The violence that has been going on since the coup of Sheikh Hasina’s government in Bangladesh is not stopping. Once again a case of violence in the temple has come to the fore. The ISKCON temple in Meherpur, an area located on the India-Bangladesh border and the stronghold of Jamaat-e-Islami, was attacked and the Bhagavad Gita was burnt. Along with this, the harmonium kept in the temple was broken. According to the information, the mob also looted and set fire to the sanctum sanctorum of the temple.
Prabhu Ji, the in-charge of the temple, said that minorities have been attacked. The mob attacked around 5:30 pm on the 5th. They had brought petrol bombs and explosives with them. We were 16 people in the temple at that time. All the things present here including the jewellery and ancient scriptures were burnt. The donation received for building the temple, about 10 lakh taka (about 6.5 lakh rupees) was looted. The motorcycle kept in the temple property was also burnt.
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Apart from this, he told that we had scriptures older than two hundred years, they were also burnt. We used to serve Lord Jagannath at this place, they also looted and took them away. Suddenly a mob came to the temple and attacked it. All the items and religious books kept in the temple have been burnt to ashes. Followers are coming to the spot and saving the remaining books.
Let us tell you that this ISKCON temple was running in a rented house and donations were collected to build a separate temple.
‘There are apprehensions among Muslims too…’
At the same time, the Muslims of Bangladesh also fear that their country, which is run by democracy, may change its identity from a Bengali speaking country to an Islamic country under the pressure of fundamentalists. Islam Mohammad, a resident of Dhaka, while talking to Aaj Tak said that the identity of Bangladesh is of the Bengali people, where Hindus and Muslims live together, but some people want a system like an Islamic country here, but we will not let this happen.
Niaz also runs a business in Dhaka and he also feels that the image of Bangladesh has been tarnished because of some fundamentalists who attacked and targeted Hindus under the pretext of the movement. Niaz says that many Hindus live with us and we are also protecting them in this difficult time and those who did bad to them are not among us. The headquarters of the Bangladesh Awami League party, just a short distance from the President’s House in the VIP area of Dhaka, was also the first target of the protesters on August 5.
Also read: How much Hindu population is there in Bangladesh, how many have migrated since 1971, how many refugees are there in India? Know every answer
Police missing amid violence and arson
The anger in Bangladesh may have subsided, but the marks of violence and arson are still fresh. Karim Ul Haque, a supporter of the Awami League party, told Aaj Tak that the rioters not only destroyed the office that day but also looted goods worth lakhs of rupees. From the room of party chief Sheikh Hasina to the party’s meeting hall and all parts of the building have either been burnt or destroyed.
Meanwhile, the police is missing from the streets of Bangladesh. The police headquarters in the middle of the city is also deserted, which is now being guarded by the Bangladesh Army. During the protest, stones were pelted on the police personnel, and the police headquarters was also targeted, the marks of which are still fresh. Some policemen came to protest outside the dilapidated and deserted headquarters on Sunday, who want to go back to their jobs.
One of these policemen, Karim, told Aaj Tak that the order to take strict action against the protest was given by Sheikh Hasina’s government and the senior officials in the police department. Karim said that the policemen had followed the orders of their officers and due to this order, today the people of the country are searching for the policemen, due to which many policemen are either underground or hiding. Let us tell you that police stations were burnt in many areas across Bangladesh.
Also read: What happened to the ISKCON temple in Bangladesh due to arson and vandalism, see the ground report