Attacks on Durga Puja pavilions 'pre-planned', says Bangladesh Home Minister

Dhaka: Minister of Home Affairs of Bangladesh Asaduzzaman Khan on Sunday termed the attacks on Durga Puja pavilions as 'pre-planned' and said these attacks were aimed at destroying the communal harmony in Bangladesh.

This came after multiple cases have been filed against hundreds of named and unnamed people for the attacks in Comilla on Wednesday, Dhaka Tribune reported.

The alleged defamation of the Holy Quran and subsequent attacks on the Hindus in Comilla were premeditated and aimed at destroying the communal harmony in Bangladesh, the Home Minister said. "It appears to us that it was a motivated act instigated by a vested group," he added.

When he was asked about the reason behind the Comilla incident, the minister said, "We'll make it public once we get all the evidence and those who were involved in it will be given exemplary punishment."

"Not only in Comilla, but attempts were also made to destabilize the country previously through communal violence in Ramu and Nasirnagar," Khan was quoted as saying by Dhaka Tribune.

"No incident has been reported since Saturday night. Our security forces are working patiently based on intelligence information. Those who are trying to destroy communal peace will not succeed," Khan added.

The Home Minister's remarks came after Wednesday's communal violence that broke out in several places in Bangladesh after news broke on social media about the alleged desecration of the Holy Quran at a Durga Puja venue on the bank of Nanuar Dighi. Several puja venues were vandalized in the area of Chandpur, Chittagong, Gazipur, Bandarban, Chapainawabganj, and Moulvibazar. The clashes resulted in several casualties, reported Dhaka Tribune.

On Friday, one man named Jatan Kumar Saha was also killed and 17 others were injured in an attack in Begumganj Upazila of the country's Noakhali district during Durga puja celebrations on Vijaya Dashami, Dhaka Tribune reported.