Police in Bangladesh have begun a large-scale manhunt following a shocking attack in which hundreds of Islamist hardliners stormed the shrine of a controversial cleric, desecrated his grave, and set his body on fire.
The violence left one person dead and at least 50 others injured.
The unrest broke out Friday in Rajbari, central Bangladesh, when members of a hardline Islamist group, the Iman-Aqida Raksha Committee, attacked the burial site of Nurul Haque Molla, widely known as “Nura Pagla.”
Authorities said around 2,000 men armed with sticks, hammers, and crowbars carried out the assault shortly after afternoon prayers.
Witnesses reported that Molla’s remains were exhumed and burned, an act police described as a rare escalation even in a country that has seen dozens of shrines attacked since the fall of former prime minister Sheikh Hasina last year.
“The perpetrators will be brought to justice. None will be spared,” Rajbari police chief Md Kamrul Islam told reporters.
Molla, who died in August, was a divisive figure. He had claimed to be the Imam Mahdi, a messianic figure in Islam, a claim that drew fierce opposition.
His burial site also sparked controversy as the gravestone reportedly resembled the Kaaba in Mecca, Islam’s holiest site.
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Though his followers had promised to alter the structure, hardliners accused them of blasphemy and took matters into their own hands.
Hospital officials confirmed that Russell Molla, 28, a custodian of the shrine unrelated to the cleric, was killed during clashes between the attackers and Molla’s supporters. Three of the injured remain in critical condition.
The country’s interim government, led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, condemned the violence, calling the desecration “inhuman and despicable.” In a statement, it reaffirmed its commitment to “upholding the rule of law and preserving the sanctity of every human life, both in life and in death.”
Human rights advocates say the attack reflects growing religious intolerance in Bangladesh. “This is part of a disturbing pattern,” said activist Abu Ahmed Faijul Kabir, citing increased hostility toward cultural events, music education in schools, and Sufi shrines.
The incident adds to mounting pressure on the interim government, which has faced criticism for failing to contain the rise of hardline groups.