Hindu homes vandalised in Bangladesh over rumours on Facebook

Dhaka, November 2

The houses of several Hindu families have been vandalised and burnt by some radical Islamists in Bangladesh’s Comilla district over rumours about an alleged Facebook post slandering Islam, according to a media report on Monday.

The households were vandalised and later set on fire on Sunday after a Bangladeshi man, who lives in France, allegedly praised President Emmanuel Macron for taking steps against “inhumane ideologies” after a teacher in Paris was decapitated for showing caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad. The headmaster of a kindergarten school in Purbo Dhour welcomed Macron’s action in a comment on the post. As the rumours about the Facebook post spread, tension mounted in the area on Saturday, the report said.

The police arrested two persons on charges of hurting the religious sentiments on Sunday, the report quoted Qamruzzaman Talukder, Officer-in-Charge of Bangra Bazar Police Station, as saying. They include the headmaster of the kindergarten. The other person is a resident of nearby Andikot village. “The situation is under control now,” Md Abul Fazal Mir, DC of Cumilla district, said. — PTI