Nasirnagar attack on Hindus: AL, BNP leaders being charged

Police are preparing to press charges against a number of ruling Awami League and BNP leaders for their roles in last year’s attacks on the Hindu community in Brahmanbaria’s Nasirnagar upazila.

Several police officials told the Dhaka Tribune that the charge sheet in one of the cases, filed over the attack, would be submitted to a local court on Sunday against 228 people.

Nasirnagar’s Goura temple was vandalized in the October 30, 2016 communal attack. Nirmal Chowdhury, general secretary of the temple’s management committee, filed the case accusing up to 3,000 unidentified attackers.

Police have confirmed the names of several local politicians who will be charged.

The ruling party leaders are Nasirnagar Sadar Union Parishad Chairman and Awami League upazila unit Assistant Publicity Secretary Md Abul Hashem, Haripur UP’s suspended chairman Dewan Atikur Rahman Ankhi, Haripur UP Awami League chief Faruq Mia, and Chaportala UP Awami League Hazi Suruj Ali.

The BNP leaders include the party’s Nasirnagar upazila unit General Secretary Md Abdul Hannan, former Haripur UP chairman and incumbent BNP chief Md Jamal Mia, and upazila BNP unit Joint Secretary Amirul Hossain Chakdar.

“We have finalized the charge sheet after careful scrutiny and thorough investigation,” Nasirnagar police station’s Officer-in-Charge Md Abu Zafar told the Dhaka Tribune.

At least 17 Hindu temples and more than 50 houses were attacked and vandalized by a mob on October 30 last year. More than 100 people were injured in the attack, said to be triggered by a Facebook post defaming Islam posted from the account of an illiterate fisherman,

Eight cases have been filed against up to 3,000 people over the attack. A total of 124 accused were arrested but all of them are free on bail.

Source :  DhakaTribune