Widespread violence have erupted in Bangladesh against Hindus soon after Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina warned India over rising hate crimes against Muslims.
In the last couple of days, hundreds of Hindus have been injured in violence while many have lost their lives in backlash to growing hate crimes against Muslims in India.
Police in Bangladesh have detained at least 300 suspects after two Hindu men were killed and temples vandalised following unrest triggered by the alleged desecration of the Muslim holy book during a Hindu religious festival last week.
Violence erupted across Bangladesh after a photo was widely circulated on social media on Wednesday, showing the Quran placed on the knee of a Hindu deity during celebrations for the Durga Puja festival in the eastern district of Cumilla.
Angry mobs attacked Hindu temples and clashed with police in various parts of Bangladesh in the following days, leaving at least six people, including two Hindus, dead and more than 100 injured.
Police said more than 200 attackers beat and stabbed to death an executive member of the temple committee in the southern town of Begumganj where members of the Hindu community were preparing to perform the last rites of the 10-day Durga Puja festival.
Six killed in violence so far
On Saturday morning, another Hindu man’s body was found near a pond next to the temple, district police chief Shahidul Islam told AFP news agency.
“Two men have died since yesterday’s attack. We are working to find the culprits,” he added. The Hindu community makes up about 10 percent of Bangladesh’s 165 million population.
At least four others were killed late on Wednesday when police opened fire on a crowd of about 500 people attacking a Hindu temple in Hajiganj, one of several towns hit by the disturbances, Al-Jazeera reported today.
Violence also broke out in the capital Dhaka and the port city of Chittagong, prompting police to fire tear gas and rubber bullets at thousands of brick-throwing Muslim protesters.
High-speed mobile phone internet services were shut down in an apparent bid to prevent the violence from spreading.
Bangladeshi media reports on Sunday said at least 20 homes belonging to Hindus were torched in Rangpur city’s Pirganj neighbourhood.
