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In the wake of recent communal attacks on Hindus in Bangladesh during the Durga Puja festivities, a High Court in Bangladesh has directed the concerned district judges to investigate the incidents that took place across six districts of the country.

The district judges have also been asked to investigate the matter and submit a report to the high court within the next 60 days.

A bench comprising Justice Md Mojibur Rahman Mia and Justice Kamrul Hossain Mollah passed the order on October 27, 2021 after hearing a writ petition seeking removal of provocative posts from social media and judicial inquiry into the communal attack.

As per a Bangladesh news report, the court wanted to know why the inaction and failure of those involved in protecting Durga Puja pandals, temples, houses, life and property of Hindus would not be illegal and why it would not be directed to protect life, worship and property of Hindu community.

On October 15, over 80 locations in Comilla district of Bangladesh, majoritarian violence against Hindu minority community took place , leading to further unrest across Bangladesh. Allegedly, a photo showing the Quran placed on the knee of a Hindu deity went viral on social media during the Hindu holy festival of Durga Puja following which mobs torched dozens of Hindu homes and vandalized temples and statues throughout the country.

Apart from Comilla, the other five districts included Chandpur, Noakhali, Chittagong, Rangpur and Feni where such incidents happened. 

Pertaining to these attacks, a writ petition was filed in the High Court on October 26 seeking directions to remove all provocative posts and videos posted on social media for the purpose of destroying the community.

As per a report from Human Rights Watch, Hindus, who make up about 10 percent of Bangladesh’s Muslim-majority population, have repeatedly come under attack. Reportedly, at least 3,679 attacks on the Hindu community has taken place since January 2013, including vandalism, arson, and targeted violence.