Dhaka, April 29 -- An Islamist outfit in Bangladesh pillaged a library in Tangali district of Dhaka, stealing books which they claimed were written by "atheists". These included texts by Nobel Laureate poet Rabindranath Tagore and Kazi Nazrul Islam, both of whom are considered icons of national importance in the country.

Showcasing the marked rise of Islamic extremism, and the erosion of Bangladesh's once secular-pluralistic fabric, radicals openly robbed a library in the Tangail Dhanbari's Upazila, with the local police making next to no attempts at stopping them.

The outfit, a radical group called Khelafat Majlish, stole books on the premise that the place housed books by "atheist writers" like Kazi Nazrul Islam, Rabindranath Tagore, Za...