About 1,200 unidentified people have been sued over Sunday’s attacks on temples and houses belonging to Hindus in Nasirnagar Upazila of Brahmanbaria district, police said on Monday.
Two cases were filed accusing 1,200 unidentified people over the desecration on Hindu temples in Haripur union of Nasirnagar upazila during a demonstration allegedly over a Facebook post demeaning the holy Kaaba.
Two locals Kazal Dutt and Nirmol Chowdhury filed two separate cases in this connection, police said, adding nine people have so far been arrested.
When contacted Mohammad Mizanur Rahman, Superintendent of Police of Brahmanbaria district on Monday said to improve law and order situation and to ensure people’s security, the district administration has deployed three platoons BGB members, 200 police personnel and a heavy contingent of elite force Rapid Action Battalion there.
Earlier on Sunday, several temples and houses were vandalised in Haripur union of Nasirnagar upazila during a demonstration allegedly over a Facebook post demeaning the holy Kaaba.
As Ras Raj Das, 30, son of Jagannath Das of Harinber village, allegedly posted a photo on his Facebook wall on Saturday belittling the holy Kaaba, several thousand people, including activists of Hefajat-e-Islam and Ahle Sunnat, brought out separate rallies demanding capital punishment of the youth.
At one stage, the protesters vandalised some houses and temples.
“Two cases were filed against about 1,000 to 1,200 unidentified people and nine people were held over Sunday’s attacks,” the police super told The New Nation yesterday afternoon.
He said around 150 to 200 locals attacked five temples in Nasirnagar upazila and vandalised seven to eight idols.
“They also vandalised homes and assaulted many people,” he said.
Mizanur Rahman said that he along with deputy commissioner of the district, upazila chairman and local people on Monday formed a human chain in order to build up awareness among the locals to ensure peaceful environment there.
Talking to local reporters Kazal Dutt and Nirmol Chowdhury said a group of the demonstrators equipped with sticks and local weapons launched attack on the people of Duttubarhi, Namashudraparha and Ghoshparha, Dashpara and Jagannath and Goura area and beat them up indiscriminately. “They also destroyed at least 15 temples including Goura, Kali, Lokthnat and Mohadev temples,” Kazal Dutt said.
“Our several priests were injured in the attack,” he said.
Nirmol Chowdhury said the attackers also vandalised and looted the houses of the Hindu families.
“Over 100 houses belonging to Hindus in the area have also been vandalised and looted,” he said.
A group of religious zealots on Sunday carried out a synchronised attack on the Hindus in Brahmanbaria’s Nasirnagar upazila, vandalising around 100 homes and at least five temples and looting valuables over a Facebook post “hurting Muslims’ sentiment,” victims and police said.
Meanwhile, Bangladesh Chhatra Jubok Oikya Parishad on Monday formed human chain in front of the National Press Club in the city demanding to take immediate action against the attackers. Besides, Bangladesh Hindu-Bouddha-Christian Oikya Parishad termed the Sunday’s attack in Brahmanbaria as a communal violence demanding immediate trial of the attackers.
