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Bangladeshi gangs target Hindu homes

The incident, part of a series of attacks, is indicative of a culture of intolerance, priest says
Bangladeshi gangs target Hindu homes

A Hindu woman in her vandalized home after Islamic hardliners attacked a Hindu community in Nasirnagar, Brahmanbaria district on Oct. 31. (Photo by Hasan Raja)

Published: December 08, 2016 08:54 AM GMT
Updated: December 08, 2016 08:54 AM GMT

A sense of fear and anxiety has gripped Hindu communities in Bangladesh after a series of attacks on their homes and temples over the weekend.

A mob burned down 10 houses in a lower-caste Hindu community in Bochaganj, northern Dinajpur district on Dec. 3. On the same day, more attackers stormed a Hindu temple in the same district and smashed several statues.

On Dec. 4, in two separate incidents, attackers vandalized three temples and smashed more statues in Netrokona and Pabna districts.

In Bochaganj, police have arrested two men in connection with the arson attack.

"One of the victims filed a case and we have arrested two people in connection with the attack. We are seriously investigating the case," Habibul Huq, officer-in-charge of Bochaganj police station, told ucanews.com.

The local administration distributed corrugated iron sheets, bamboo wood, blankets and cash among the affected families starting on Dec. 6. The local municipality hired nearly 30 laborers to help rebuild their houses.

My house, that I maintained these 40 years, was reduced to ashes in just 40 minutes, Sandhya Rani, a Hindu housewife, told the Daily Star newspaper. 

"The administration is offering all kinds of support, but we are still panicked as the people who were involved in the attack have not been arrested yet," she told ucanews.com.

Dinajpur district has seen several Islamist attacks on religious minorities in recent times including the bombing of Hindu temples and the shooting of an Italian Catholic priest.  

 

A Hindu man stands inside a vandalized temple after Islamic hardliners attacked a Hindu community in Nasirnagar, Brahmanbaria district on Oct. 31. (Photo by Hasan Raja)

 

Govinda Chandra Pramanik, secretary of the Bangladesh National Hindu Grand Alliance, accused the government of inaction.

"Anti-minority people have merged with the ruling party and are reaping the benefits of government patronage. Of course, the government seems apathetic toward the plight of the victims," Pramanik told ucanews.com.

"For a long time, we have cried out for a minority ministry and parliamentary seats to be reserved for minorities unsuccessfully; no government paid heed," he added.

Father Anthony Sen, member of the Catholic bishops' justice and peace commission, said there was "growing religious intolerance" in the country.

"No doubt, these attacks are aimed at demoralizing minority communities. In the past, the attacks were carried out by Islamists but now we see it's spreading to the so-called secular parties as well," Father Sen told ucanews.com.

"After attacks on minorities, the government makes some quick moves but they soon forget. The government must make long-term plans to secure the lives of minorities in Bangladesh, otherwise they will continue to become victims of intolerance," the priest added.

 

Hindus in Dhaka protest against Islamic hardliners' attack on the Hindu community in Nasirnagar, Brahmanbaria district on Nov. 4. (ucanews.com photo)

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