Hill Voice, 19 October 2021, Special Correspondent: Militant Muslims attacked, set fire and looted the Hindu village of Pirganj in Rangpur, accusing of insulting Islam on Facebook. The incident took place at 10 pm on Sunday, October 17.

The villages attacked and looted are the Hindu-dominated Bara Karimpur, Kasba and Uttarpara areas. At least 18 houses were burnt to ashes and 48 houses were looted. Farmers, fishermen and day laborers of the local Hindu community fled their homes during the attack. They alleged that extremist Muslims looted money, gold ornaments and cattle from Hindu villagers. At the end, they poured petrol and set fire to the houses.

According to police and local sources, a Hindu teenager from Majhipara of Ramnathpur Union in Rangpur was rumored to have posted a picture on Facebook on Sunday insulting Islam. Hundreds of Muslim devotees then surrounded the adolescent’s house. But before that, the members of the house fled elsewhere. At that time the police of Pirganj police station and the Upazila Nirbahi Officer went to the house to bring the situation under control. The police then surrounded the whole house and tried to calm down the situation by convincing the locals.

But in the midst of that tense situation, a group of unruly Muslims vandalized and looted houses, shops and temples in the Hindu-dominated Bara Karimpur, Kasba and Uttarpara areas of the union at 10 pm on Sunday. Later they set fire and fled from there.

Superintendent of Police Biplob Kumar Sarkar, who visited the spot, said it was a well-planned attack to carry out vandalism and sabotage in three villages and brutal torture of innocent people based on a Facebook post.

He added, “About three hundred people gathered on Sunday night. They poured petrol on the village and set it on fire. The incident of arson by spraying petrol immediately is well-planned.”