Attacks on Durga Puja show impunity of Bangladesh\u2019s Islamist extremists<\/p>\n
Media reports have detailed numerous attacks on the Hindu celebrations of Durga Puja and places of worship in at least 10 of Bangladesh\u2019s 64 districts this week.<\/p>\n
The exact number killed and injured is still unknown, with some estimates showing that at least\u00a0four Hindus<\/a>\u00a0have been killed and\u00a0more than 60<\/a>\u00a0people have been injured.<\/p>\n \u201cThese attacks on Hindus in Bangladesh have long been ignored by the international community,\u201d said Deepali Kulkarni, the Hindu American Foundation\u2019s Director of Human Rights. \u201cDurga Puja is an important sacred Hindu festival. By killing Hindus and attacking their places of worship on what was supposed to be a wholesome and peaceful day, Islamist extremists continue to terrorize Hindu communities in Bangladesh,\u201d she continued.<\/p>\n This latest violence is said to have occurred after a claim on Facebook that a Quran was purportedly \u2018desecrated\u2019 by placing it near the feet of the sacred image of Goddess Durga in Cumilla district.<\/p>\n This accusation of placing the Quran at the feet of the Goddess Durga, if true, would have been a gesture of respect in the eyes of Hindus.<\/p>\n Awami League officials<\/a>\u00a0have discounted this accusation, calling Facebook a \u201cmultiplier for radicals to spread hate messages,\u201d saying that no Hindu in Bangladesh would do something like this.<\/p>\n After the Indian Commissioner\u00a0spoke out<\/a>\u00a0about the \u201cdisturbing\u201d reports of violence stating that they were in touch with Bangladesh authorities on Thursday, paramilitary forces were deployed on Friday to more than 35 districts in an attempt to curb the extreme violence against Hindus. Additionally, authorities have shut down internet access in the capital city of Dhaka for much of the day in an attempt to curb the burgeoning violence.<\/p>\n