Staff Reporter :
The Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), Ministry of Home Affairs and ruling Awami League have formed three separate committees to probe into attacks on Hindu homes and temples at Nasirnagar in Brahmanbaria.
The probe bodies have already started their investigation by paying visit to Nasirnagar, sources said.
Meanwhile, Brahmanbaria district administration yesterday held series of meetings with various professional groups to ease religious tension now prevailing in the district.
The meetings were held at the conference room of the Brahmanbaria deputy commissioner in presence of Chittagong Divisional Commissioner Ruhul Amin, Deputy Commissioner Md Rezwanur Rahman, DIG of Chittagong Range of Police Shafiqul Islam and Superintendent of Brahmanbaria Police Mizanur Rahman.
Representatives of professional groups during the meetings demanded exemplary punishment to the
perpetrators of the Nasirnagar mayhem, reported our Brahmanbaria correspondent quoting officials of the district administration.
They also asked the local administration to take necessary security measures in the trouble-hit Nasirnagar upazila to avert further untoward situation.
Earlier, the authorities deployed 5000 cop members in six trouble torn unions of the upazila amid escalating tension after Friday’s fresh attack on six Hindu dwelling structures.
As part of security beef up, the government already deployed two platoons of the border guards at Nasirnagar.
Meanwhile, police on Friday night arrested 33 more people for their alleged involvement in the recent attack on the Hindu community in Nasirnagar.
“Police conducted separate drives in different areas of the upazila and arrested them,” Nasirnagar Police Station’s officer-in-charge Md Abu Zafar, told The New Nation on Saturday.
He said police have so far detained 44 people in connection with the incident.
The detainees have been produced before the court on Saturday noon, he said.
Brahmanbaria district unit Awami League on Saturday rejected the allegation that the Nasirnagar mayhem took place as a result of AL factional feud.
Brushing aside the allegation, Brahmanbaria district AL president Obaidul Muktadir Chowdhury said, “I will step down from the party post if one can prove the Nasirnagar incident was an outcome of AL’s intra party feud.”
Muktadir Chowdhury came up with the remark at a function held in the district in the morning.
“We have suspended three leaders of Nasirnagar upazila unit AL for their alleged involvement in the attacks,” he said. He said the district AL formed a five-member committee, headed by its vice-president Helal Uddin, to investigate whether the suspended leaders were involved in the attacks.
Besides, a team of Ekattorer Ghatak-Dalal Nirmul Committee led by its executive president Shahriar Kabir yesterday visited the Nasirnagar upazila.
During the visit, Shahriar Kabir demanded army deployment to ensure security for the Hindus living in Brahmanbaria district’s Nasirnagar upazila.
He also suggested a judicial inquiry into the heinous attacks. “The government has failed to prevent the attacks on the minorities. Moreover, it is yet to ensure proper rehabilitation of the victims, although six days have already passed since the start of events,” said Shahriar Kabir.
On Saturday, residents of Rashipara under Nasirnagar have foiled an attempted attack on Hindu homes. The bid took place in the morning.
The attackers fled by a boat facing resistance from the locals.
“We have heard about the attack bid. The attackers fled the scene before our teams reached the spot,” said Nasirnagar OC Md Abu Zafar.
In the evening, unidentified miscreants set fire on a pile of straw near the house of Anjan Kumar Dey, an upazila vice chairman and also the president of Nasirnagar upazila unit Jubo League in Duttapara.
The fire also spread to the tin-shed of Anjan’s house. But no casualty was reported from the fire, said Mahiuddin, a sub-inspector of Nasirnagar Police Station.
On October 30, several hundred people had attacked and ransacked at least 15 Hindu temples and over 20 households in Nasirnagar under Brahmanbaria’s district after a Facebook post by a Hindu youth deemed offensive to Islam sparked massive outrage in the area.
