Bangladesh Violence: Three Hindu Temples Vandalised In Chattogram As Tensions Soar After Hindu Priest’s Arrest
Amidst ongoing religious tensions in Bangladesh, a mob shouting slogans vandalised three temples on Friday in Chattogram which has witnessed the protest and unrest in the region after the arrest of former ISKCON member under sedition charges.
The attack occurred around 2:30 pm in Harish Chandra Munsef Lane, located in the port city, where the Shantaneshwari Matri Temple, the nearby Shoni Temple and the Shantaneshwari Kalibari Temple were targeted, PTI reported citing news portal BDNews24.com.
“A group of several hundred slogan-shouting people threw brickbats at the temples, damaging the Shoni Temple and the gates of the other two temples,” temple authorities said, as per the PTI reports.
Abdul Karim, the chief of Kotwali Police Station, confirmed the attack, stating that the assailants attempted to damage the temples.
However, police said that the damage to the temples was minimal following a confrontation between the two groups during which both sides threw brickbats at each other.
“A procession of hundreds arrived after the Juma prayers. They started shouting anti-Hindu and anti-ISKCON slogans,” said Tapan Das, a permanent member of the Shantineshwari Main Temple management committee.
“We did not obstruct the attackers. When the situation worsened, we called the army, who arrived quickly and helped restore order. All the temple gates were closed before noon. The miscreants arrived unprovoked and carried out the attack,” further told BDNews24.com, PTI reported.
Earlier, Spiritual leader Chinmoy Krishna Das, a former member of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) in Bangladesh, was arrested in connection with a sedition case and later his bail was also denied which activated the protest by Hindu community in various locations in Bangladesh, including in the capital Dhaka and Chattogram.
