Fire burns down steps of Ramu Buddhist monastery
However, the police are still not sure whether it was an act of sabotage or just an accident
A fire gutted the steps at the entrance of a Buddhist monastery in Ramu, Cox's Bazar, late last night.
The incident took place in the Cheranghata area of Ramu Sadar upazila on Friday night, said Abu Taher Dewan, officer in-charge of Ramu police station.
However, the police are still not sure whether it was an act of sabotage or just an accident, he added.
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Abu Taher Dewan said on Friday night, the priests of the 150-year-old wooden "Usaichen Buddhist Monastery (Big Kang)" of the Rakhine community in Cheranghata, Ramu Sadar upazila, went to sleep like every other day.
A fire suddenly broke out around 2am. When the people inside the monastery started shouting for help, the locals came and tried to put out the fire, he added.
"After receiving the information, Ramu Fire Service reached the spot and brought the fire under control. A wooden staircase inside the Buddhist monastery premises was gutted in the fire incident. However, there was no other major damage as the fire was extinguished immediately," said the police officer.
He further said, "Police also visited the spot soon after hearing the incident at night. They are investigating how the incident took place or whether it was an act of sabotage by collecting footage of all nearby CCTVs including that of the Buddhist Bihar.
"To strengthen security, police are currently stationed in and around the monastery."
