Members of the Hindu community staged human chain programmes and demonstrations in Jhenidah on Saturday, protesting the alleged insult to Lord Ram and threats to demolish a temple in Palashbari upazila of Gaibandha district.
The programmes were organised at the Central Shaheed Minar in Jhenidah town and in Kaliganj upazila town by the Bangladesh Puja Udjapan Parishad and the Hindu-Buddhist-Christian Unity Council.
The human chain in Jhenidah town was chaired by Kanan Kumar Das, acting president of the district unit of the Puja Udjapan Parishad, and moderated by its general secretary and former Jubo League leader Binoy Krishna Biswas.
Among those who addressed the programme were Chandan Basu Mukta, convenor of the district Hindu-Buddhist-Christian Unity Council; Arun Kumar Ghosh, member secretary of the council and a Workers Party leader; joint convenor and AL leader Prosanjit Ghosh Shipon; Sadhan Sarkar, president of the municipal Puja Udjapan Parishad, along with other organisation leaders.
A separate human chain and protest procession were also held in Kaliganj under the banner of the Puja Udjapan Parishad. The programme was presided over by Babu Rabindranath Dutta.
The speakers strongly condemned the incident in Palashbari, saying that hurting religious sentiments and engaging in provocative activities involving places of worship were unacceptable. They demanded the immediate identification of those responsible and exemplary punishment under the law.