bdnews24.com :
Supporters of Brahmanbaria Awami League President RAM Obaidul Muktadir Chowdhury MP carried out the attacks on Hindu temples, homes and businesses in Nasirnagar in a bid to put their rivals in the ruling party in a tight spot, locals say.
bdnews24.com investigations have revealed that the feud of Nasirnagar MP Muhammed Sayedul Hoque, who is the fisheries
and livestock minister, with Muktadir and Brahmanbaria Awami League General Secretary Al Mamun Sarker fuelled the assault on the religious minority. According to local Awami League leaders, the dispute between the party’s Brahmanbaria district unit and Nasirnagar Upazila unit is longstanding. The minister, being the Nasirnagar MP, controls everything in the Upazila. The feud rose to a boiling point during the last union council election in March this year.
As a result of the conflict, the district unit committee had recommended that Sayedul be expelled from its advisory panel. Rafi Uddin, a follower of Sayedul, was expelled as Nasirnagar Awami League president at that time. “This attack was clearly designed to put the minister in trouble,” Nasirnagar Sadar Union Awami League President Haji Abdul Gaffar told bdnews24.com.
The bdnews24.com investigations found that Haripur Union Parishad Chairman Dewan Atiqur Rahman Ankhi is the main culprit behind the attack.
Mobs riding over a dozen of trucks from his area unleashed atrocities on the Hindus in the neighbourhood, a few kilometres away from that of Ankhi. He got the Awami League ticket to run for the UP chairman after the party amended the list of candidates sent by its Sayedul-controlled Nasirnagar unit following the district unit’s objection.
Following the second attack in a span of five days, Nasirnagar Sadar Union Parishad Chairman and its Awami League unit Assistant Secretary Abul Hashem, Haripur unit president Faruk Mia and Chapartala union president Suruj Ali were suspended from the party.
bdnews24.com found no evidence of their direct link to the attacks.
The party’s local leaders alleged Muktadir initiated the action against the trio only because of their loyalty to Sayedul.
Freedom fighter Muktadir was the prime minister’s personal secretary when Awami League chief Sheikh Hasina was the prime minister in 1996. He is a brother-in-law of Food Minister Qamrul Islam.
Muktadir has denied his link with Ankhi.
“The minister is all in all in Nasirnagar. I had no connection with Ankhi. When he was nominated, I was out of the country,” the member of Awami League’s Central Working Committee told bdnews24.com. Brahmanbaria Awami League General Secretary Mamun admitted that the district unit is at loggerheads with the Nasirnagar Upazila unit. “The MP (Sayedul) rules there. They (Upazila unit) do not take part in any programme organised by the centre and the district unit. They do not hold any programme without the MP’s presence. They do not even hold programmes marking the National Mourning Day, Victory Day and Independence Day,” he said. The mobs that carried out the attacks on Hindus in Nasirnagar were taken to Haripur union by 14 to 15 trucks. Ankhi, who does not have a post in any committee of the ruling party, financed the entire arrangement, a local Awami League leader said. Ankhi’s followers Sujon Pathan and ‘Jahangir’ brought the trucks. The truck owners said Ankhi’s men paid them from the Haripur Union Parishad fund. The Muslim mobs attacked the Hindus in the area for a so-called Facebook post by Rasraj Das, a man from their community, which insulted Islam.
The post was uploaded from a shop owned by BNP supporter ‘Jahangir’, who is close to Ankhi.
A witness, on condition of anonymity, said Muslim groups gathered in separate demonstrations against the Facebook post near Nasirnagar College at noon on Oct 30.
They joined those from the trucks later and launched the assault for hours. At least 15 temples and hundreds of homes and businesses of the Hindus were vandalised and looted. A temple and several houses were torched five days later.
Ahle Sunnat Wal Jamaat denied the allegation that people from its rally had taken part in the attacks. Hifazat-e Islam has condemned the attacks. Touhidi Janata’s local leader Mufti Ishaq Al Hossain, however, said ‘some outsiders’ from the organisation’s rally took part in the attacks.
‘Ismail’, one of the five persons named as captors of Rasraj in the case started against him, is also close to Haripur UP Chairman Ankhi. Ankhi identified himself to bdnews24.com as the owner of a cooperative. He said he also runs a liquor business. He dismissed the allegation that he had rented the trucks, but admitted that Ismail and Sujon were his men. “I don’t know who brought the trucks. But no money was paid from the Union Parishad,” he said. Some of the victims said Ankhi had told them before the attacks to leave the area for a ‘safe’ place. Ankhi, however, said, “I did not tell them to leave the area. I just told them to be safe.” Some of the Awami League leaders also blamed a feud between the families of two ‘razakars’, those who assisted the Pakistani forces during Liberation War, for the attacks. Faruk, whose father was a ‘razakar’, lost the Awami League nomination to Ankhi following objection by the party’s district unit. Locals said Ankhi’s grandfather was also a collaborator of the Pakistani forces. Three of the persons, who the local Awami League leaders allege had influenced the attacks, are close to Muktadir.
They are former Awami League leader Abdul Ahad, Hindu-Buddhist-Christian Unity Council’s Nasirnagar office President Adesh Chandra Deb and Mohila Awami League leader Beauty Kaniz.
Minister Sayedul alleged Adesh spread the ‘false’ news that he had made derogatory remarks about the Hindus.
Adesh is close to BNP leader Ekramuzzman, who fought with the party’s ticket against Sayedul during the 2008 elections, local Awami League leaders said.
Mohila Awami League leader Kaniz’s brother and a cousin are among the dozens arrested after the attacks.
Kaniz and Ankhi had accompanied Muktadir during the MP’s visit to the area after the attacks.
