‘Attacks on Durga Puja pandals pre-planned’, says Bangladesh home minister

The Minister of Internal Affairs of Bangladesh stated that the attack on Durga Puja Meeting Pavilion was “pre-planned” and aimed at disrupting the country’s community harmony. His statement was issued after the Bangladesh police registered more than 4,000 people involved in the violence that shook the country in the past few days.

Asaduzzaman Khan , Bangladesh’s Minister of Internal Affairs, said on Sunday: “In our view, this is a motivated behavior instigated by a vested group.”
The Dhaka Tribune quoted Khan as saying: “Not only in Comilla, but also in previous attempts to destabilize the country through community violence in Ramu and Nasir Nagar.”

When asked about the reasons behind the Comilla incident, the minister said: “Once we have all the evidence, we will make it public and those involved will be punished.”

The minister further stated that there have been no incident reports since Saturday night.

At the same time, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) claimed on Sunday that the violence that occurred during the Durga Puja in Bangladesh was part of a systematic attack on religious minorities. This situation requires the implementation of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA). And the National Register of Citizens (NRC) in West Bengal.

CAA provides citizenship for non-Muslims who entered India from Afghanistan, Pakistan and Bangladesh before 2015. Its critics, among them Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, is a prominent face, insisting that it is discriminatory because it ignores Muslims and associates citizenship with faith in a secular state.
Violence broke out in Bangladesh on Friday due to the alleged desecration of the Quran in Pandal during Durg Puja celebrations. Many pandals and temples, including the Iskcon temple, were attacked. Allegedly, shops and houses of Hindus were also damaged.

According to the Dhaka Tribune, clashes occurred in Chandhpur, Chittagong, Ghazipur, Bandarban, Chapainawabganjand Murvi Bazar, resulting in several casualties.

According to the police, one person died and 17 people including the head of the Begumganj police station were injured.

News Source : Hindustan Times