Anti-liberation forces behind B'baria attack

The October 30 attack on the Hindus in Brahmanbaria's Nasirnagar was instigated by “anti-liberation forces and aides of BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia”, top leaders of Awami League-led 14-party alliance said yesterday.

They also vowed to try the attackers and the masterminds behind the incident at the speedy trial tribunal.

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“The killers and looters who don't believe in Bangladesh's liberation carried out the attack on the Hindus of Nasirnagar,” Health Minister Mohammed Nasim said while talking to some of the victims at Goura Mandir in the upazila.

Nasim led a 14-member 14-party alliance team, which visited the areas that came under the attack that day.

“The attack was aimed at demeaning the Sheikh Hasina-led government and making Bangladesh look like it is not safe for the Hindus,” he said. “The attackers will be tried at the speedy trial tribunal.”

The AL presidium member also criticised the local administration for its failure to prevent the attack and safeguard the Hindus.

Information Minister Hasanul Haq Inu, who is also the president of a Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal faction, alleged that aides of Khaleda Zia had instigated the attack.

He also termed the attackers “anti-Islamic” and “anti-government”.

“The attackers in Nasirnagar and those who carried out the arson attacks, and killed foreigners, priests and vandalised temples in the past are the same people,” he said.

Civil Aviation and Tourism Minister Rashed Khan Menon said the target of the Nasirnagar attack was to destabilise the country.

A Jatiya Party team led by its Secretary General Ruhul Amin Hawlader also visited the affected areas yesterday.

Armed with sticks and sharp weapons, religious zealots vandalised and looted at least 17 temples and over a hundred Hindu houses and business establishments in Nasirnagar and Haripur unions of Nasirnagar upazila on October 30.

The attack was carried out over a Facebook post from the account of Rasraj Das, 27. Rasraj is in jail now in a case filed over the post “hurting Muslims' religious sentiments”.

On November 4 and 5, at least six more houses of Hindu families were set on fire in the same area.

Meanwhile, Shushashoner Jonno Nagorik (SHUJAN), a citizens' platform advocating good governance, yesterday demanded exemplary punishment to the criminals who were involved in the vandalism and looting of Hindu houses in Brahmanbaria, reports our DU correspondent.

In a joint statement yesterday, SHUJAN president M Hafizuddin Khan and its secretary Dr Badiul Alam Majumder demanded immediate arrest of the perpetrators and investigation in the matter by forming a judicial investigation committee.

Speakers at the meeting said the political parties completely failed to stand beside the victims while it was irresponsible for the administration to permit the Ahle Sunnat Wal Jamaat and the Hefajat-e-Islam hold a protest programme.

In the statement, SHUJAN urged the government to take proper steps to prevent further communal attacks on minorities throughout the country and rehabilitate the victims.

They also urged to ensure that no innocent person be the victim of "arrest trade" or other sufferings.