Dhaka: Hindu temples in Bangladesh were vandalised by miscreants during Durga Puja festivities, forcing the government to deploy paramilitary forces in 22 districts after four people were murdered and many more were injured in the rioting, according to media reports on Thursday.
In the main incident, the mob attacked a Hindu temple and clashed with police in the southern town of Hajiganj, leaving four dead and nearly two dozen injured, including 15 police officers, local police chief Milon Mahmud said.
Temples at Chandpur’s Hajiganj, Chattogram’s Banshkhali, Chapainawabganj’s Shibganj, and Cox’s Bazar’s Pekua were all viciously assaulted, with Hindu worshippers thrashed.
Several Bangladeshi Hindus and Hindu groups rushed to Twitter to post images of vandalism.
After the violence, the Bangladesh Hindu Unity Council took to Twitter on Wednesday to declare the Durga Puja over for this year, two days before Vijaya Dashami, calling it a “black day” for Hindus in Bangladesh.
“We will never Forget 2021 Durga puja. Maa durga bless you all”, read the message posted by the council’s verified Twitter handle.
Meanwhile, many in India have condemned vandalism and demanded action.
Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has issued a tough warning against those involved in the attacks on Hindu temples and Durga Puja venues at several places, including Cumilla in the Chittagong division, and promised to bring to justice the culprits behind the violence. “The incidents in Cumilla are being thoroughly investigated. Nobody will be spared. It doesn’t matter which religion they belong to. They will be hunted down and punished,” she said while exchanging greetings with members of the Hindu community during an event at Dhakeshwari National Temple in Dhaka on the occasion of Durga Puja.