Cooked-up stories shared on social media to embarrass govt: Momen

Foreign minister AK Abdul Momen on Thursday said some enthusiastic media and individuals are unfortunately spreading cooked-up stories of deaths and rapes of religious minorities basically to embarrass the government of Sheikh Hasina that is committed to religious harmony in the country.

He said all the perpetrators have been arrested and are now in police custody while the houses that were burned down have been rebuilt and everyone got compensation, reports UNB.

“Till date six people died during recent religious violence,” Momen said in a message shared with the media.

Among the deceased, he said, four are Muslims and they died in a clash with police when they tried to torch the houses of the Hindu community, and two Hindus died - one a normal death and another by drowning.

“None was raped and not a single temple was torched or destroyed. However, a couple of deities were vandalised,” he said.

In recent years, Momen said, there has been a proliferation of puja venues in every place, including individual houses, as the government pays money for every puja venue and there is a shortage of police personnel to monitor all of them on a 24/7 days a week.

To avoid such incidents of abuse, he said, the puja organisers should not leave their venues unattended.

The foreign minister also said a drug-addict reportedly left a copy of the Holy Quran near the foot of a deity when there was no worshipper or organiser at the puja venue, and another person took a photo of it and put it up on Facebook that sparked outrage, leading to vandalism and ransacking.