Hundreds of extremist Islamists attacked a Christian school in Bangladesh on 5 November in response to locals who were outraged by rumours stating that the school, which welcomes children of all faiths, was forcing Muslim children to convert to Christianity.
The mob comprised about 200 people. The students were not physically injured, but 12 of its 14 members of staff were beaten. A female teacher endured a serious head injury. Another teacher said that he managed to run away from six Madrasa students, armed with knives and machetes, after being forced out of his classroom.
Into hiding
The furious mob’s ‘most wanted’, who is in charge of both the school and church, had his name called loudly, but the staff managed to hide him. Local officials said that they were unable to verify any truth behind the rumours of the school implementing ‘forced conversions’ that allegedly sparked the violence. The school authority filed a case against 25 people in the local police station after the incident. ‘We have arrested 17 people including three Madrasa teachers’, police officer Khandoker Rezaul Hasan said.
