DHAKA: Hundreds of supporters of a hardline Islamist group in Bangladesh attacked and vandalised 70 to 80 houses belonging to Hindus in the country’s northeastern Sylhet division following a “critical” social media post allegedly by a youth from the minority community, media reports said on Friday.
According to a report in Dhaka Tribune, followers of Hefazat-e-Islam’s leader Mamunul Haque attacked a Hindu village in Sunamganj district with sticks and locally made weapons on Wednesday after the Hindu man allegedly criticised Haque in a Facebook post over a speech he made at a recent event. Several Hindus fled their homes, the report said, adding that the mob ransacked and looted many of the houses.
A senior police officer said the elite anti-crime and the anti-terrorism unit of the Bangladesh Police and Rapid Action Battalion had been deployed in the village. To bring the situation under control, the youth behind the post was arrested for insulting Haque.
The police also arrested 22 suspects behind the mob attack and filed criminal cases against 700 more. “A manhunt for the attackers is underway,” Sunamganj district police chief Mizanur Rahman told reporters.
Ruling Awami League general secretary and road transport minister Obaidul Quader said the government has ordered stern actions to bring the culprits to justice. “The government is committed to ensure security and peaceful co-existence of people of all religious faiths.”
Meanwhile, human rights groups and Hindu leaders said the minorities had been targeted in a planned way with the aim to drive them away. “This country belongs to everyone… we want harmony,” Hindu Parishad leader Sajan Kumar Mishra said at a rally in Dhaka.
Priya Saha
Executive Director at Human Rights Congress for Bangladesh Minorities | Priya Saha is the Executive Director of Human Rights Congress for Bangladesh Minorities (HRCBM). HRCBM is an NGO in Special Consultative Status with the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations.