The recent resurgence of attacks against the minority community
Following the Durga Puja festivities in mid-October, the Hindu community in
Bangladesh has once again been subjected to religious violence. Hundreds of
people have been protesting in Bangladesh’s capital Dhaka, calling for an end to the
brutality which has led to several deaths and injuries in the past few weeks.
The violence began on October 15, when Muslims protested in the Noakhali district
over the viral social media image of the Quran at the knee of a Hindu temple during
the 10-day Hindu festival of Durga Puja. According to the police, 2 Hindu men were
killed during the protests.
On October 17, in a fishing village in Rangpur, unidentified people set fire to 20
Hindu households, despite government warnings that such acts will be punishable.
The attackers also stole cash, cattle, and other valuable amenities. The Home Affairs
minister subsequently sent seven police officials to control the violence. 42 attackers
were arrested after this incident.
The next day, followers of the Hindu Group of International Krishna Society joined
with students and teachers of Dhaka University to protest for justice by blocking the
main intersection in Dhaka. Several other Hindu groups also joined the peaceful
protest at the Shahbagh intersection.
Several more acts of violence also took place across the country, including
Chandpur, Chittagong, Bandarban, Noakhali, and Feni. On October 13, at least 4
people died in Chandpur when police fired at an angry mob and launched an attack
on some Durga Puja venues of the district. In Chattogram, a group of extremists
from a procession brought out in the Andarkilla area started throwing bricks targeting
the Jemson Hall Puja Mandap. Witnesses said as the group threw bricks at the
temple housing the mandap and tried to ruin it, police had to fire shots in the air and
use tear gas canisters to disperse the attackers from the spot.
The following day, a temple and Hindu-owned establishments were stormed by an
angry mob in Bandarban’s Lama area. The Lama central Hari Mandir was attacked
by a rally of angry mobs who were protesting the "demeaning of Quran''. They also
vandalized the shops of Hindu owners in the Lama market area.
Two Hindu devotees were killed in Noakhali when an angry mob attacked different
temples in the district. On October 15, the Bijoya Durga Temple in Begumganj was
wrecked by attackers from a procession of several thousand people.

Another clash broke out on October 16 in Feni between the local Hindus and
Muslims during a protest by the Hindu community condemning the nationwide attack
during the Durga Puja festival. Around a dozen people from both communities were
injured. Bangladesh had to resort to shutting down mobile internet and deploying
paramilitary forces to more than 35 districts in an attempt to stem the violence.
Hindus make up 8% of the population of Bangladesh. Even though the country has
seen several attacks on religious minorities in the past, this is deemed to be the
worst large-scale mob violence against the community in the country's history.
Post the numerous attacks, the United Nations urged the government to take action
against such acts of violence. The attacks on Hindus are against the values of the
Constitution of Bangladesh, said a UN coordinator in Bangladesh. She also said that
the government should ensure the safety of the minorities and strengthen inclusive
tolerance.