Nasirnagar Hate Attack: Blanket arrests net innocents, not kingpins

Around 7:30pm on Monday, police went to Nasirnagar town's Livestock Hospital intersection and asked 26-year-old Shipon Mia to shut down his tea stall within 10 minutes.

He made a slight delay in complying with the order. Police slapped him, took him to the police station and made him an accused in the case over the October 30 attacks on Hindu houses and temples.

The night before, another team of police raided Datmondol village, some 5km off the town, and picked up a mentally challenged youth named Polash around 2:00am. He was asleep when police stormed his house.

This youth too was named as an accused in the case.

Shipon and Polash are among the innocents held in the blanket drives by police. The Daily Star has came to know that at least 15 innocent people allegedly become victim of the raids in three areas -- Nurpur, Paschimpara and Datmondol -- in the last two days.

Locals alleged that majority of the 78 people arrested so far over the October 30 incidents were not involved in the attacks or lootings. The arrestees include some real culprits but they are the petty ones.

Police are yet to arrest any of the instigators or masterminds even 12 days after a hundred Hindu houses and 17 temples were damaged or looted by unruly mobs, including zealots and goons.

Police didn't even arrest three local Awami League leaders -- MA Hashed, Faruk Mia and Suruj Ali -- who were expelled from the party for their alleged involvement in the attacks. The three moved freely in their areas before going into hiding Thursday night, locals say.

Brahmanbaria Superintendent of Police Mizanur Rahman claimed that attempts are being made to arrest the masterminds but they are not available in their houses.

“We are making sure that they can't flee the country.”

The tea stall of Shipon is just opposite to the Livestock Hospital. Many in the area said he is the only breadwinner of his seven-member family and he always remains busy at his tea stall.

“I saw a police team came and asked all of us to shut down our shops. A few minutes later, a cop slapped Shipon and dragged him into their van though he was preparing to close his shop,” said Papon, who has a grocery shop there.

When these correspondents went to the area on Thursday afternoon, Shipon's mother was seen running the stall.

“When I went to the police station, police said Shipon was arrested after examining video footage [of the attacks]. I have no idea how my son could be seen in the footage; he remains busy in the shop from morning till night,” Jayeda Begum said, wailing.

Locals gathered there came up with the same statement.

The story of Polash is even more shocking.

“I always keep an eye on my pagol chhele since he started behaving unusually seven years ago. Everyone in this area knows that he has mental sickness. But police didn't listen to my plea,” said Polash's father Sheikh Ahid Mia, 70, in his Datmondol house.

“Police pulled him out from his bed and took him away,” he said.

His mother went to Nasirnagar Police Station to see him. Police told her, “You don't need to see him here; you have seen him for many years.”

When Ahid Mia met his son in Brahmanbaria jail, the mentally challenged youth was very rude to him.

Fifteen-year-old Morsalin works in a schoolbag factory in Manitola in Dhaka and came to his Datmondol house on Sunday night after about two months to see his parents, only to be arrested.

His brother Yasin, who works in the same factory, couldn't believe it. “My brother and I have been working and staying together since coming to Dhaka after Eid-ul-Azha.”

When these correspondents visited Pukurpara area at Haripur village under Gokorno union, many women came forward to allege that police arrested their near and dear ones “without any evidence”.

Panch Banu said police arrested her husband Yusuf Ali, 55, and son-in-law Khairul Mia, 35, early on Sunday.

She said Khairul came to the house to see his 20-day-old daughter on Saturday evening. “My rickshaw-puller husband told police that he [Khairul] works at a hotel in Dhaka and came here at night. But the policemen got angry, used abusive language and asked my husband to go with them.”

With her daughter in her lap, Khairul's wife Rekha Begum said, “When I begged the police officials to show us a little mercy, they also used slang words and pushed me into the room.”

The story of Taribul, 35, a truck driver at Madhabpur, is similar to Khairul's. He came to his house to see his 10-day-old child, said his wife Minara, carrying.

A hawker in Dhaka, Rukel, came to his Gokarno village on Sunday to see his ailing father. He was arrested on Monday night. 

Arma, a neighbour of Rekha, said her husband Rafiq Mia, a brickfield labourer, came to his house from Brahmanbaria on November 3 to attend a wedding ceremony scheduled for the following day.

“Entering our house, police wanted to know whether my husband's name is Rahim,” she said.

“My husband said his name was Rafiq, not Rahim, but still police took my husband away,” she added.

“What are they doing in the name of arresting the attackers? The incident took place on October 30 and my husband came two days after the incident. How could he be involved in the attack?” she said as tears rolled down her cheeks.

Rafiq's relative Alal, a trader in a kitchen market of Dhaka, was also arrested the same night.

According to his relatives, Alal also came on November 3 to attend the ceremony.

Relatives of Rafiq and Alal said both had told police that they came to their houses to attend the wedding ceremony.

They even took police to the house of Mafia, where the programme was being held. Mafia is the mother of the groom, who is a nephew of Rafiq.

“But police didn't listen to anyone,” Arma said.

When his attention was drawn to the arrests of innocents, Officer-in-Charge of Nasirnagar Police Station Abu Jafar claimed that they were arresting people after identifying them from video footage of the incidents.

“We are making arrests based on evidence,” he told The Daily Star at his office.

Particularly asked about the arrest of Shipon and mentally challenged Polash, the OC claimed they are “very careful and sincere” about carrying out drive to nab the attackers.

On the police failure to arrest the instigators who were seen speaking in the October 30 rally under the banner of Towhidi Janata, a Hefajat-e Islam-backed Islamist organisation, OC Jafar said, “Everyone will be arrested in time.”

He also claimed police were trying to nab them but didn't find them in their houses.

Many participants of the rally attacked Hindu temples, according to locals.  

About arresting innocents, SP Mizanur said, “Any arrestee, if found not involved in the attacks, will be freed.”

MEN SLEEP IN PADDY FIELDS

Amid the police raids at night and blanket arrests, many men are not staying at their houses at night.

They have dinner early and leave houses with pillows and blankets to sleep in paddy fields nearby. They sleep in groups.

While visiting different areas over the last few days, these correspondents saw adult men, especially the youths, prepare to take shelter in nearby paddy fields.

“We sleep outside as we don't want to be arrested,” said a young man at Datmondol village on Thursday evening.

Women who stay in houses at night with children feel unsafe. Incidents like looting houses and harassing women at night are reportedly taking place in different areas.