At least five shops and two houses of minority Hindu community people were vandalised and looted by Jamaat- Shibir men on Thursday, the last day of the opposition-sponsored 71-hour countrywide rail-road-waterways blockade.
Patgram Upazila Chhatra Shibir leaders Rana Islam reportedly led the attack on the Hindu people of Ghoshpara village under Patgram upazila around 9:30am.The spot is 5km off the upazila headquarters.
Another Hindu-populated village Shafinagar under the same upazila is just 3km away from Ghoshpara also came under attack by BNP and Jamaat-Shibir men on October 27, the first day of the opposition-called 48-hour shutdown.
The vandals beat 12 women as the males fled the scene sensing the attack. They did not spare even the children during the attack.
Upazila administration and police rushed to the spot after three hours around 12:30pm, said locals.
Police arrested local Union Parishad Member and former Patgram upazila unit president of Chhatra Shibir Nazrul Islam on charge of aiding and abetting Rana Islam, said Patgram Police Station OC Sohrab Hossain.
About 200 to 250 Jamaat-Shibir activists and supporters led by Shibir leader Rana Islam brought out a procession in the area and they immediately swooped on Hindus’ shops and houses in the village, police said.
The Jamaat-Shibir men assaulted Devi Rani Ghosh, Anjoli Ghosh, Shilpi Rani Ghosh, Charu Bala Ghosh, Sandhya Rani Ghosh, Namita Rani Ghosh and others in the village, police added.
Villagers said the attackers damaged their properties worth about Tk20 lakh.
A number of aggrieved villagers alleged that some local Awami League men too incited Jamaat-Shibir men to the violence.
Patgram Upazila Parishad Chairman Ruhul Amin Babul said the area is the safe den of Jamaat- Shibir men. Taking the advantage of countrywide blockade programme they attacked the Hindus who are innocent and do not belong to any political party.
“They did so to create panic in the area and use that to their advantage.” Patgram Upazila Nirbahi Officer Rafiqul Haque confirmed the communal attack saying that administration would do everything possible to protect the minority community there.
OC Sohrab Hossain said Shibir leader Rana Islam is a most wanted criminal and police has conducted several drives to arrest him.
Lalmonirhat Deputy Commissioner Habibur Rahman said he asked the UNO and OC to tackle the situation and arrest the criminals. He will visit the spot and exchange views with Hindu people, he said.
