A Bangladeshi court on Sunday ordered the government to pay over Taka 4.34 million (Rs 3.47 million) as compensation to Hindu families who were attacked for an alleged blasphemous post on a popular social networking site.
Unidentified persons vandalised 29 homes, 10 shops and seven temples at Bonogram Bazar in Pabna district in November last year following allegations that a boy from the Hindu minority made a blasphemous post about the Prophet Mohammed on a Facebook page, said deputy attorney general Biswajit Roy.
The government was asked by a high court bench of justice Quazi Reza-Ul Hoque and justice ABM Altaf Hossain to pay the compensation within three weeks.
The bench further directed the police to arrest those responsible for the attacks.
The government will have to pay Taka 4.34 million as compensation as assessed by an investigation committee, Roy was quoted as saying by mass circulation The Daily Star newspaper.
Following an earlier directive from the court in November, authorities formed a probe body to assess the damage caused by the attacks.
The committee concluded that property worth Taka 4.34 million was damaged in the attacks, Roy said.
The assessment report was submitted to the court last week. After examining the report, the court passed the order on Sunday, he said.?