No case filed, none detained over attack on minority community in Sunamganj

No case has been filed as of 11:00am Thursday over the incident of attacking, vandalising and looting of the houses of the minority Hindu people in a village of Shalla upazila of Sunamganj centreing an ‘objectionable’ post in Facebook about Hefazat-e-Islam central leader Mamunul Haque.

The incident happened in Nowagaon village under Hobibpur union of the upazila on Wednesday morning. Earlier on Tuesday night, police detained a youth named Jhumon Das, 28, for the Facebook post.

Police and local sources said Hefazat leader Mamunul spoke at a rally in Shalla’s adjoining Derai upazila on Monday. Following the Facebook status, several thousand people from four nearby villages gathered near in the Nowagaon village. Over a thousand people in a mob then attacked the village with local weapons. Later, upazila administration and police rushed to the village and brought the situation under control. District administration and police officials visited the village on Wednesday afternoon. Police and Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) men were deployed in the village.

But the deployment of cops could do little to ease the fear of the villagers as many women and children who fled their homes during the attack are yet to return.

Locals said most of the attackers were young persons.

Villagers said the attackers looted money from the houses and vandalised idols of the Hindu community.

Hobibpur union parishad chairman Bibekananda Majumder is from the same village. His house was among the attacked.

Bibekananda said they came to know about Jhumon Das’s Facebook post about Hefazat leader Mamunul on Tuesday. As the situation turned tense, the villagers themselves detained Jhumon and handed him over to the police at the same night. The local administration and policemen discussed the matter with people of the four villages but the villagers launched the attack in the following morning.

The chairman said at least 90 houses of minority Hindu community were vandalised.

Freedom fighter Anil Chandra Das of the village said, “We couldn’t imagine anything like this would happen. We want the arrest and exemplary punishment of the attackers. I can’t understand why the police hasn’t detain anyone yet.”

Officer in charge (OC) of Shalla police station, however, said the police are conducting aa drive to arrest the attackers involved.

He said no case has been filed as of 11:00am but the process of filing the case is underway. Police would remain deployed until the situation is back to normal.

He also said a case under Digital Security Act is being processed against detained Jhumon.

Director general of RAB Chowdhury Abdullah Al Mamun visited the area at around 11:00am on Thursday.

He said no one involved with the incident of attack on minority community would be spared and stringent measures would be taken against the attackers.

RAB DG addresses the local people gathered in front of of Nowagaon Government Primary School.

He said the country would not develop if religious bigotry prevails.

He urged the people to maintain religious harmony and said the government and local administration would provide assistance to the attacked Hindu community.

RAB DG is from the same upazila’s Shrihail village.