Bangladesh Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal has said the Comilla incident that triggered massive communal unrest in the country may have been caused by a third party.

According to the Dhaka Tribune, the minister hinted at the role of a third party in the violence during Durga Puja celebrations in Bangladesh.

“It appears to us that it was a motivated act instigated by a vested group,” Asaduzzaman Khan said while talking to reporters at the secretariat on Sunday.

On Wednesday, over 80 locations were attacked in Comilla, leading to further unrest across Bangladesh.

On Saturday, Hindu-owned temples and shops in Feni, about 157 kms from Dhaka, were vandalised and robbed during fresh clashes after an attack on demonstrators who were protesting against the attacks on Durga Puja venues in several places in Bangladesh, said reports.

The clashes left at least 40 people, including the Officer In-charge Nizamuddin of Feni Model Police Station, injured in the clashes.

The minister has said, “We’ll make it public once we get all the evidence and those who were involved in it will be given exemplary punishment. Not only in Comilla, attempts were also made to destabilize the country through communal violence in Ramu and Nasirnagar.”

Prime Minister Hasina has vowed to bring to justice the culprits behind the violence, saying anyone involved in the attacks on Hindu temples and Durga Puja venues in Comilla will not be spared.