Home ›› 19 Oct 2021 ›› Front
Protests flared up in Dhaka as students from minority communities put blockade at a key intersection on Monday amid continued sectarian attacks at places across the country.
The students of Dhaka University blocked the Shahbagh intersection at 10:30am demanding an end to the sectarian attacks, exemplary punishment to the vandals, renovation of the damaged places of worship, households and businesses, and allocating 15 per cent of the GDP for minority communities in the national budget. They continued to go on demonstrations there till 2:30pm that triggered traffic gridlock across the city.
Spokesperson of the protesters Joyjit Dutta, also organising secretary of Bangladesh Chhatra League’s Jagannath Hall unit, said, “If the demands are not met in 24 hours and such attacks, vandalism or violence continue anywhere in Bangladesh, we will for tougher programmes.”
The demonstration followed an overnight attack on Hindus at Barakarimpur Majhipara in Pirganj of Rangpur on Sunday. The attackers burnt at least 30 houses to ashes, vandalised scores of others, looted cash, valuables, and even cattle, said the Hindus.
Police had to fire rubber bullets and teargas shells to disperse the attackers and it took two hours for the firefighters to douse the flame. Nanda Rani of Bara Karimpur Majhipara said, “They set fire on our houses, looted our money, rice and cattle. How could we survive now?”
Immediately after additional police, RAB and Border Guard Bangladesh were deployed to avert any further violence.
Rangpur superintendent of police Biplob Kumar Sarkar said the attackers set 30 houses of Hindus on fire, vandalised scores of others and carried out looting. He said Rangpur deputy commissioner and he stayed at the site all the night and brought the situation under control.
Rangpur deputy commissioner Asif Ahsan said the government will provide all the victims with all kinds of support and rehabilitate them.
Pirganj police officer-in-charge Saresh Chandra Ray said police arrested 42 people in connection with the violence at the Hindu locality. Two cases — one for arson attack and another for looting and vandalising — were filed accusing 500 unidentified people, he said.
Rangpur Range Deputy Inspector General of police Devdas Bhattacharya said police remained active to arrest the criminals.
Visiting the spot, Rangpur Divisional Commissioner Abdul Wahab Bhuiyan said the victim families will be rehabilitated soon. “The criminals will not be spared,” he added.
The UN Resident Coordinator in Bangladesh Mia Seppo has said the recent attacks on Hindus, “fueled by hate speech” on social media, are against the values of the Constitution and need to be stopped.
“We call upon the government to ensure the protection of minorities and an impartial probe,” she said on Tuesday, adds UNB.
The UNRC tweeted, calling upon all to join hands to strengthen inclusive tolerance in Bangladesh.
Meanwhile, the Rangpur unit of Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Oikya Parishad formed a human chain in front of Rangpur Press Club in the morning protesting against the attack Pirganj.
The country saw a number of sectarian attacks during and after the just concluded Durga Puja, following an alleged desecration of the Holy Quran at a puja mandap in Cumilla on October 13 prompting the government to deploy paramilitary forces in 22 districts to fend off further trouble.
