Laxmi idol found at Brahmanbaria mosque

Six days into the attack on Hindu temples and houses in Nasirnagar upazila of Brahmanbaria, police recovered an idol of Goddess Laxmi from a mosque in the upazila.  

Acting on a tip-off, a team of police recovered the idol from the mosque at Bitui village, Officer-in-Charge of Nasirnagar Police Station Abu Zafar told The Daily Star.

Police suspect that this could be one of the idols stolen on October 30 during the attack on five Hindu temples that left 100 people injured.

Imam of the mosque Mohammaed Shahabuddin saw the idol after he finished his call for Fajr prayers and informed the police, a correspondent reports from the spot.

On October 30, around 200 religious bigots attacked at least five temples and vandalised and looted about 100 Hindu houses in several localities in Nasirnagar over a Facebook post purportedly from the account of one Rasraj Das. The attackers also beat up more than 100 people.

The attack was made claiming that the post “hurt the religious sentiment” of the Muslims.

Before his arrest and the systematic mayhem, Rasraj claimed he had nothing to do with the post, but apologised for it anyway. Relatives say his account may have been hacked.

Five days into the attacks, five Hindu homes were torched in Nasirnagar yesterday, spreading panic among the already frightened minority community.