The construction of a mosque on the land of the historic Kantajew Temple in Kaharul Upazila of Dinajpur has triggered tension and frustration among the local Hindu community.
Ranjit Kumar Singh, agent of Raj Debtara Estate, said there is a total of 62.46 acres in the name of the temple. These lands have updated CS, SA and land tax records.
However, local people recently started the construction of a mosque on the land. Member of Parliament (MP) of Dinajpur-1 constituency, Md Zakaria Zaka, inaugurated the construction.
This has enraged the Hindu community in the area. The piece of land is looked after by the Dinajpur deputy commissioner’s office.
Besides, there is a committee formed by the Raj Debtara Estate that looks after the supervision and maintenance of the land.
The Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council has expressed deep concern over the construction work on the land behind the temple of Kantajew, a historical archaeological monument.
In a statement, the three presidents of the rights organization, Ushatan Talukder, Prof Dr Neem Chandra Bhowmik, and Nirmal Rosario, along with General Secretary Advocate Rana Dasgupta, strongly condemned and expressed anger over the laying of the foundation stone for the mosque's construction in Kantajew Temple area by the local MP.
The statement also highlighted that the involvement of the MPs and the deputy commissioner in this attempt to destroy the nation's image and communal harmony goes against the peace and order of the country.
The council has called upon Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to intervene urgently to protect the temple's sanctity and ensure the Hindu community's religious freedom.
Some leaders of upazila Awami League have complained that a quarter has misled the local member of parliament, prompting him to inaugurate the construction.
Agent Ranjit Kumar Singh said: “We have written to Deputy Commissioner Shakeel Ahmed and sent him all the papers, including CS, SA and land tax records.”
Deputy Commissioner Shakeel Ahmed has forwarded the letter to the local Upazila Nirbahi Officer, Aminul Islam. Later, the construction work on the mosque was stopped.
Ratan Singh, a leader of Dinajpur Hindu-Buddhist-Christian Unity Council, alleged that the construction was being continued in the dark at night.
The deputy commissioner and UNO could not be reached over the phone for comments.
Also known as Kantanagar Temple, the eighteenth century brick temple is situated about 12 miles north of Dinajpur town, and about a mile west of Dinajpur-Tetulia highway across the Dhepa River.
