Hindu’s cowshed torched in Netrokona, 15 cows burnt

Miscreants set fire to a cowshed at the house of Hindu community member and former union parishad chairman, Dipak Kumar Saha Roy Chowdhury, in Soarikandi village of Takurakona union under Sadar upazila of Netrokona on Sunday night.

Nine cows and six goats were burnt alive in the fire which also damaged an irrigation engine. Members of the Hindu community are living in a state of fear following the fire.

Dipak Kumar said miscreants on Sunday midnight set fire to the large cowshed made up of corrugated-iron sheet beside the Natmondir of his house. As the residents of the houses started screaming after seeing the flame, the miscreants fled.

On information, army and fire service personnel rushed in and doused the fire. In the meantime, nine cows, six goats, irrigation machine and haystacks were burnt alive, he said adding the fire caused a damage of at least Tk 1.6 million.

Dipak Kumar said, “Who set the fire could not be identified in the dark. I have no enemy yet someone set the fire and those animals were burnt alive. Hindus and Muslims extinguished the fire together. Army and fire service personnel also came at night. I want justice.”

Saying that local Hindus are in fear, Dipak Kumar’s younger brother Arun Kanti Saha Roy Choudhury said, “Local Muslims are also saddened over the incident.”

Neighbour Wares Ali Fakir said, “I saw fire burning everything at midnight. So, we called others and doused the flame, but could not save the cattle. We want justice.”

Sadar upazila nirbahi officer Tania Tabassum, district’s Puja Celebration Council president Ganesh Ranjan Sarkar, general secretary Liton Pandit, district’s Hindu Buddhist Unity Council president Sitangshu Bikash Acharchya and general secretary Manki Saha visited the spot.

UNO Tania Tabassum said, ‘It seems the miscreants carried out the arson attack and we are looking into it.”

Superintendent of police Foyez Ahmed said whoevers are responsible will be brought to book