Bangladesh police have identified the man whose ‘blasphemous actions’ led to a series of communal incidents against the Hindus, in the past week. Reportedly, 35-year-old Iqbal Hossain, son of Nur Ahmed Alam from the Sujanagar area, has been identified as the culprit who planted a copy of the Quran at the feet of bhagwan Ganesha in the Durga pantheon at Nanuyar Dighir Par Temple in Comilla district last Tuesday night.
According to the Dhaka Tribune, the police were able to zero in on the identity of the accused, after analyzing the CCTV footage at the venue where the Hindu holy festival of Durga Puja was taking place. However, Iqbal is yet to be arrested, as he is on a run from the authorities.
In the video released by Bangladesh authorities, Iqbal is seen taking the Quran from a local mosque and walking into a Durga Puja venue. He was later seen walking away with the mace of bhagwan Hanuman.
#Bangladesh police arrested Iqbal Hossain for placing Quran inside Durga Puja Mandap in Comilla on 13 Oct night. From CCTV footage, Iqbal is identified. He wanted to instigate violence against hindu minorities. But his family is trying to prove him as mentally unstable. pic.twitter.com/x9LFPesEqa
— Hindu Voice (@HinduVoice_in) October 21, 2021
Farooq Ahmed, Superintendent of Police, Comilla, confirmed the identity on Wednesday and remarked that Iqbal Hossain is a drifter. It is still being ascertained if Iqbal is connected to any political party, as several reports earlier had remarked that it was the work of BNP or Jamaat-e-Islam miscreants. Meanwhile, Amena Begum, Iqbal’s mother, claimed that Iqbal was a drug addict and used to torture his family members in various ways.
Iqbal Hossain placed a Quran on the lap of Hanuman idol and stole his gada. Why Islamists not eating him alive for disrespecting the Quran? Already Islamists blamed Hindus and destroyed their properties for the 'crime' they haven't committed! #Bangladesh pic.twitter.com/zmFDULtQkr
— taslima nasreen (@taslimanasreen) October 20, 2021
The liberals had tried to spin the communal episode as a minor scuffle between two factions that was seemingly blown out of proportion. However, with Iqbal confirmed as the perpetrator, it is clear that the conspiracy was hatched by Islamists looking to terrorize Hindus and inflict maximum damage upon them.
Ethnic genocide going in Bangladesh
As reported by the TFI, Durga Puja – the biggest Hindu festival to be celebrated in Bangladesh, came to an abrupt and violent end on Wednesday (October 13), when Islamists’ mobs ravaged the Hindu pandals and mandaps, desecrating the vigrahas and creating chaos by killing 4 people and leaving hundreds injured.
The chain of communal violence started with a rumor that Hindus were disrespecting the ‘holy Quran’ by placing it at the feet of ‘idol gods’. Idolatry is prohibited in Islam and thus, the radicals as well as fanatics of the religion took offence and went on a rampage.
Read More: Durga Puja ends early in Bangladesh
A district official was quoted as saying, “The miscreants took some pictures of this and ran away. Within a few hours, using Facebook, the propaganda spread like wildfire with the provocative pictures,”
Following Comilla violence, incidents of vandalism were also reported from temples in Chandpur’s Hajiganj, Chattogram’s Banshkhali, and Cox’s Bazar’s Pekua.
The temple desecrated
The violent, communal incidents against Hindus reached a tipping point on Friday (October 15) when the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) temple in the Noakhali district in the Chittagong Division of Bangladesh was attacked by a blood-thirsty, frenzied mob of 400-500 radical Islamists.
ISKCON temple & devotees were violently attacked today by a mob in Noakhali, Bangladesh. Temple suffered significant damage & the condition of a devotee remains critical.
We call on the Govt of Bangladesh to ensure the safety of all Hindus & bring the perpetrators to justice. pic.twitter.com/ZpHtB48lZi
— ISKCON (@iskcon) October 15, 2021
ISKCON temple took to Twitter to share the barbarity of the situation with pictures. “ISKCON temple & devotees were violently attacked today by a mob in Noakhali, Bangladesh. Temple suffered significant damage & the condition of a devotee remains critical. We call on the Govt of Bangladesh to ensure the safety of all Hindus & bring the perpetrators to justice.” it tweeted.
Will revert to a secular constitution: Bangladesh cabinet minister
After the Indian government lodged a strong protest in the aftermath of the dastardly attacks, the Sheikh Hasina government has been working briskly to satiate New Delhi.
Reported by TFI, Murad Hassan a prominent minister in the Hasina cabinet, currently holding the state minister for information portfolio in an attempt to clean the slate stated that Bangladesh is a secular country that would revert to the 1972 constitution proposed by the ‘Father of the Nation’, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
According to a WION report, the minister said, “We have the blood of freedom fighters in our body. At any cost, we have to go back to the constitution of ’72. I will speak in Parliament to go back to the constitution that Bangabandhu went through. Even if no one speaks, Murad will speak in Parliament.”
“I do not think that Islam is our state religion. We’ll go back to the constitution of 1972. We’ll get that bill enacted in parliament under Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s leadership.” Hassan added whilst remarking that Bangladesh is a non-communal country and everyone can practice their faith here.
The treatment meted towards Hindus in Bangladesh is a classic example of an Islamic majority nation trampling upon the rights of a minority and in particular Hindus, the ultimate Kaafirs worshipping stone-idols. Make no mistake, Hindus are facing a full-blown ethnic genocide in the country, and unless the likes of Iqbal are punished severely, the cycle will continue to repeat.
