Rampage in Bangladesh over Facebook Quran image

October 01, 2012 11:13

Hundreds of Muslim mobs went on the rampage in a Buddhist-majority village in southeastern Bangladesh following an alleged desecration of Muslim holy book of Quran on social network Facebook.

"About one thousand angry mobs vandalized and set ablaze at least 13 Buddhist houses and five temples in Merunloa village in Cox''s Bazar district," Faruk Ahmed, a senior police officer, told Xinhua from Cox's Bazar district, some 391 km southeast of capital Dhaka.

"The Facebook account holder, Uttom Kumar Barua, in the village in Cox's Bazar's Ramu subdistrict has taken a photo of trampling on the holy Quran and uploaded it from his Facebook account," he said.

Ahmed said after the news about the defaming picture spread, hundreds of Muslims, who were already angry over a US-made anti- Islam film, took to the street on Saturday night.

Protesters launched attacks on the houses and the temples before the law enforcers reached the scene to bring situation under control in the wee hours of Sunday, he said.

According to the police official, Barua and his family have gone into hiding.

Ahmed claimed that no one was injured in the violence which lasted for several hours.

"The situation is now completely under control," said Selim Md Jahangir, the district's police chief.

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