The law enforcement agencies arrested two people identified as Md Shaikat Mandal (24), and Md Robiul Islam (36) in connection with the attacks on Hindu houses in Pirganj upazila of Rangpur district. Earlier they also arrested the person suspected to have put the Holy Quran in a Durga mandap in Cumilla which led to widespread violence in the country between October 13 and 16.
During the primary interrogation, the arrestees confessed their involvement in the incident saying they deliberately incited the attackers by spreading propaganda on social media and through loudspeakers to create chaos and destroy communal harmony. They provoked the locals on social media to take part in the attacks and several people took part in the vandalism and looting and arson attacks on the houses of Hindu community.
The masterminds
behind such
barbaric
incidents must be unmasked
and tried
However, further investigation will have to be launched in order to identify the masterminds of attacks on Hindu temples and houses as we think that the persons who kept the Quran at the temple and set fire to Hindu houses might have been instructed by someone else. The masterminds behind such barbaric incidents must be unmasked and tried.
Read more: Who stands by religious minorities in Bangladesh?
So far, a total of 102 cases have been filed accusing 20,619 people in connection with the violence over the Hindu community. Of them, 584 were arrested as yet and drives are underway to arrest the remaining offenders.
The communal evil forces carried out the attacks at Pirganj with an intention of making the government questionable. We believe no evil communal forces will go unpunished as Bangladesh is a secular country where people of all faiths perform their religious rites independently and it is enshrined in the Constitution. The government must take steps to rehabilitate the victims, ensure security and boost the confidence of the Hindu community following the recent violence. Necessary measures should be taken to repair the houses and construct new ones for the Pirganj victims alongside providing financial and food assistance to the them.