Supporters of Brahmanbaria Awami League President RAM Obaidul Muktadir Chowdhury MP carried out the attacks on Hindu temples, homes and businesses in Nasirnagar in a bid to put their rivals in the ruling party in a tight spot, locals say.
bdnews24.com investigations have revealed that the feud of Nasirnagar MP Muhammed Sayedul Hoque, who is the fisheries
and livestock minister, with Muktadir and Brahmanbaria Awami League General Secretary Al Mamun Sarker fuelled the assault on the religious minority. According to local Awami League leaders, the dispute between the party’s Brahmanbaria district unit and Nasirnagar Upazila unit is longstanding. The minister, being the Nasirnagar MP, controls everything in the Upazila. The feud rose to a boiling point during the last union council election in March this year.
As a result of the conflict, the district unit committee had recommended that Sayedul be expelled from its advisory panel. Rafi Uddin, a follower of Sayedul, was expelled as Nasirnagar Awami League president at that time. “This attack was clearly designed to put the minister in trouble,” Nasirnagar Sadar Union Awami League President Haji Abdul Gaffar told bdnews24.com.
The bdnews24.com investigations found that Haripur Union Parishad Chairman Dewan Atiqur Rahman Ankhi is the main culprit behind the attack.
Mobs riding over a dozen of trucks from his area unleashed atrocities on the Hindus in the neighbourhood, a few kilometres away from that of Ankhi. He got the Awami League ticket to run for the UP chairman after the party amended the list of candidates sent by its Sayedul-controlled Nasirnagar unit following the district unit’s objection.
Following the second attack in a span of five days, Nasirnagar Sadar Union Parishad Chairman and its Awami League unit Assistant Secretary Abul Hashem, Haripur unit president Faruk Mia and Chapartala union president Suruj Ali were suspended from the party.
bdnews24.com found no evidence of their direct link to the attacks.
The party’s local leaders alleged Muktadir initiated the action against the trio only because of their loyalty to Sayedul.
Freedom fighter Muktadir was the prime minister’s personal secretary when Awami League chief Sheikh Hasina was the prime minister in 1996. He is a brother-in-law of Food Minister Qamrul Islam.
Muktadir has denied his link with Ankhi.
“The minister is all in all in Nasirnagar. I had no connection with Ankhi. When he was nominated, I was out of the country,” the member of Awami League’s Central Working Committee told bdnews24.com. Brahmanbaria Awami League General Secretary Mamun admitted that the district unit is at loggerheads with the Nasirnagar Upazila unit. “The MP (Sayedul) rules there. They (Upazila unit) do not take part in any programme organised by the centre and the district unit. They do not hold any programme without the MP’s presence. They do not even hold programmes marking the National Mourning Day, Victory Day and Independence Day,” he said. The mobs that carried out the attacks on Hindus in Nasirnagar were taken to Haripur union by 14 to 15 trucks. Ankhi, who does not have a post in any committee of the ruling party, financed the entire arrangement, a local Awami League leader said. Ankhi’s followers Sujon Pathan and ‘Jahangir’ brought the trucks. The truck owners said Ankhi’s men paid them from the Haripur Union Parishad fund. The Muslim mobs attacked the Hindus in the area for a so-called Facebook post by Rasraj Das, a man from their community, which insulted Islam.
The post was uploaded from a shop owned by BNP supporter ‘Jahangir’, who is close to Ankhi.
A witness, on condition of anonymity, said Muslim groups gathered in separate demonstrations against the Facebook post near Nasirnagar College at noon on Oct 30.
They joined those from the trucks later and launched the assault for hours. At least 15 temples and hundreds of homes and businesses of the Hindus were vandalised and looted. A temple and several houses were torched five days later.
Ahle Sunnat Wal Jamaat denied the allegation that people from its rally had taken part in the attacks. Hifazat-e Islam has condemned the attacks. Touhidi Janata’s local leader Mufti Ishaq Al Hossain, however, said ‘some outsiders’ from the organisation’s rally took part in the attacks.
‘Ismail’, one of the five persons named as captors of Rasraj in the case started against him, is also close to Haripur UP Chairman Ankhi. Ankhi identified himself to bdnews24.com as the owner of a cooperative. He said he also runs a liquor business. He dismissed the allegation that he had rented the trucks, but admitted that Ismail and Sujon were his men. “I don’t know who brought the trucks. But no money was paid from the Union Parishad,” he said. Some of the victims said Ankhi had told them before the attacks to leave the area for a ‘safe’ place. Ankhi, however, said, “I did not tell them to leave the area. I just told them to be safe.” Some of the Awami League leaders also blamed a feud between the families of two ‘razakars’, those who assisted the Pakistani forces during Liberation War, for the attacks. Faruk, whose father was a ‘razakar’, lost the Awami League nomination to Ankhi following objection by the party’s district unit. Locals said Ankhi’s grandfather was also a collaborator of the Pakistani forces. Three of the persons, who the local Awami League leaders allege had influenced the attacks, are close to Muktadir.
They are former Awami League leader Abdul Ahad, Hindu-Buddhist-Christian Unity Council’s Nasirnagar office President Adesh Chandra Deb and Mohila Awami League leader Beauty Kaniz.
Minister Sayedul alleged Adesh spread the ‘false’ news that he had made derogatory remarks about the Hindus.
Adesh is close to BNP leader Ekramuzzman, who fought with the party’s ticket against Sayedul during the 2008 elections, local Awami League leaders said.
Mohila Awami League leader Kaniz’s brother and a cousin are among the dozens arrested after the attacks.
Kaniz and Ankhi had accompanied Muktadir during the MP’s visit to the area after the attacks.
