Two die as mob attacks construction workers of school after temple fire

At least two people have been killed and as many others seriously injured after agitated locals attacked construction workers of a school following a fire at a temple in Faridpur’s Madhukhali Upazila.

The incident occurred in the Panchapalli area of Dumain Union Council on Thursday night, said Kamrul Hasan Talukder, deputy commissioner of the district.

 “One of them died immediately after arrival. Another person has died now,” he said at Faridpur Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical College Hospital in the wee hours of Friday, reports bdnews24.com.

 “Two other people have been seriously injured, We are trying to get them the best treatment. We will take them to Dhaka if necessary,” he said.

Three other injured people were admitted to a hospital in Madhukhali, according to Kamrul.

All of them are residents of Madhukhali, but further details were not available, the DC said.

He had earlier said the authorities had asked for three platoons of Border Guard Bangladesh, who will work to keep law and order in the area from Friday morning.

Police said additional personnel from Rajbari district were brought in to keep the situation under control.

A resident of the area said Panchapalli is mostly inhabited by Hindus. The fire broke out in the temple around 7pm.

The locals then attacked the workers who were constructing a toilet at Panchapalli Government Primary School next to the place of worship.

It was not clear how the fire started at the temple.

The authorities deployed police in the area. Besides Kamrul and Superintendent of Police Morshed Alam, senior officials of the district administration and law-enforcing agencies visited the neighbourhood. 

Morshed said four people were rescued and sent to hospital. The situation calmed down, he said. Two more people were later seen being ambulanced to hospital.

Local union council Chairman Asaduzzaman Tapan said he had received a phone call in the evening from Ajit, member of the council’s ward No. 1 and identified with a single name.

 “He told me to come sharp as someone set fire to the temple,” Tapan said. “When I asked who, he said laourers. He also said they had caught the labourers.”

 “I quickly came and saw thousands of people gathered here. I tried to calm them, but the situation was very tense. I then called the authorities, the UNO. They came and brought the situation under control,” Tapan said.  

Locals said police and administrative officials faced obstruction from the residents of the area initially. Police from the district unit rescued the injured people later.

Assistant SP Mizanur Rahman said the locals attacked the construction workers after “someone set fire to the temple”.

At midnight, the entire area was cordoned off by law-enforcing agencies. Police were firing warning shots at the empty streets.