People from the Hindu community at a protest rally on Saturday demanded the immediate reconstruction of the makeshift temple that the railway authorities have demolished at Khilkhet in Dhaka city.
Their demand came at the protest rally held in front of the National Press Club by Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council, Minority Unity Front, and Bangladesh Puja Celebration Council.
Addressing the event, unity council acting general secretary Monindra Kumar Nath questioned how in an independent country the government could demolish a temple, and arrest a man and his son in Lalmonirhat on 鈥榝alse charges of religious defamation鈥�.
He called on the government to form an investigation committee to identify and punish those responsible for the demolition.
The protesters alleged that the railway authorities on Thursday demolished only the temple after a mob gathered there few days ago demanding its removal, while other nearby establishments remained untouched.聽
They also demanded the immediate release of Paresh Chandra Shil, 69, and his son, Bishnu Chandra Shil, 35, whom a mob had beaten up recently and handed them over to the police on charges of 鈥榬eligious defamation鈥� in Lalmonirhat.聽聽
Alleging that persecution of religious and national minorities continued during the interim government鈥檚 tenure, they urged the authorities to take immediate steps to end it.聽
Emphasising that an inclusive, secular Bangladesh was founded in 1971 through the War of Independence, they alleged that sectarian forces, both domestic and foreign, were now using the interim government as a cover to persecute religious and national minorities.
These sectarian quarters were looting the homes of minority families, vandalising places of their worship, attacking individuals bringing false allegations against them of hurting religious sentiment, and filing lawsuits against minority leaders across the country, they alleged.
Following the rally, which was chaired by unity council president Nim Chandra Bhowmik and moderated by its joint general secretary Shyamal Kumar Ray, protesters marched through streets before ending at the National Press Club.
Earlier, the Bangladesh Railway authorities said that they demolished the temple named Khilkhet Sarbojanin Shri Shri Durga Mandir as it was illegally built on the railway property.
