Facebook post, announcements on loudspeaker: Duo admits to inciting violence against Hindus in Bangladesh
Two men arrested by
Bangladesh Police have confessed to inciting
violence against the Hindu minority during Durga
Puja festivities earlier this month.
https://www.indiatoday.in/world/story/bangladesh-
durga-puja-violence-attack-hindus-arrests-
confession-1869185-2021-10-25
ISKCON followers stage protest against attacks on Hindus in Bangladesh, in New Delhi on Oct 23, 2021 | PTI
A Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) official told Bangladeshi news outlet bdnews.com that Shaikat Mandal uploaded the objectionable content on Facebook to increase his followers.
Dhaka Police clash with protesters during a demonstration on Oct 15, 2021 | PTI
Loudspeaker announcements
Mandal’s accomplice, Rabiul Islam, is a cleric. The
36-year-old has been accused of arson and looting.
In his statement to the magistrate, Islam confessed to
making announcements on the loudspeaker that
further instigated attacks against the Hindu minority.
Over 600 arrests made
Apart from Mandal and Islam, five other individuals
have admitted to inciting communal violence during
Durga Puja festivities in Bangladesh. The police
have made a total of 683 arrests in connection with
the violence.
Reports suggest that the violence was triggered by an
alleged “blasphemous post” going viral on social
media on October 13. As many as 70 homes of Hindus were attacked in parts of Bangladesh as a
result.
Violence also broke out in Bangladesh’s Comilla
after a copy of the Quran was kept inside a Durga
Puja pandal.
Police later arrested a man identified as 35-year-old
Iqbal Hossain in connection with the case. Officials
revealed that CCTV cameras captured Hossain
placing a copy of the Quran at the Durga Puja pandal
and one Fayez Ahmed posted a video of the same on
social media with the intention of instigating
violence.
Addressing the country last week, Bangladesh Prime
Minister Sheikh Hasina asked people not to trust
social media posts without fact-checking.
https://www.economist.com/asia/2021/11/06/bangladesh