bdnews24.com :
A rumour about the Quran being dishonoured at a Hindu place of worship in Cumilla has ignited a series of communal attacks across the country, resulting in the deaths of six people.
Though recent incidents of communal violence have raised concern in all quarters, past data shows that attacks on Hindu households, temples and businesses are not a novel phenomenon.
The Ain o Salish Kendra, or ASK, a prominent rights group in Bangladesh, prepares annual reports on human rights violations, which includes a specific chapter on attacks on the Hindu community and other minority groups.
As many as 3,679 attacks on the Hindu community took place between January 2013 and September this year, according to the report by ASK.
The attacks included vandalism of and setting fire to 559 houses and 442 shops and businesses of the Hindu community. At least 1,678 cases of vandalism and arson attacks on Hindu temples, idols and places of worship were also reported in the same period. While 11 citizens from the Hindu community have died in these incidents, another 862 were injured. Two Hindu women were raped in 2014 and another four were sexually assaulted.
At least 10 Hindu families were evicted from their homes and land in 2016, 2017 and 2020.
ASK prepared its report based on the news articles published in nine print and online newspapers and its own research. The recent incidents of attack on the Hindu community in Cumilla, Feni, Noakhali and other districts are not included in the report.
