Radical Islamists with the support of some vested interests created panic in the country through attacks on religious minority groups, observers say, but they have now widened the targets.
Shifting from the previous style of tormenting only the Hindus, the radicals in recent years attacked Shia Muslims, Christian priests and Buddhists to create anarchy and put the government in an embarrassing situation.
Rights bodies and minority leaders think that the recent attacks were perpetrated by the militants with the support of anti-government parties like Jamaat-e-Islami and the BNP, and groups like Hefazat-e-Islam.
The militant and radical groups have a common goal – establishing Islamic rule in the country.
The latest attack took place at a Shia mosque in Bogra on Thursday, where one person was killed and three others injured as gunmen opened fire on devotees performing their evening prayers. Shia are a minority sect of Muslims in Bangladesh.
Only a month back, miscreants, believed to be JMB militants and Jamaat’s student body Islami Chhatra Shibir members, launched attacks on Tazia procession in Old Dhaka’s Hossaini Dalan killing two people on October 24.
According to detectives, the attempted murders of Christian priests in Pabna and Dinajpur, and the murder of religious scholar Khijir Khan were also carried out by the Islamic extremists. Moreover, dozens of other priests and their followers got death threats recently for preaching Christianity.
Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal said that an organised group with the help of their local and foreign agents were carrying out the attacks one after another to create anarchy in the country.
“But there is nothing to worry about. We have already unmasked the culprits behind some cases including Italian citizen Cesare Tavella murder,” he told the Dhaka Tribune yesterday.
Mahfuza Khanam, a member of the National Human Rights Commission, echoed the minister, saying: “It is clear that a group of people, who are trying to fulfil their agenda, are conducting the murders and giving false explanation to common people.”
She thinks that people need to be better educated on religious issues through mass awareness programmes to stop such incidents of communal attacks.
Rana Das Gupta, general secretary of Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Oikya Parishad, said: “Earlier we saw attacks only on the Hindus and Buddhists. But now criminal groups are attacking Muslims in mosques, too. It is very alarming for the country.”
It is not an issue whether Islamic State is operating in Bangladesh or not. “The government should take action against those responsible for each of the attacks. It is very clear that a group of people are conducting the attacks only to materialise their political agenda of turning the country into a state like Afghanistan and Pakistan,” he told the Dhaka Tribune.
William Proloy Somoddar, organising secretary of Bangladesh Christian Association, also said these attacks were politically motivated.
MM Firoz Hossain, superintendent of Hossaini Dalan Imambara, also blamed political groups and issues for such attacks. He also urged people of the country to raise their voice and not to be confused after hearing some false explanations of Islam.