Chuadanga bauls worried as attackers scot-free

Police are yet to arrest any of the culprits involved in assaulting bauls and burning down their akhra at Gobindpur village in Damurhuda upazila of Chuadanga early Saturday.

Bauls from different areas gathered at the spot of burnt akhra yesterday to protest the incident.

They blamed lack of proper step by the law enforcers for repeated attacks on bauls.

"We are worried as the police have failed to bring to book the real offenders," Moniruzzaman aka Dhiru Baul, president of Baul Parishad of Chuadanga, told this correspondent over phone from the spot.

Attacks on bauls continue in different areas in pre-planned ways as vested groups do not like flourishing of the baul ideology, he said.

Meanwhile, Julmat Ali, a baul mentor of the burnt akhra, filed a case with Damurhuda Police Station on Saturday night accusing nine unnamed people for the attack.

Rashidul Hasan, superintendent of police in Chuadanga, visited the akhra the same night and assured stern action against the criminals. 

Earlier on July 17, unidentified criminals attacked a baul akhra at Ektarpur in Jiban Nagar upazila of the district, leaving four bauls, including two women, badly injured. The akhra was vandalised too.

Police arrested one Jamat Ali, a local activist of Jamaat-e-Islami, who often went to the akhra and followed the activities of the bauls there. 

There are around 100 baul akhras in Chuadanga, Meherpur and Kushtia, the largest one being at Chheuria in Kushtia centring the grave of Fakir Lalon Shah.

Mohammad Shah, chief khadem (caretaker) of Lalon akhra in Kushtia, urged the administration to take necessary steps to protect the innocent bauls.