Bagerhat, Barisal Hindu temples set ablaze

Two Hindu temples in Bagerhat and Rajshahi were set on fire on Saturday as supporters of the Jamaat-e-Islami continued to target minorities following the death verdict on their leader Delwar Hossain Sayedee.

“We heard that the Dumuria Sharbajaneen temple in the Ramchandrapur Union has been set on fire. We are going to the spot,” Morelganj upazila local Officer in-Charge Mohammad Aslam Uddin told bdnews24.com.

He said the residences of Narayan Chandra Basu Chowdhury, President of Awami League’s Banogram Union unit and Taposh Sen of Barurbula village under the same union were also set ablaze.

Police blamed Jamaat-Shibir for hate attacks on Hindu households and shops in southern Chittagong and Noakhali on Thursday, soon after Sayadee's death verdict was announced.

Jamaat, however, refuted the allegations.

Additional Superintendent of Police (ASP), Bagerhat, Pankaj Candra Ray has already visited the spots.

Bagerhat SP Khandaker Rafiqul Islam has described the incidents as ‘mysterious’.

“The victims are not making any specific complaints. We are trying to identify the perpetrators through investigation. We can’t say anything before the probe ends,” he said.

Basu Chowdhury, however, said the activists of BNP might have carried out the attacks.

Nabogram Union parishad Chairman and also President of BNP’s Nabogram union unit Abdul Zobber Molla told bdnews24.com that the allegations are false.

On Thursday night, miscreants vandalised a Hindu temple at Pingjour village at Chingrekhali union in the same upazila.

A case was later filed at the Morrelganj Police Station accusing some unknown men over the attack.

Meanwhile, the local administration has slapped a ban on public gathering for nine hours from 9am at the district’s Foylahat Bazar area of Rampal upazila after Awami League and Jamaat-e-Islami announced to hold rallies at the same place and at the same time.

Police said another Hindu temple at Nalcira union at Gauranadi upazila of Barisal was set on fire in the early hours of Saturday.

The affected Pinglakathi Sharbajaneen Durga Mandir’s committee chief Nabakrishna Dutta blamed ‘unknown miscreants’ for the incident.

Gauranadi Police Station OC Abul Kalam said Dutta filed a case in the morning.

“We are yet to arrest anyone over the case,’ he said.

Locals told bdnews24.com some of students and teachers of an adjacent madrasa have been absconding following the incident.

bdnews24.com Correspondent said another statue was vandalised in Gazipur’s Kashimpur area.