Tension prevails at Nural Pagla's shrine, no complaint filed by family
Tension prevails around the 'darbar' (shrine) of the Nurul Haque, alias Nural Pagla, in Rajbari. Additional police have been deployed. Debris lies scattered inside the shrine compound, with smoke occasionally rising from the fire. Crowds of curious onlookers are gathering around the place.
After Jummah prayers yesterday, Friday, repeated attacks were carried out from 3 pm to 6 pm on Nural Pagla’s shrine. The attackers, alleging that his burial had been conducted in a manner contrary to Sharia, dug Nural Pagla’s body out from his grave and set it on fire.
This attack was launched by a group of people emerging from a protest rally of the Upazila Iman-Aqidah Protection Committee. At least 50 people were injured, including 10 to 12 policemen. Two police vehicles and the Upazila Nirbahi Officer’s (UNO) car were vandalised. One person injured in the attack later died.
A case has been filed at Goalanda Ghat Police Station over the attack on police and the vandalism of vehicles. On Friday night, Sub-Inspector (SI) Selim Molla filed the case, naming 3,000 to 3,500 unidentified persons as accused. However, as of 11 am today, Saturday, no arrests have been made in connection with the case. This was confirmed to Prothom Alo by Rakibul Islam, the Officer-in-Charge (OC) of Goalanda Ghat Police Station.
The OC also said that, regarding the attack on Nural Pagla’s shrine, no complaint has yet been lodged by the family.
A spot visit to the site at 7:30 to 9:00 Saturday morning, revealed that additional police were deployed in front of the shrine of Nural Pagla, located in Juron Molla Para of Ward No. 5 of Goaland pourashava. Curious crowds were gathering. Inside the shrine compound, there was a three-storey and a two-storey building.
Nural Pagla lived with his family in the three-storey building. All the rooms of both buildings have been destroyed. All the furniture has been looted. The remaining belongings were smashed and set on fire.
Now the shrine is in ruins. Smoke is still rising from the rubble. Some people are picking up scattered items such as rice and lentils from the debris. From time to time the police are dispersing the curious crowds
About 100 yards from the building was the 'den' or 'astana' of Nural Pagla. There, in a tin-roofed room, he would spend time with his devotees. Before his death, the tin-roofed room along with the surrounding flat land was raised a few feet to form a platform. On one side of the platform he would sit in the tin-roofed room; on the other side, after his death, he was buried.
Now the shrine is in ruins. Smoke is still rising from the rubble. Some people are picking up scattered items such as rice and lentils from the debris. From time to time the police are dispersing the curious crowds.
Abul Hossain (60), who came from Poradah in Kushtia, said, “On Friday the major news in the country was the attack on Nural Pagla’s shrine. I saw the reports in different media outlets and on Facebook, and I could not restrain myself. I came last night to a relative’s house in Goaland. This morning I visited the shrine. His work may have been controversial, but even so, it was not right to dig up his body from the grave and burn it.”
Ratna Biswas, who came from Pangsha in Rajbari, said, “He was a great man, and we revered him. When I heard about the attack on the shrine, I came to see it for myself.”
According to local sources, on 23 August Nurul Haque, also known as Nural Pagla, died of old age. That night, his devotees buried his body in his abode, a few feet above ground level, in a special manner. Following this, local Islamic scholars and Tawhidi followers expressed anger over the burial and raised several demands, including that the grave be leveled with the ground.
The Rajbari Deputy Commissioner, Superintendent of Police, and other senior officials of the administration held several rounds of meetings with the District and Upazila Iman-Aqida Protection Committee and the family of Nural Pagla. However, as the grave was not lowered, the Iman-Aqida Protection Committee held two press conferences, warning of a movement. They gave an ultimatum to fulfill their demands, including leveling the grave, by last Thursday. Otherwise, they declared they would hold a protest rally at the Goaland Ansar Club field after Friday Jumma prayers, followed by a “March for Goaland”.
Several eyewitnesses said that around 3 pm, from the stage, Maulana Jalal Uddin Pramanik, convener of the Iman-Aqida Protection Committee, and its member secretary, BNP leader Ayub Ali Khan, urged everyone to remain at the rally. But the agitated crowd marched towards and attacked Nural Pagla’s shrine. His devotees tried to resist from inside. At that time, at least fifty people from both sides were injured in the clashes, which included throwing of brickbats.
Then some people climbed over the walls and entered the shrine, set it on fire and looted the belongings. Around 5 pm, Nural Pagla’s body was taken out of the grave, brought to the Dhaka-Khulna highway at the Padma bend in Goaland, and set on fire.
Russel Molla, a devotee of Nural Pagla who was injured in the clash, died at Faridpur Medical College Hospital. He was the son of Azad Molla from Tenapcha village in Devgram, Goaland upazila.