‘So many dreams lost in a flash’: Bangladesh cricketer Mortaza condemns attacks on Hindus

New Delhi: Former Bangladesh cricket captain Mashrafe Bin Mortaza has condemned the recent attacks against the Hindu community in his country, saying this is “not the red and green we wanted to see”.

In a Facebook post written in Bangla Monday, Mortaza said this is the loss of an entire nation.

“We witnessed two losses yesterday. One was Bangladesh cricket team’s, which was painful. The other was of the whole Bangladesh – one that has shattered my heart. This is not the red and green we wanted to see. So many dreams, so many hard-earned victories lost in a flash. May Allah guide us,” he wrote.

He also shared a photo of the violence.

The “‘two losses” he referred to were the Bangladesh team’s defeat to Scotland in the T20 World Cup, and Sunday’s communal violence in Rangpur where at least 29 homes of Hindus were set on fire.

Communal tensions in Bangladesh reportedly flared when a copy of the Quran was placed at a Durga Puja pandal in Nanua Dighir Par in Comilla last week.

Since then, several incidents of vandalism have been reported from various places in the country. The Bangladesh Hindu Unity Council claimed a Durga idol was vandalised in Kotwali, Chattogram, last week, following which the police arrested one accused.

Another statue was vandalised in Rustampur village in Dhaka the same day, and another incident was reported from Joypurhat.

The vandalism also incited violence in the Hajiganj sub-district in Chandpur, bordering Comilla, last week, which led to the deaths of three people while several others were injured. A fourth person succumbed to his wounds later.

Earlier, Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina had also condemned the violence and said the culprits would not be spared. At least 72 cases have been registered and 475 persons have been arrested regarding the communal violence in different parts of Bangladesh. (Agencies)