Hindu temple, homes vandalised in Bangladesh over Facebook post: reports

Attacks on religious minorities in Muslim-majority Bangladesh have increased in recent years

A temple, shops and several houses of the Hindu community have been vandalised in southwestern Bangladesh by some unidentified persons over a Facebook post allegedly belittling Islam, in the latest spate of violence targeting the religious minority in the country, according to media reports on Sunday.

Police fired warning shots to disperse a mob that vandalised several homes and torched one of them in Sahapara village in Narail district on Friday evening, bdnews24.com, an online newspaper quoted Haran Chandra Paul, an inspector at the local police station, as saying.

The attackers also threw bricks at a temple in the village during the attack around 7:30 p.m. (local time), he said.

They also broke the furniture inside the temple.

Several shops were also vandalised, The Daily Star newspaper reported.

Mr. Haran said a young man posted something offensive on Facebook, triggering anger among Muslims. Police took his father to the police station after a search for the young man failed to trace him.

As tension mounted over the post after the Friday prayer, a group of Muslims demonstrated outside their home in the afternoon. They attacked the homes later. No attacker was arrested.