Mending fences a tall task

Both Muslims and Hindus have beocme suspicious of each other’s behaviour although they said they would like to live in harmony. Nasirnagar yesterday experienced another attempt to incite violence. A Laxmi idol was found inside a mosque of Badhui village of Konda union of Nasirnagar at around 5am when the Muslims went to the mosque to say their prayers. But they were astonished to find the Laxmi Idol next to the stoop where the Imam sits. The Imam of the mosque Sahabuddin said: “It is completely unexpected. The door of the mosque usually remains opened as some Muslims come to the mosque to say their prayers at night. But no one who came to the mosque at night saw the idol. That means the incident took place between 3:30 and 4am.” After the attempt to incite communal violence by putting the Laxmi idol in the mosque a fresh attack was launced on Rishipara Hindus at Nasir Nagar at 10:40am of yesterday morning. However, the Hindus of the area foiled the attempt. The attack took place just a mile off the place where local MP and minister Sayedul Haque is staying right now. Witnesses described the attackers as youths aged around 20 years who fled by a boat after they encountered strong resistance from the locals. The Dhaka Tribune reporters saw for themselved the attackers fleeing after they were chased by local Hindus. Bono Mali, a resident of Risipara told the Dhaka Tribune: “They attempted to attack our homes in Rishipara. We will no more remain silent.” While filing this report there was an arson attack on the house of Nasirnagar Upazilla Vice-Chairman Anjan Kumer Deb in Dattapara area. An elderly Hindu person sitting at a tea stall told this reporter that no Muslim could ever say that Hindu people had caused any harm to them. But why are such things happening? he wondered. Some 33 people from different areas adjacent to Nasirnagar union were arrested on Friday night. All of them are Muslims and they were sent to jail. Of them, 15 were involved in the attacks, said police. But their family members claimed that they were innocent and had no role in the violence. Some of them even were not in the area when the attacks took place, they said. Kabir Chowdhury, a Muslim resident of Haspatal Para said: “We are also against such attacks.” But if police fail to hunt down miscreants and continue to arrest Muslims, some of whom have already left their homes fearing arrest, it will create chaos in the area, he warned.