Amid criticism that Muslim-majority country hasn’t done enough to protect minorities, Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Thursday said that those involved in the recent vandalism of Hindu temples in the country will be “hunted down and punished.”
Nearly four people were killed in violence after some Hindu temples were vandalised in Bangladesh during Durga Puja celebrations on Wednesday, prompting PM Hasina to deploy paramilitary force in 22 districts. She also promised to bring to justice the culprits behind the violence.
While exchanging greetings with the Hindu community members during an event at Dhakeshwari National Temple in Dhaka, “The incidents in Comilla are being thoroughly investigated. Nobody will be spared. It doesn’t matter which religion they belong to. They will be hunted down and punished,” PTI reported.
“We are getting a large amount of information. This is an era of technology and those involved in the incident will definitely be tracked down with the use of the technology,” PM Hasina said.
According to PTI, authorities in Bangladesh have enforced a ban on rallies in Haziganj where officials confirmed the deaths of four people in gunshots, and two others were critically injured in the clashes.
The police were also alerted about an alleged blasphemy incident at a Durga Puja pavilion in Cumilla, about 100 kms from the capital of Dhaka, after which an investigation was launched.
However, the violence erupted as bigots attacked temples in parts of Cumilla, neighbouring Haziganj, northwestern coastal sub districts of Hatia and Banskhali. Social media was also used largely to incite communal tensions, News agency PTI reported.
Prime Minister Hasina further urged India to remain vigilant against escalation of any communal violence. “We expect that nothing happens there (in India) which could influence any situation in Bangladesh affecting our Hindu community here,” she said.
In Bangladesh’s 169 million population, Hindus make up some 10 per cent of the Muslim-majority. Meanwhile, there have reports of sporadic violence in the past several years, mostly sparked by rumours spread on social media.
(Inputs from PTI)
