Bangladesh: 101 Hindu temples and Pandals, 181 homes and retailers burnt by Islamists 2 days after ‘Ganga-Jamuna Cultural Festival’

The information of Hindu temples and houses being set on fireplace in Bangladesh by Islamists garnered international consideration with everybody from the federal government to media to non secular leaders condemning the systematic non secular assault. 
However, simply earlier than the Hindus of Bangladesh have been rendered homeless, the Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy within the capital metropolis of Dhaka had concluded the ‘Ganga-Jamuna Cultural Festival 2021.’ 
What is Ganga-Jamuna Cultural Festival?
“Aiming at consolidating the harmony between Bangladesh and India through cultural exchange, Indian and Bangladesh Committee of Ganga-Jamuna Sangskritik Utsab Parshad have jointly been organizing the 10-day festival,” learn a 2019 report on Ganga-Jamuna Cultural Festival. 
In 2021, the competition was carried out from October 01 to October 12 after a hiatus of a yr because of the pandemic. While the ‘Indian cultural organizations’ couldn’t take part this yr because of the Covid-19 journey restrictions in place, over 3,500 artists from 140 native cultural organizations participated within the occasion. 
Ganga-Jamuna Cultural Festival 2021. Image Source: The Daily Star
Ganga-Jamuna Sangskritik Utsab Parshad convener Ghulam Quddus reiterated the identical saying, “We have organized the cultural festival for eight years to promote cultural exchange between Bangladesh and India.”
Interestingly, the theme of the Ganga-Jamuna competition this yr revolved across the ‘golden jubilee of independence of Bangladesh and the birth centenary of the country’s founding president Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.’
Tributes have been additionally paid to late theatre character Amalesh Chakraborty, who initiated the Ganga-Jamuna Cultural Festival in Kolkata.
State minister for cultural affairs KM Khalid whereas talking on the inauguration had mentioned, “..From our Ministry of Cultural Affairs, we want to sponsor active cultural organizations. To ensure adequate support to the appropriate organizations, we will prepare a list and hand it over to cultural icons after proper evaluation.”
‘Violence strikes on October 13’
Ironically, simply two days after the cultural program got here to an finish, experiences of Durga Puja pandal vandalism over an alleged rumor of ‘desecration of Quran by Hindus’ began to floor within the media.
A district official himself had confirmed, “The miscreants took some pictures of this and ran away. Within a few hours, using Facebook, the propaganda spread like wildfire with the provocative pictures.”
However, the Islamic extremist mob placed on fireplace 101 Hindu temples and Pandals and 181 homes and retailers in a scientific assault that went on for 10 days leaving seven useless. The violence was carried and justified foundation a stray false submit on Facebook. 
Violence towards Hindus in Bangladesh
Several requires assist and requests to the federal government and Muslim neighborhood by the Hindus in Bangladesh fell on deaf ears. 
It has now come to gentle that the one to set off violence towards Hindus in Bangladesh is one Iqbal Hossain.
35-years-old Iqbal Hossain, son of Nur Ahmed Alam from Sujanagar space of Comilla, had reportedly positioned the Quran at a Durga Puja mandap at Nanua Dighir Par in Comilla on October thirteenth, triggering a sequence of communal violence towards minority Hindus within the nation.
This isn’t the primary time a false social media submit was used to set off violence towards Hindus. From Bangalore riots to stone pelting in Maharashtra to vandalizing a whole Hindu village over a social media submit, the template has been adopted a number of occasions by the Islamic mobs to hold out an assault towards Hindus.