Exemplary action awaiting those vandalising temples-SheikhHasina

Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has said that people who carried out incidents of vandalism will be found out and exemplary punitive action awaited them so that they don’t repeat such heinous acts in future. Interacting virtually with the Hindu community at the Dhakeshwari National Temple on Thursday, Prime Minister Hasina said that the incident at Cumilla was very unfortunate. She said investigations are underway to trace the culprit.The Prime Minister assured that appropriate measures have been taken to ensure safety and security during the immersion of Durga idols on Vijayadashmi on Friday. She assured the Hindu community that they enjoy the same rights as any other community in Bangladesh as part of the constitutional provision of the country. She also urged India to remain vigilant against an 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.

Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal told media on Thursday that some culprits of the Cumilla incident have been detained and they are being interrogated. He said people involved in the Cumilla incident will not be spared. He said surveillance has been beefed up across the country following the incident. Meanwhile, the government has deployed Border Guards Bangladesh (BGB) in 22 districts of the country including Cumilla, Narsingid and Munshiganj to avoid any incident on the occasion of the Vijayadashmi on Friday. Police have detained more than 100 people in connection with the violent incidents in Bangladesh on Wednesday and Thursday. 

Earlier, several places in Bangladesh witnessed vandalism of Hindu temples and attack on houses after a reported incident of desecration of the holy book inside a puja mandap in Cumilla town on Wednesday which went viral on social media. Four people were killed in clashes with police in Chandpur when a mob attacked a local temple. Incidents of vandalism and attack were reported from Gazipur, Bandarban, Chittagong and Cox’s Bazar on Thursday..