On Sunday (January 15) evening, a mob of Islamists vandalised the residence of a Hindu family in Uttar Kandi village in Kotalipara upazila in Gopalganj district in Dhaka Division of Bangladesh.
As per reports, the violent mob accused a Hindu youth of committing blasphemy and ‘hurting’ the religious sentiments of the local Muslims over a Facebook post.
Soon after Islamists descended on the residence of his extended family and destroyed the property. According to Dhaka Tribune, no casualties were reported after the targeted attack.
Hindus were attacked and houses vandalized on the pretext of insulting Islam in Gopalganj, Kotalipara of Bangladesh. Police have been deployed in the area. The area is Sheikh Hasina’s constituency.#HindusUnderAttackInBangladesh pic.twitter.com/5VBtxrrng5
— Voice Of Bangladeshi Hindus 🇧🇩 (@VoiceOfHindu71) January 16, 2023
As per a report by The Daily Star, a total of 8 shops and 4 houses belonging to the Hindu community were attacked. In a bid to pacify the situation, a large contingent of police has been deployed in the Uttar Kandi village.
The Hindu boy, now accused of blasphemy by radical Islamists, has reportedly been living in India for the past 7 years. Moreover, his other family members including his mother and sister had also moved to India about 3 months ago.
His father reportedly sold their house and properties about a week earlier and moved to India as well. While recounting the horror perpetrated by the Islamists, a cousin of the Hindu boy said, “On Sunday, we saw some 400-500 people coming to our place and vandalizing our house.”
He added that the Hindu families in the Uttar Kandi village are now living in a state of fear. According to Mohammed Zillur Rahman, the Officer-in-Charge (OC) of Kotalipara police station, the law and order situation in the area is under control.
“Additional police have been deployed. We have not received any complaints over the matter. If any complaint is filed, legal action will be taken after an investigation,” he informed.
Meanwhile, a public secretary of the local Ulama Parishad paid lip service to the incident and demanded action against the vandals.
