Awami League-backed Blue Panel teachers association of Dhaka University (DU) has condemned the recent incidents of vandalism and arson attack on Durga Puja mandaps across the country. The association, in a statement issued on Saturday, urged the government to immediately identify those responsible for the violence and bring them under the rule of law. "A vested quarter wants to destroy the country's communal harmony. Attacks on puja mandaps and incidents of vandalism and arson attacks on Hindu businesses, houses, and temples in different districts of the country are part of that design," read the statement. The Blue Panel observed that a "particular political party and its allies" are trying to provoke the Muslims against the Hindu community. "The people of this country, irrespective of religion, caste, and community, have been living side by side peacefully for ages. "Thus, just like the past, the citizens of this country will not be misled in the name of religion," added the statement. They said that new laws, if needed, should be passed to prevent any further communal divide. Read: DU mulling over ways to implement its dope test Several people were reportedly killed and scores got injured as clashes erupted in different parts of the country since Wednesday following tensions triggered by the alleged desecration of the Holy Quran in Cumilla.

Dhaka University Teachers’ Association (Duta) will form a human chain on the campus on Wednesday protesting the rape of a student of the university in the capital’s Kurmitola area on Sunday night.