Alamgir points finger at Ramu MP

Home Minister alleges local MP supported the hate attacks and did not visit the victims after the atrocities.

Dhaka, Sept 30 (bdnews24.com)—Home Minister Mohiuddin Khan Alamgir on Sunday alleged the local BNP MP supported the overnight hate attacks on a Buddhist village in Cox's Bazar's Ramu Upazila.

After returning to Dhaka from the affected area, he did not name the MP but told reporters, "That area has an MP from BNP. There are allegations that he also asked those who had gathered to carry out the attack [at Ramu] to create chaos and even kill."

Alamgir also said the local MP did not visit the victims after the incident neither did he meet the government representatives who went there.

BNP leader Lutfor Rahman Kajal is the current MP of the Cox's Bazar-3 constituency (Cox's Bazar Sadar and Ramu).

However, Alamgir said, "Anybody who had made provoking speech or done anything to instigate the attack on the Buddhist Viharas in Ramu will be brought to justice based on valid evidence."

A mob had torched and vandalised the Buddhist village in one of the worst religious attacks in Bangladesh which appeared to have been triggered by a Facebook posting allegedly defaming the Quran.

Seven Buddhist Viharas, around 30 houses and shops were torched in the attacks that started at 11:30pm on Saturday and lasted until around 4am on Sunday. More than a hundred houses and shops were also reportedly attacked, vandalised and looted.

Alamgir and Industries Minister Dilip Barua had visited the scene on Sunday morning along with Inspector General of Police (IGP) Hasan Mahmood Khandaker, Border Guard Bangladesh Director General Anwar Hossain, Rapid Action Battalion Director General Mokhlesur Rahman and other top officials.

They also visited the damaged 300-year old Ramu Sima Vihara of Merong Loa Barua.

After his helicopter landed at the capital's Tejgaon old airport, Alamgir said the photo posted in Facebook from outside Bangladesh. "The photo was shared on the facebook account of one Uttam Barua. The photo was not posted by Uttam."

Earlier on Sunday, several Facebook users also had said that Uttam, the Ramu youth being accused of the Quran defamation, did not post the photo deemed to be offensive to Islam. They said Uttam was tagged in the photo from a Facebook ID called 'Insult Allah'.

Responding to a query, Alamgir said the mother and sister of Uttam were taken into police custody. "Investigation is going on to find out if anybody else was linked to Uttam."

But he did not say anything about the current whereabouts of the accused, who works with Bangladesh Small and Cottage Industries Corporation.

The minister said the law enforcers have been given 10 days to submit their findings on the attack. "Police, RAB, BGB and the army have been deployed after the incident on Saturday night."

He also hoped to find out the names of the responsible behind the attack by Monday.

Asked how the religious fanatics were able to attack Hindu and Buddhist temples in Patia on Sunday noon even after the incident in Ramu, he said, "They [attackers] were unable to carry out violence bigger than this as proper and security measures were taken. They also failed in Ukhia too."

Later in the evening, around 7pm, unidentified miscreants also attacked another Buddhist temple in Ukhia Upazila in Cox's Bazar.

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