BGB deployed in Cumilla as communal tension simmers

The authorities have deployed Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) troops in Cumilla in the face of rising communal tension in the district town amid Durga Puja, reports bdnews24.com.
A local temple became the centre of a social media storm on Wednesday for allegedly besmirching the Quran.
As tension simmered in Cumilla, the administration and police tried to calm the situation but to little avail.
Border guards were later deployed to maintain law and order. The Ministry of Religious Affairs also instructed the authorities to look into the matter.
Asked about the situation, Lt Col Fazle Rabbi, commander of the BGB's Cumilla battalion, said,"Four platoons of the BGB were deployed at noon to ensure that there is no unrest in Cumilla."
"I do not know what happened. However, I have heard different things through different channels and the BGB has been deployed to prevent any hostilities," he added.
Although the situation calmed down in the afternoon, neither the local administration nor the police wanted to comment on the matter.
In an emergency notice later in the day, the religious affairs ministry said it had come across news that the central religious text of Islam had been 'disrespected' in Cumilla.
But the ministry urged members of the public not to take the law into their own hands over the incident. It also reiterated calls to maintain religious harmony and peace.