Mashrafe Bin Mortaza, member of Parliament of Narail and former captain of Bangladesh Cricket Team, has urged the countrymen not to tarnish Narail’s image for the ongoing communal violence in the district.
He posted a status on his verified Facebook page in this regard on Saturday afternoon.
He said: "I do not know such Narail where there is no communal harmony. On Friday, an incident happened in our area, which shocked me deeply. Everyone is specially requested to please refrain from doing things that disturb the peace and order of the area.”
“Please keep calm. Don't fall into the trap of conspirators and tarnish the legacy of thousand years of communal harmony of Narail by committing one such incident after another,” he added.
Mashrafe further said: “As soon as I heard about the incident, I asked the local police and district administration to take action as soon as possible. I have also spoken to Narail superintendent of police, the DIG, and even the home minister to take immediate action. Besides, I have also sent my local leaders and activists to the spot, so that they stand by the helpless people.”
On Friday, a mob vandalized a temple, grocery stores and several homes of the Hindu community in the Dighalia Bazar area of Lohagara upazila of Narail.
Angry villagers became violent in the afternoon, alleging that a Hindu boy named Akash Shaha had made a post on Facebook hurting their religious sentiments.
Also Read: Narail Hindu homes, shops, temple vandalized over Facebook post
Lohagarh police station Inspector Naran Chandra Pal said the incident had caused extreme tension in the area.
After learning of the Facebook post, the mob attacked and vandalized several homes, including that of the boy’s family.
They also broke into Sahapara temple and broke the furniture inside and vandalized several shops.
Upazila Nirbahi Officer Asgar Ali said, as Akash was on the run, his father had been kept in custody to find out his whereabouts.
Additional forces were deployed in the area to prevent further violence, he added.
