Bangladesh: Hardline Hefazat-e-Islam supporters attack Hindu village over social media post

Thousands of hardline Islamist organisation Hefazat-e-Islam supporters on Wednesday attacked a Hindu village in Shalla upazila of Sunamgan district, after a Hindu man criticised the group joint-secretary general Mawlana Mufti Mamunul's speech in social media post.

Thousands of hardline Islamist orgsation Hefazat-e-Islam supporters on Wednesday attacked a Hindu village in Shalla upazila of Sunamgan district, after a Hindu man criticised the group joint-secretary general Mawlana Mufti Mamunul's speech in social media post.

A young Hindu man from Noagaon, Shalla upazila allegedly made a Facebook post criticizing Mamunul, who opposed the sculpture of Bangabandhu on Tuesday.

After this, a mob with makeshift weapons attacked the village on Wednesday, Dhaka Tribune reported.

Hefazat leaders in the area had already staged a protest on Tuesday night, accusing the social media post of inciting religious violence.

To bring the situation under control, the police arrested the youth the same night.

However, several thousand followers of Hefazat leader Mamunul Haque from Kashipur, Nachni, Chandipur and some other Muslim-populated villages gathered in Noagaon village at around 9 am on Wednesday and attacked the homes of local Hindus.

According to the police, 70-80 houses were vandalized in the incident.

Habibpur union chairman Vivekananda Majumder Bakul said several houses in the village had been attacked.

Many local Hindus fled their homes to save themselves. The followers of Hefazat-e-Islam entered the village, ransacked and looted many houses.

An umbrella platform for ulema (religious scholars), Hefazat-e-Islam was established in 2010 in Chittagong ostensibly to defend Islam from ruling Awami League's allegedly anti-Islamic policies, especially a proposed policy to confer equal inheritance rights to women

In 2013, it mobilized its supporters against surging secular activism in the country.

( With inputs from ANI )