Dhaka: A Hindu man was stabbed to death and a temple was damaged in two separate attacks in Bangladesh as violence against the minority community continued despite the government's warning of stern action.
Haripad Mondol, a 50-year-old well-off farmer, died after he was stabbed by a masked assailant in his home in northern Natore district today. His wife Bishaka Rani, 45, and some relatives were injured in the attack, police were quoted as saying by Bdnews24.
Mondol's younger brother Chaitanya said the dead farmer had inherited a huge property but did not have any children. They did not have any feud with their neighbours, he said.Police officials said they were trying to ascertain the motive behind the murder.
Mita Rani, the victim's niece, said she had seen the masked person stabbing her uncle just after midnight. The assailant also stabbed Mita before fleeing. In Nolchiti area of southwestern Jhalokathi district, a temple was damaged when unidentified persons tried to burn down the homes of two Hindu families late yesterday.
Police official A F M Anwar Hossain told Bdnews24 that local residents and the two households doused the flames. The flames partly damaged a temple in one of the homes, he said. The fire gutted images of Hindu gods but people put it out before it could do more damage.
Police are investigating whether the incidents were premeditated. Activists of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and fundamentalist Jamaat-e-Islami have been blamed for attacks on Hindus, who were accused of backing the Awami League which won the January 5 polls after a boycott by the opposition.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has blamed her arch-rival, BNP chief Khaleda Zia, for the attacks on minorities. The government last week said it would set up special tribunals under an anti-terror law to punish those responsible for the violence.
