Cumilla incident: One more found dead, protests on, cases filed

 

Bangladesh desk: Another person was found dead in Begumganj upazila of Noakhali on Saturday after an attack on an ISKCON temple in the upazila on Friday afternoon had left one killed and dozens injured amid a heavy presence of security personnel since Thursday.

Local people found the body of Subal Chandra Saha, 20, floating in a pond of the ISKCON temple, Sri Sri Radha Krishna Gour-Nityanada Mandir, on Collage Road in Chowmuhani municipality.

 

With the recovery of the body, the death toll has reached six as four others were killed during a series of clashes between the police and a mob in Hajiganj upazila of Chandpur at the night of Wednesday over Hindu-Muslim sectarian tensions.

Tensions erupted in different parts of Bangladesh following a report of finding a copy of the Quran on the thigh of a god idol at a Durga Puja mandap in Cumilla.

Of the six victims, three — two in Noakhali and one in Hajiganj of Chandpur — were from the Hindu community, who were killed  during attacks by Muslims, while the rest three were Muslims reportedly killed in police actions in Hajiganj.

Muslims, accusing the minority Hindu community of desecrating the Quran, had attacked Durga Puja mandaps vandalising idols of gods and goddesses. Durga Puja ended on Friday.

The New Age correspondent in Noakhali reports: Hindu community members brought out a protest procession carrying a body on the Noakhali–Feni regional highway defying Section 144 imposed by the local authorities following the Friday attacks and violence over the Cumilla incident.

According to witnesses, shops were kept closed amid deployment of additional police and Border Guard Bangladesh personnel.

Chattogram range deputy inspector general of police Anwar Hossain visited the affected area, spoke to victims of the Hindu community and assured them that the perpetrators would be brought to justice.

Ruling Awami League leaders, too, visited the spot while Noakhali Puja Celebration Council general secretary Kishore Chandra Shil said that all the relevant sections of Muslim people had held a meeting with the minority community leaders.

As witnesses said, ISKCON follower Jatan Kumar Saha, 42, from Cumilla died on Friday during the attack in Chowmuhani as attackers stomped on him while the hands and feet of Subal Chandra, another ISKCON follower, were tied and thrown reportedly to a pond on the temple compound.

Subal’s body was spotted early Saturday morning and later Hindu people brought out a procession in the day protesting against the attack.

The New Age correspondent in Chattogram reports: Three cases were filed with two police stations accusing 1,140 persons in connection with attacks on and vandalism of temples and puja mandaps in Chattogram.

One of the cases was filed with the Banshkhali police station accusing 21 named and 620 unidentified persons over the attacks in Napora and Chambal areas while the other case was filed with the Kotwali police station accusing 84 named and 500 unnamed persons over the attack in Anderkilla area, said officials.

The Banshkhali police arrested two persons in the case, who were sent to jail by a Chattogram court, said Md Azizul Islam, inspector (investigation) of Banskhali police station.

At least 83 persons were arrested in the Anderkilla case, said Mohammad Nezam Uddin, officer-in-charge of the Kotwali police station in the port city.

The police filed the case under the Special Powers Act against the accused for attacking on-duty police officials, preventing the police from discharging their duty, vandalism, and hurting religious sentiments by bringing out processions, the OC said.

While Rana Dasgupta, general secretary of Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council, had called a half-day total strike in Chattogram city for Saturday from 6:00am protesting the attack, the call got no response as everything was normal.

Rana Dasgupta, at a press conference at the Chattogram press club, on Saturday announced that they would hold a sit-in demonstration on October 23 in Dhaka and Chattogram in protest against the attacks on Hindu temples.

However, Hindu people, including Bangladesh Puja Celebration Council and ISKCON members, blocked the road in front of Chattogram press club and held protest rallies in the area.

The Chattogram police range headquarters stated that the police, as of Saturday afternoon, had arrested 89 people in connection with 25 attacks on Durga Puja mandaps in 11 districts under its jurisdiction.

Of the arrested, 43 were in Cumilla, seven each in Chattogram and Chandpur, nine in Cox’s Bazar and 23 in Noakhali.

The Blue Panel of Dhaka University teachers in a statement on Saturday protested against the attacks on Durga Puja mandaps.

They also called for a fair investigation into the incidents and exemplary punishment to those responsible in order to stop recurrence of such incidents.

Naripokkho, a women’s organisation, held a protest programme at their Dhanmondi office and demanded resignation of the home minister for his failure in protecting the minority community.

Writers, rights activists and socio-cultural workers in a programme in front of the National Museum also protested against the attacks on the minorities.

The New Age correspondent in Rajshahi reports: Around one hundred students of Rajshahi University formed a human chain on the campus protesting against the attacks on Durga Puja mandaps and vandalism of idols.

The New Age correspondent in Magura reports: Different socio-cultural organisations staged demonstrations in the district headquarters and demanded justice for the attacks on the minorities during their annual celebrations.

In Barishal, a Hindu youth named Mahananda Baidya was arrested after he gave a post on the Facebook on Friday demeaning the Quran, which triggered an outcry in Gaurnadi upazila amid the religious tension in the country.

Local Muslims vandalised three Hindu temples in Dhurial Kazirparh village in the upazila following the post in the day.

Gauranadi police station officer-in-charge Afzal Hossain said that the attackers had escaped the scenes before the police reached there.