Arsonists torched the home of a Hindu family with no political affiliations in northwest Bangladesh on Wednesday, a media report said. This is the latest incident of targeted attacks on the minority community since the fall of the Sheikh Hasina-led government.
The incident took place at Farabari Mandirpara village of Akhacha Union under Thakurgaon Sadar upazila on Tuesday evening, hours after interim government chief adviser Yunus Muhammad assured the beleaguered minority community that his government would punish the culprits.
The targeted arson incident came on the same day when the Bangladesh National Hindu Grand Alliance claimed that the minority community had faced attacks and threats at 278 places in 48 districts since the fall of the Sheikh Hasina-led government on August 5 and termed it an “attack on Hinduism”.
Unknown persons set fire to the house of Kaleswar Barman at Farabari Mandirpara village of Akhacha Union in Thakurgaon Sadar upazila at around 7:30 pm on Tuesday, Akhacha Union Parishad (UP) president Subrata Kumar Barman told The Daily Star newspaper.
He said that the local people took immediate action and controlled the fire and the people living in the house managed to escape safely.
The UP chairman said Kaleshwar Barman has no political affiliation.
ABM Firoz Waheed, officer-in-charge of Thakurgaon police station, said: “Police visited the spot the same night, and investigation is underway to identify the culprits.”
A similar incident had occurred a few days ago in Nimbari Kamarpara village of the same union when the house of Ananta Barman was burnt down and all the valuables destroyed, the Daily Star reported.
Rabin Roy, a resident of Farabari, said people belonging to the Hindu community were living in fear since these incidents began after the fall of the previous government.
Incidentally, Thakurgaon district is the same place from where hundreds of Hindus had unsuccessfully attempted to enter India on August 6 and 7 – soon after ousted Prime Minister Hasina fled to India and a fresh round of violence began in the country – at the northwestern end of the India-Bangladesh border.
On Tuesday, Yunus, who took over as chief adviser to the interim government last week, visited the Dhakeshwari Temple – one of the major Shakti Peethas in Dhaka – amid ongoing violence and vandalism and said the rights of every individual must be ensured and blamed “institutional collapse” for his country’s plight.
Yunus reached out to the agitated Hindu community while visiting the centuries-old temple. He urged people to “remain patient” and assured them that his government would punish those who attacked the minorities.
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