report in bdnews24.com, Dec 11, 2017 at 18.15 hrsBdst
Brahmanbaria: Police have brought charges against 228 people in court over the arson, vandalism and looting of the temples, homes and businesses of Hindus at Nasirnagar in Brahmanbaria in October last year.
The chargesheet has been submitted to a judicial magistrate’s court on Monday, said the court police’s Inspector Md Mahbubur Rahman.
The law enforcers finalised the chargesheet in one of the eight cases over the attacks and submitted it to their prosecution department on Sunday.
On Oct 29 last year, a group of men handed to police after beating up Rasraj Das, a Hindu by faith, for allegedly posting a blasphemous photo on Facebook.
The next day, hardline Muslims organised two rallies from where the attackers vandalised, torched and looted at least 15 temples and hundreds of homes of the religious minority group in Nasirnagar.
At least six more homes at Sadar Upazila were also torched on Nov 4 and Nov 13.
Eight cases were started at Nasirnagar Police Station. The investigations in the seven other cases are still under way.
Local Awami League leaders alleged supporters of the party’s Brahmanbaria district unit President RAM Obaidul Muktadir Chowdhury MP carried out the attacks to put their rivals in the ruling party in a tight spot.
bdnews24.com investigations revealed the feud of Nasirnagar MP Muhammed Sayedul Hoque, who is the fisheries and livestock minister, with Muktadir and Brahmanbaria Awami League General Secretary Al Mamun Sarker fuelled the assault on the religious minority.
The bdnews24.com investigations found that Haripur union council Chairman Dewan Atiqur Rahman Ankhi is the main culprit behind the attack. The government later suspended him.
Nasirnagar Police Station OC Md Abu Zafar spoke to bdnews24.com about the investigation in the case, of which the chargesheet has been readied.
He said leaders of the Awami League, BNP and Ankhi were found involved with the attacks in the investigation.
The case was started over the attack on the Goura Temple in the area. Inspector Md Shawkat Ali conducted the inquiry.
The OC said the 228 named in the chargesheet included Ankhi, the Awami League’s Nasirnagar unit leader Md Abul Hashem, Haripur leader Faruq Mia, Chapartala leader Suruj Ali, the BNP’s Nasirnagar unit leaders Md Abdul Hannan, Amirul Islam Chakdar, Md Jamal, and Haripur villagers Kaptan Mia, Billal Hossain, and Md Jahangir Alam.
Among them, Hashem and Hannan are absconding while the others were freed on bail after arrest.
Brahmanbaria’s Superintendent of Police Md Mizanur Rahman told bdnews24.com: “We earlier said that no one involved in the attacks would be spared.”
https://bdnews24.com/bangladesh/2017/12/11/charges-pressed-against-228-over-attacks-on-hindus-in-brahmanbaria
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