party,” Obaidul Quader said while addressing the Mahastami (8th day) of Durga Puja at KIB premises in the capital on Wednesday evening.
He said a united resistance has to be built against those who want to destroy the communal harmony in the country before the national election.
Besides, State Minister for Religious Affairs Md Faridul Haque Khan has urged the people of the country to exercise restraint and not to take law into their own hands over the desecration of the Holy Quran in Cumilla.
“Don’t take law into your own hands. Everyone should maintain religious harmony and peace,” he said in an emergency announcement on Wednesday evening. “We’re closely monitoring the situation in Cumilla. The local administration has been instructed to investigate what really happened [there],” he said.
“Anyone involved in destroying religious harmony [in the country] must be brought under the ambit of law and arrangements be made to give proper punishment,” the state minister added.
