After the radical Muslim outfits Jamaat-e-Islami and Hefazat-e-Islam ran riot in Bangladesh, attacking Hindu homes and destroying Hindu temples right around the time when PM Narendra Modi had gone on a state visit, Bangladeshi PM Sheikh Hasina promised stern action against the Islamist groups.
The Indian PM was on a two-day Bangladesh visit on March 26-27 as the chief guest of the celebrations marking 50 years of the Bangladeshi Liberation War .
For the Bangladeshi PM, the riots were an embarrassment and were also seen as an act of defiance against her. She has directed the National Security Intelligence to take measures to contain the spread of Islamists.
Hasina, speaking in the Bangladesh parliament on Sunday (4 April), did not hesitate to point fingers at the duplicity of the leaders of the Islamist outfits who would go to Deoband, the famous Islamic seminary in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh for studies, but would protest Modi’s visit.
Speaking about Hefazat leader Mamunul Haque, Hasina said after setting vehicles on fire, he was enjoying his vacation with his second wife in a resort and asked about his source of money.
However, the opposition party the Bangladesh National Party has supported the Jamaat and the Hefazat in their protests.
The riots by members of Hefazat-e-Islam led to 12 people losing their lives and widespread destruction of property. The Islamists want Sharia law to be implemented in Bangladesh and want to add the phrase “Complete faith and trust in the Almighty Allah” into the constitution.
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