DHAKA – Hindu temples and a train were attacked in eastern Bangladesh on Sunday as the South Asian country is witnessing massive protests in the wake of a visit by the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
At least 10 protesters have so far been killed in clashes with police during demonstrations in Chittagong and Dhaka since Friday, when Modi arrived in the capital to mark the 50th anniversary of Bangladesh’s nationhood.
Protesters accuse Modi of discriminating against minority Muslims in Hindu-majority India and violence escalated rapidly during his visit.
Before leaving on Saturday, he gifted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina some 1.2 million COVID-19 vaccine shots.
“They attacked the train and damaged its engine room and almost all the coaches,” one police official told Reuters, declining to be named as he was not authorised to speak to the media.
On Sunday, activists of the Hefazat-e-Islam group attacked a train in the eastern district of Brahmanbaria, resulting in ten people being injured. Several Hindu temples in the town were also attacked, Reuters reported.
