Bangladesh communal violence prime suspect 'admits' to placing Holy Quran at Cumilla mandap
Oct 22, 2021
Dhaka [Bangladesh], October 22 : Iqbal Hossain, the prime suspect of Bangladesh communal violence on Friday confessed that he placed a copy of the Holy Quran at a Durga Puja mandap in Cumilla.
A high ranking police official, who wished to remain unnamed, confirmed the matter to Dhaka Tribune.
Hossain was taken to Cumilla Police Lines on Friday morning following his arrest in Cox's Bazar the previous day.
Since then, police have been interrogating him to verify his involvement in the incident and uncover other possible leads, reported Dhaka Tribune.
The police official said he confessed to placing the Quran on the lap of the idol of Hanuman, a central character in the epic of Ramayana before stealing the club from the idol's hand.
However, Iqbal is yet to disclose if he acted alone or if he had an aide, the official added, reported Dhaka Tribune.
Cumilla police said on Wednesday Iqbal was identified from video footage of security cameras installed around the Durga Puja pavilion in the city's Nanuardighi neighbourhood. The temporary puja venue did not have a CCTV camera, but footage from a security camera at a nearby house was analyzed, said investigators.
Speaking to the media, Cumilla Additional SP M Tanvir Islam said further details would be provided to the media after police are done quizzing Iqbal.
Meanwhile, Md Foyez Ahmed, who went live on Facebook to report the alleged defamation of the Quran at a Puja venue in Nanuar Dighi area, was remanded for two days, reported Dhaka Tribune.
On October 13, a 999 call to police reported that a copy of the Quran was found on an idol of a puja venue in Cumilla.
Several temples and puja venues in the city came under attack in the afternoon as tension mounted after the video went viral. Many shared the video calling for attacks on Hindu sites on allegations of sacrilege.
The violence later spread across Bangladesh, leaving seven dead and many Hindu houses and businesses vandalized, reported Dhaka Tribune.
