'2016: Year of concern over minority repression'

Killings of temple priests and devotees started with the murder of Jaggeshwar Roy, principal of Gourio Moth in Debiganj of Panchagarh in February 2016.

And the trends of killing, wounds and repression continued throughout the year, said Ain O Salish Kendra (ASK), a human rights body.

It said common people of minority were attacked at Ashashuni of Satkhira in the first half of the year. The year 2016 came to an end with the attack on minority people in Brahmanbaria.

ASK came up with a grim picture of rights situation for the minorities in a report, titled 'Bangladesh Human Rights Situation 2016' released on Saturday.

In the year, it said, 192 houses, 2 business establishments, 197 idols worship halls and temples were vendalised or came under arson attack, and 5 pieces of land and houses were grabbed.

These incidents caused death to seven people of minorities and injured 67 others. Principals and devotees of temples were killed in Panchagarh, Gopalganj, Tangail, Jhenaidah, Pabna, Jessore and Bogra.

The victims include a devotee from Keshabpur upazila of Jessore named Prabeen Mallik who was found dead after his 13 days of disappearance.

The ASK report said, after UP elections, 100 Hindu families were forced to leave their houses from four villages of Ashashuni.

Arson attacks and vandalism carried out by the supporters of a defeated UP candidate on 29 May, taht damaged more than 100 houses of Hindu families in Cox's bazar. The attackers there injured 30 men by beating.

Following romours of hurting religious sentiment, the attack on religious minorities took place in Nasirnagar, Brhamnbaria, on 30 October. Fifteen temples and more than 50 houses were attacked and looted in Harinber village and Nasirnagar, the ASK added.