Dhaka: A group of assailants has set on fire at least 29 homes of Hindus in Bangladesh over an alleged blasphemous social media post amidst protests by the minority community against temple vandalism incidents during the Durga Puja celebrations last week, media reports said on Monday.
The arson attack happened late on Sunday on a village in Rangpur districtâs Pirgonj upazila, about 255 kms from here, the bdnews24.com reported. The police rushed to a fishermen neighbourhood as tension mounted over a rumor that a young Hindu man of the village had âdishonoured religionâ in a Facebook post, the report quoted districtâs superintendent of police Mohammad Qamruzzaman as saying. As the police stood guard around the manâs home, the attackers set fire to other homes nearby, the report said.
The Fire Service Control Room said that their report from the scene indicates that 29 residential houses, two kitchens, two barns and 20 haystacks belonging to 15 different owners were torched in Pirgonjâs Majhipara, it said, adding that an âunruly crowdâ has been identified as the cause of fire.