In a communal riot that broke out earlier this month in Bangladesh, two men accused of incitementhave admitted their guilt. The duo confessed to inciting violence against the minority Hindu community in their statements to the courts. In connection with the violence, 683 people were arrested by the police in Bangladesh, including Shaikat Mandal and Rabiul Islam. According to the reports by the news agency PTI ,Shaikat Mandal and his accomplice Rabiul Islam have admitted their role before a senior judicial magistrate, Delwar Hossain, in (north-western) Rangpur.
Social media post
Upon his arrest, Mandal, a philosophy student at the Carmichael College in Rangpur in Pirganj sub-district, was expelled from the ruling Awami League’s student wing, Chhatra League. According to him, his Facebook post triggered violence against Hindus in Rangpur during Durga Puja festivities on October 17. The Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) official told Bangladeshi news outlet bdnews.com that Shaikat Mandal uploaded the objectionable content on Facebook in order to increase his followers.
An accomplice of Mandal, Rabiul Islam, is a cleric. The 36-year-old man has been charged with arson and looting. Islam confessed to the magistrate that he used the loudspeaker to make announcements that led to attacks against the Hindu minority.
Over 600 arrests were made
Apart from Mandal and Islam, five others have admitted to inciting communal violence during Durga Puja festivities in Bangladesh. 683 people were arrested by the police in connection with the violence in Bangladesh. According to reports, the violence was sparked by a social media post that went viral on October 13. Around 70 Hindu homes in Bangladesh were attacked as a result. In addition, violence broke out in Bangladesh’s Comilla after a Quran was found in a Durga Puja pandal.
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In connection with the case, police arrested 35-year-old Iqbal Hossain. CCTV cameras caught Hossain placing a Quran at the Durga Puja pandal and Fayez Ahmed posted a video of the act on social media with the intention of inciting violence. Last week, Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina asked people not to trust social media posts without checking facts.
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