Durga Pooja: 2 Hindus killed in attack in Bangladesh

Two Hindu men were killed during a mob attack in Bangladesh after a temple was attacked by the religious majority during the occasion of Durga Pooja. The incident happened in the southern town of Begumganj. A group of around 200 protestors attacked the temple.

Shah Imran, chief of the local police station said that the attackers stabbed devotees and an executive member of the temple committee to death, the reports said. Another body of a Hindu man was found by the police near a pond which is located next to the temple.

The police chief, Shahidul Islam said, "Two men have died since yesterday's attack. We are working to find the culprits."

Bangladesh is a Muslim-majority nation. The attacks started after a video of a Quran, the central religious text of Islam, placed on the knee of goddess Durga's idol emerged after which the Muslim protestors attacked the pandals and temples across the nation. According to Muslims, the devotees allegedly desecrated the Quran.

The anti-Hindu attacks spread to Noakhali, Chandpur, Cox's Bazaar, Chapainawabganj, Kurigam, Chattogram, and Moulvibazara.

Sheikh Hasina, The prime Minister of Bangladesh, promised strict actions against the attackers and said, "The incidents in Cumilla are being thoroughly investigated. Nobody will be spared. It doesn't matter which religion they belong to. They will be hunted down and punished."

External affairs ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said, "Our high commission in Dhaka, as well as our consulates in Bangladesh, are obviously in very close contact with the authorities in Dhaka and at local levels."

Indian authorities also said that it was in close contact with Bangladesh authorities and the celebrations of Durga Pooja were continuing with the support of the government.

Writer - Tanishq Aggarwal

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