On Friday (November 18) morning, the residence of a Hindu family was attacked and their puja mandap was vandalised in the Kostapara area in Bhuanpur Upazila in Tangail district in the Dhaka Division of Bangladesh.
As per reports, the home belonged to local Hindu resident Subhas Ghosh. About 10 members of his family were injured during the attack and at least 4 out of them were admitted to the Bhuanpur Upazila Health Complex for medical treatment.
Those hospitalised in the aftermath of the attack were identified as Ratan, Nikhil, Ashok, and Shanto Ghosh. On the other hand, the accused was identified as Khorshed Bepari.
Khorshed was accompanied by 7-8 people: Victim
Khorshed is said to be a leader of the youth wing (Jubo League) of the ruling Awami League. He reportedly carried out the targeted attack on his Hindu neighbour over an ongoing ‘land dispute.’ His brother Arshed Ali was also an accomplice in the attack.
While speaking about the matter, an injured Amlesh Ghosh said, “A team of 7-8 people, led by Khorshed, attacked us 3 times and vandalised our house. At least 10 family members, including women, were injured. We need justice. We are preparing to file a case with the police.”
The attack on Subhash Ghosh and his family was condemned by the Secretary of Bhuyapur Upazila of Citizen Sujan for Good Governance, Santosh Kumar Dutta.
He remarked, “I strongly condemn and protest the attack on the residences and temples of Hindus in broad daylight. The criminals, involved in the dastardly attack should be prosecuted.”
Khorshed denies involvement in the attack, cries foul
In his defence, accused Khorshed Bepari claimed that there was a dispute over the boundary of his house with Subhas Ghosh. “There were no fights or cases of assaults (on our part). They (the Ghosh family) only attacked and hurled abusive slurs at us,” he claimed.
“They are spreading lies. I am involved in politics and my job is to serve people. I cannot do such work of assaulting anyone”, Khorshed added.
The Background of the Case
According to the Bhuanpur police station Officer-in-charge, Faridul Islam, the attack was the fallout of a land dispute between two parties. Neither party filed a written complaint with the police.
A large contingent of police has been deployed at the crime scene to avoid further flareup and prevent any law and order situation. Faridul Islam alleged that he has so far received no written complaint from any side. “Necessary action will be taken on receipt of a complaint,” he added.
Earlier, Khorshed’s family had filed a case against Subhas Ghosh over the land dispute but it was dismissed by the court on Thursday (November 17). A day later, the accused got into a heated argument with the Ghosh family and attacked them with sharp weapons.
Opindia has documented several such cases of persecution and ill-treatment meted out to the minority Hindu community in Bangladesh. Given the country’s poor track record of dealing with human rights violations of the Hindus, such attacks remain a routine affair.
