Police could press charges in only two of the eight cases filed over the attacks on the minority Hindu community in Brahmanbaria's Nasirnagar upazila over an allegedly defamatory Facebook post in 2016.
The attack took place six years ago over the Facebook post of an illiterate man named Rasraj Das regarding the Muslim holy site of Kaaba.
There are allegations that the law enforcers have been moving at a snail’s pace with the cases despite the public prosecutor’s repeated urge for prompt charge sheets.
Local people allege that the attack was pre planned and the attackers were backed by the then local ruling party member of parliament.
On October 29, 2016, a mob caught Rasraj over his post and beat him up for allegedly posting content that hurt the religious sentiments of Muslims.
Later he was handed over to the police.
Agitated people arranged a protest rally the next day in the area and announced the program through mikes.
Tauhidi Janata and Ahle Sunnat Wal Jamaat organized two different rallies on the day where local Awami League leaders too took part, allege local people.
Leaders of the two organizations allegedly instigated violence through their speeches on the day. Following the incidents, a mob riding on 14 to 15 trucks travelled to Nasirnagar from Haripur and vandalized 300 houses belonging to the Hindu community and ten temples. They also looted valuables from the houses and the temples, local people said.
Another attack was carried out on November 4 in the same area and this time a mob set six houses on fire.
Dewan Atiqur Rahman Akhi, the local ruling party chairman, financed and mobilized the attackers, local people alleged. He allegedly paid for the trucks and tractors carrying the attackers to Nasirnagar.
The entire episode allegedly took place on the direct provocation of local Awami League leaders.
On December 11, 2017, about 13 months after the incident, the investigation officer submitted a charge sheet in court accusing 228 persons, including Nasirnagar Sadar union parishad Chairman Abul Hashem and Haripur union parishad Chairman Dewan Atiqur Rahman Akhi, of being involved in the attacks.
Akhi was mentioned as the main patron in the charge sheet. A man named Mizan, who was PS to former ruling party minister Muhammed Sayedul Hoque alongside some BNP leaders, was also involved in the attacks.
Police sources said nearly 3000 people were sued in the eight cases filed over the attacks. Police arrested 126 and sent them to court. However, all of them are currently out on bail.
Rasraj came out of jail on bail after two and a half months and said he did not know how to operate Facebook. Neither did he know what a password was all about. The district detective branch of police was handed responsibility to probe the case against Rasraj in November 2017.
In their forensic report, police found no evidence of Rasraj's involvement in spreading the post that led to the mayhem.
Forensic experts conducted tests on the mobile phone, memory card and Facebook profile of Rasraj Das and did not find any trace of the photograph.
Officer-in-charge of Nasirnagar police station Habibullah Sarker hopes that they will be able to complete investigating the six cases soon. He said that court proceedings were going on in one of the cases filed by Nirmal Kumar Chowdhury.
Binod Ghosh and Purnima Rani Das, two of the victims of the attacks, told this reporter that they still get frightened by memories of the mayhem.
They said all their belongings were looted in front of their eyes, houses were vandalized and they could do nothing about it.
Not a single temple was spared from the attacks. They said that they still get terrified whenever they hear of such violence elsewhere in the country.
Local people said that many captured the videos of the attack on the day on their cell phones. Still the culprits were not brought to book. All those who were arrested are now roaming free after getting bail. Local people alleged that they can hardly open up regarding the issues and remain frightened all the time.
Nasirnagar upazila Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council General Secretary Sujit Kumar Chakrobarti said: “There is now no turbulence in the area. But people get scared whenever there is violence elsewhere in the country. All the accused are out on bail. The incident took place in 2016. But sadly the police could not yet submit charge sheets in six cases.”
Pijush Kanti Acharya, president of Brahmanbaria Nagorik Forum, said: “Charge sheets in such sensitive cases have not been submitted in six years. What can be more pathetic than this?”
