Fifteen eminent citizens of Bangladesh have expressed their concern and anger over a recent attack on Ahmadiyya community members and the destruction of their homes in Panchagarh.
A statement sent to the media under the banner of “Sacheton Nagorik Samaj” on Saturday said: “If effective action had been taken in the past against attacks carried out on the Ahmadiyya community or other religious minority groups, today's situation would not have arisen in the month of independence."
Not only the Ahmadiyya community but other religious minorities in different parts of the country are also being attacked by “extremist Islamist militant groups,” reads the statement.
In recent times, such attacks have been on the rise, it added.
“But the state has always been inactive in stopping or countering these attacks. This inaction of the state, along with creating insecurity for the lives of the minority population, is increasingly turning Bangladesh into a frightening state for religious minorities and dissidents, which tarnishes Bangladesh's policy of secularism and religious freedom developed through the Liberation War.”
The statement also blamed the state's emphasis on “a particular religion” and inaction on the rampant rise of religious extremism for creating trends of “religious and ethnic persecution in the country.”
The eminent citizens also urged a strict policy against ending the government's liability by "forming a probe committee and keeping a few days of police protection at the scene" after each incident.
They said in the statement that in order to establish Bangladesh with the basic spirit of the Liberation War for people of all religions and beliefs, the state and the government must be freed from the “politics of religion and deal with religious extremism and militancy with rigour."
The 15 citizens are former advisors to a caretaker government Advocate Sultana Kamal and Rasheda K Chowdhury, Oikya NAP President Pankaj Bhattacharya, Theatre Activist Ramendu Majumder, Trustee of the Liberation War Museum Dr Sarwar Ali, President of Sammilito Samajik Andolon Syed Anwar Hossain, General Secretary of Bangladesh Hindu-Buddhist-Christian Unity Council Advocate Rana Das Gupta, President of Women's Council Dr Fawzia Muslim, Member Secretary of Anti-Communalism and Militancy Dr Noor Mohammad Talukder, President of Bangladesh Farmers Association SMA Sabur, Human rights activist Khushi Kabir, Senior lawyer of Bangladesh Supreme Court Advocate Tabarak Hossain, Dhaka University Professor MM Akash, Robayet Ferdous, Dhaka University Senate Member Ranjit Kumar Saha and ALRD Executive Director Shamsul Huda.
Two people were killed in the clash over a Jalsa in Panchagarh.
The clash between the police and a section of Muslims – who demanded the Jalsa be stopped – took place after Friday prayers.
After the Jummah prayers, Muslims from some mosques gathered in the Panchagarh municipality area and started a protest march.
Then they went to the town staging an agitation there. At one point they marched towards the Jalsa in the Ahmed Nagar area.
As the police stopped the procession at the Panchagarh Chowrangi intersection, the protesters became angry and started throwing brickbats at them in the city's cinema hall road area.
The police had to move back at one point due to the protest. At least 30 people were injured.
Meanwhile, the BGB and RAB joined the police to control the situation.
Panchagarh Superintendent of Police (SP) SM Sirajul Huda on Friday night said that the situation in the area is now under control.
