Bangladesh : Islamists damage Durga Puja pandals, attack Hindus over a rumour of ‘insult to Quran’

Editorial Comments

• Prime Minister of Bangladesh had earlier promised to take strict action against the perpetrators of violence; but the religious fanatics know no one can touch them !
• The seculars and progressives will be mum always over the trauma Hindus face !

Dhaka (Bangladesh) – Several Durga pandals were vandalized, close to 150 Hindu families were attacked and at least 3 Hindus were reportedly killed in the violent clash after a Facebook post claiming ‘insult to Quran’ at a pandal went viral on social media on 13^th October.

Islamic extremists immediately took to the streets and vandalized temples in Chandpur’s Hajiganj, Chattogram’s Banshkhali, Chapainawabganj’s Shibganj and Cox’s Bazar’s Pekua, and brutally attacked the Hindu devotees

Holy Book Vs Facebook: Islamists in Bangladesh damage Durga Puja pandals, attack Hindus over a rumour of ‘insult to Quran’https://t.co/wG0Rs2jNrE

— OpIndia.com (@OpIndia_com) October 14, 2021

Facebook post claimed Hindus ‘insulted Quran by placing it in a pandal’

Reportedly, videos and photos of the Quran kept in a Durga Pandal of Cummila were circulated widely on social media. The Islamists claimed that the Hindus had deliberately kept their Holy book in the pandal as a mark of insult.

However, denying the claims, Shibu Prasad Dutta, the General Secretary of Cumilla Mahanagar Puja Udjapon Committee, informed that someone placed a copy of the Quran at a Durga Puja pavilion in Nanua Dighir Par early in the morning when no one was watching, as a deliberate act to create a rumour.

This was confirmed by a District official who said, “The miscreants took some pictures of this and ran away. Within a few hours, using Facebook, the propaganda spread like wildfire with the provocative pictures”.

Refuting the claims, Bangladesh Hindu Unity Council also took to Twitter to the Muslim community to not believe in rumours. “We would like to say to all Muslim brothers, do not believe the rumors. We respect the Qur’an. There is no need for Qur’an in Durga Puja. This is someone conspiring to cause a riot. There will be a fair investigation. Please don’t attack any more temples & Hindus”, it appealed.