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Dhaka: Amid outrage over the incidents of temple vandalism in Bangladesh, a group of assailants vandalised at least 66 homes and torched 20 homes of Hindus in the country on Sunday over an alleged blasphemous social media post.
As per local media reports, the arson attack happened late on Sunday at a village about 255 km from the capital city Dhaka.
'The police rushed to a colony of fishermen as tension mounted over a report that a young Hindu man from the village had "dishonoured religion" in a Facebook post,' the report quoted district's superintendent of police Mohammad Qamruzzaman as saying.
As the police stood guard around the man's home, the attackers set fire to other homes nearby, the report said.
As per the Fire Service Control Room's report, 29 residential houses, two kitchens, two barns and 20 haystacks belonging to 15 different people were torched in Majhipara, and the report added that an "unruly crowd" has been identified as the cause of the fire.
The fire service received a report of the fire at 8:45 PM and finally put it out by 4:10 AM, the report said. There were no immediate reports of casualties.
The police have arrested 52 suspects in the case while the search for other suspects is underway.
The arson comes at a time when communal violence broke out in several places in Bangladesh on Wednesday after news broke on social media about the alleged desecration of the Holy Quran at a Durga Puja venue on the bank of Nanuar Dighi.
Several puja venues were vandalized in the area of Chandpur, Chittagong, Gazipur, Bandarban, Chapainawabganj and Moulvibazar. The clashes resulted in several casualties.
On Thursday, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina promised to bring to justice the culprits behind the violence, saying anyone involved in the attacks on Hindu temples and Durga Puja venues in Cumilla will not be spared.