Blasphemy charges fly thick and fast in Bangladesh.
Now, another Hindu man was arrested by the Bangladesh police after he allegedly committed blasphemy.
The Hindu man in question is a grocery seller and was arrested by the police for committing blasphemy against Islam, the religion of the majority in Bangladesh. The Hindu man is alleged to have committed blasphemy by posting a picture disrespecting Islam.
The incident is from the Panchbibi Upazila of Joypurhat District and Bangla paper BDNews.com covered the news on 2nd February 2017 and reported that the parents of Hindu man Sujan Kumar Mohanta (30) say that he has been wrongfully arrested.
Md. Ashraful Islam – Officer in charge of Panchbibi told BDnews.com that Mohanta posted a picture on his Facebook account which was unflattering to Islamic religion and the post created communal tensions in the area. As tension increased Sujan Kumar was arrested on the night of 1st of February 2017 from his house. The Officer in Charge of Panchbibi also deputed police for protection of the local Temples fearing assaults from the Muslims.
A similar incident took place in October 2016 when after an alleged blasphemy by a Hindu man, many Temples and houses of Hindus were looted and desecrated leading to an international outcry.
However, later it turned out that man charged with blasphemy, Rasraj, was innocent.
Advocate Rabindra Ghosh of Bangladesh Minority Watch (BDMW) spoke to Md. Ashraful Islam, Officer in Charge of Panchbibi police station who became angry at his questions and expressed his inability to provide a reason behind the arrest of Hindu man. He, however, said that a case No.03 dated 02.02.2017 under section 57 of Information and Technology Act against Sujan Kumar has been registered.
Muslim Mayor stands up for the Hindu boy accused of blasphemy
Habibur Rahman, Mayor of Panchbibi City Corporation, told advocate Rabindra Ghosh that the incident is a concocted one and was a conspiracy against the Hindu boy. But only after a thorough inquiry will the Hindu man be able to secure his release and that may take time.
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