Officials
said the mob comprising some 25,000 people set fire today to at least five
Buddhist temples and dozens of homes in Ramu town and its adjoining villages,
about 350km from Dhaka. The
rioters claimed the photo allegedly defaming the Koran was uploaded on Facebook
by a Buddhist man from the area, district administrator Joinul Bari said.
"They became unruly and attacked
Buddhist houses, torching and damaging their temples from midnight to Sunday
morning," he told AFP. "At
least 100 houses were damaged. We called in army and border guards to quell the
violence."
The
authorities had temporarily banned public gatherings in the area to prevent
further clashes, Bari said. It was not immediately clear if there were any
casualties, and authorities did not say if any of the rioters were arrested.
Buddhists,
who make up less than one per cent of Bangladesh's 153 million population, are
based mainly in southeastern districts, close to the border with
Buddhist-majority Burma. Sectarian tensions have been running high since June,
when deadly clashes erupted between Buddhists and Muslim Rohingya in Burma's
western Rakhine state.
Although
Bangladesh has witnessed deadly clashes between Muslims and Hindus in the past,
sectarian clashes involving Buddhists are rare. In recent weeks tens of
thousands of Muslims have hit the street across the country to protest a
US-made anti-Islam film mocking the prophet Mohammed.
Ramu/Cox's Bazar, Sep 30 (bdnews24.com)—The communal violence that ravaged a pre-dominantly Buddhist village in Cox's Bazar's Ramu Upazila was instigated by a religion-based political party, residents of the locality alleged.
They said
the party played with local Rohingya refugees' rage against people of the
Buddhist community after the recent sectarian violence between Muslims and
Buddhists in northern Rakhine province in Myanmar.
 |
| Jamaat-e-Islami Muslim Extremist Party. |
Those who
addressed the rally claimed a Buddhist youth named Uttam Barua of Bouddha Parha
posted the photograph on his Facebook account. The rally touched off a mayhem
that lasted for five hours starting around 11:30pm. Seven Buddhist Viharas or
monasteries, around 30 houses and shops were torched, and more than a hundred
other houses and shops were also attacked, vandalised and looted.
District
administration had to impose section 144, which bans public gathering, for an
indefinite period on Sunday morning to rein in the unrest, followed by the
commissioning of an inquiry into the incident. The incident shocked Prime
Minister Sheikh Hasina, who is currently visiting New York, who ordered
bringing attackers into book.
Buddhists
and other ethnic and religious minorities were living in fear in Ramu and areas
close by even though huge contingents of Police, Rapid Action Battalion, Border
Guard Bangladesh and Army were deployed to contain the unrest.
Locals
alleged the unrest turned catastrophic just because of 'negligence' by police
and RAB officials in ensuring security to distressed people. Home Minister Mohiuddin Khan
Alamgir, while visiting the area on Sunday, said the attacks were
"planned."
"The
attack was conducted in a coordinated manner. Temples and houses were set on
fire using patrol and gun powder. It would have been impossible if the attacks
were not planned," he revealed.
Resident
Director of Sheema Rajban Vihara at Merongloa Parha in the Ramu, Progyananda
Bhikkhu, shared his firsthand experience with bdnews24.com. He said at first a
procession came and hurled brickbats at the houses in the area and vandalised
boundary walls made of corrugated iron sheets.
"Around
four to five hundred people chanting 'Naraye Takbir' entered our Parha
(locality) as the night got darker. They set the temples on fire first,"
said Progyananda. According to him, two
donation boxes and a gold idol of Buddha were looted during the attack and at
least 10 houses were set ablaze.
 |
| The Jamaat-e-Islami rally calling for killing of Buddhists. |
The
Buddhist religious leader said it was the first time he encountered such
violence and did not know how to respond. "The
violence spread due to a reluctant administration. Had police and RAB members
taken the early initiative, the whole incident would have been averted,"
he said.
General Secretary of a temple in the Vihara, Tarun
Barua reported seeing people whom he had never before seen in his locality. "We have been living long
alongside the Muslims. We did not even imagine that they could attack us. Such
a big attack in reprisal of such a trivial incident was unbelievable,"
said Barua.
Residents
of different areas including Mithachharhi and Shreekul had similar observations
to make. Barua believes
the anger of the Rohingya refugees living in Cox's Bazaar was fanned.
"Jamaat-e-Islami may have instigated the unrest," he suggested.
Cox's
Bazaar Jhilongja Union Parishad Chairman Gias Uddin Ziku said he found
Jamaat-e-Islami activists gathering around different villages of minority
people and he himself made them to leave and reported it to the police.
Ziku, also
Office Secretary of Cox's Bazar district committee of Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal,
heard the news of the attack minutes later. Ramu
Upazila Parishad Chairman Sohel Sarowar Kajal thought the violence was carried
out by hiring people from outside Ramu.
He also
pointed the finger at the neglect of RAB and Police for the situation getting
worse. "They reached the crime scene way later. Many damages could have
been avoided if they had arrived as soon as violence broke out."
Cox's
Bazaar district Superintendent of Police Selim Mohammed Jahangir declined
comment on the matter. "Everybody
is interpreting the incident to their liking. Members of the law-enforcing
agencies including the police were deployed for containing the situation in the
affected areas," said Jahangir.
 |
| Buddhist ward being burned by Muslim mob. |
Home
Minister Alamgir and Industry Minister Dilip Barua visited the affected area on
Sunday morning, promising financial assistance from the government in the
rebuilding process. Alamgir ordered investigation into the allegation of
negligence on the part of the law-enforcing agencies. Chittagong Divisional
Commissioner Sirajul Hoque asked the five-strong probe body to report in ten
days.
The
incident left scores homeless out under open sky, more insecure than ever.
Four temples and 15 houses were burnt down in
Shreekul Barua Parha. "We
don't understand why life has undergone this change. They attacked us with
machetes and hammers. We don't even know who they are," said Nikash Barua,
a resident.
He said he
heard the slogan 'Naraye Takbir' during the attack.
Cox's Bazaar district Ameer of Jamaat-e-Islami
Md Shahjahan brushed aside the allegations of instigating the unrest.
"Causing damages to life and livelihood, or
attacking religious institutions should not be the language of protests. Islam
does not permit it either. Jamaat-e-Islami despises these acts," said
Shahjahan. He, however,
said instigators were those who want to turn the country into a 'militant'
state.
 |
| Matiur Rahman Nizami, chief of the Jamaat-e-Islami party and the accused war criminal. |
The
incident also left Muslims of the area shocked and grappling with the
justification for the attack on Buddhists. "I
don't understand why it all happened? We all live together," said Chhalim
Ullah, a rickshaw-puller, as he visited the ravaged area.