Five people have been arrested for their involvement in last week’s attacks on Hindu community homes and temples in south-western Bangladesh, a media report said on Monday.
A temple, shops and several houses of the Hindu community were vandalized by a mob on Friday in Dighlia Bazar area of Lohagra upazila of Narail after a Hindu boy posted something objectionable on Facebook, sparking anger among Muslims.
Police said five people were arrested on Sunday for their role in the violence.
A local court on Monday placed the suspects on three-day police remand, the Dhaka Tribune newspaper reported.
Read also: Hindu man’s house set on fire in Bangladesh over Facebook post on Islam
The investigating officer of the case Mizanur Rahman produced the accused in the court and the order was passed by Senior Judicial Magistrate Mo Morshedul Alam after appealing for seven days remand.
The suspects have been identified as Masoom Billah (32), Mohammad Syed Sheikh (25), Rezaul Sheikh (40), Rasal Mridha (38) and Kabir Ghazi (40).
Narail Superintendent of Police Probir Kumar Roy earlier said that two cases have been registered in the incident so far.
Akash Saha, a 20-year-old college student, was detained on Saturday night over a Facebook post.
Haran Chandra Paul, an inspector at the local police station, said the youth had posted something objectionable on Facebook, causing anger among Muslims.
A police officer said that Salahuddin Kochi of Dighaliya village had filed a case on July 15, accusing Akash of undermining Islam.
Police force has been deployed in the area to prevent further violence.
Attacks on religious minorities in Muslim-majority Bangladesh are on the rise, and many of them have been following rumors or fake posts spread through social media.
Last year, some Hindu temples in Bangladesh were vandalized by unidentified Muslim extremists during Durga Puja celebrations, prompting the government to deploy paramilitary forces in 22 districts when riots left four people dead And many others were injured.
According to a report by the legal rights group Ain O Salish Center, between January 2013 and September 2021, there were 3,679 attacks on the Hindu community in Bangladesh.
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