Cumilla, October 21: The man who incited communal violence against Hindus by placing the Quran at the Durga Puja Pandal in Bangladesh has been identified as Iqbal Hussain.
Days after radical Islamists attacked Hindus in Bangladesh accusing them of insulting the Quran, police investigations have revealed the man behind the alleged scornful act of placing the Quran at the Durga Puja Pandal.
35-year-old Iqbal Hussain is responsible for the week-long communal attacks on Hindus in the neighbouring country. He is the son of Noor Ahmed Alam, a resident of the Sujanagar area of Kumilla city. Iqbal Hussain has been identified from the CCTV footage and efforts are on to arrest him. Bangladesh Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal has confirmed this.
Violence erupted on social media after some posts insulting the Quran were circulated at a worship committee in Cumilla.
In the footage, Hussain is seen walking on the road with a copy of the Quran. After some time, the Quran was not visible in his hand, he was walking with Hanuman’s mace in his hand. Well, law enforcement is still trying to arrest him. However, the Home Minister has said that he would be kept under observation and arrested at any time.
The Quran was seen at a puja pandal organized by the Darpan Committee on the north bank of Nanua Dighi in Cumilla town on Wednesday morning, the eighth day of Durga Puja.
Then a group of people attacked the pavilion, accusing it of insulting the Quran. There was a clash between the police and people who were set to attack Hindus in Hajiganj of Chandpur. Four people died in the incident.
In addition, Hindu temples, pavilions, and shops were attacked and vandalized at Begumganj in Noakhali. Two people were killed in the attack. Later, Hindu settlements in Peerganj, Rangpur were attacked, ransacked, looted and houses were set on fire.
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ISKCON temple in the Noakhali district of Bangladesh was also attacked and a devotee was killed. A case has been registered at Kotwali Model Police Station, 5 at Cumilla Sadar Dakshin Model Police Station, and one at Daudkandi Police Station. 700 people accused in the case have not been identified while the names of 91 people have been given.
The police have arrested 43 people so far. Based on the news spread in Cumilla, places of worship were vandalized in several districts including Chandpur and Chittagong. Incidents of clashes between protesters and police also came to light in Chandpur.
Mohammad Fauz Ahmed, who had posted the video of the Cumilla Puja Mandap to incite violence, was arrested by the police on 13 October itself. The police have arrested around 450 people and registered 72 cases so far in connection with the violence that followed.
