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Published : 30 Jul 2025, 02:23 AM
Religious tensions have resurfaced in Rangpur’s Gangachara where homes of minority Hindu families came under attack following rumours of blasphemy over the weekend in scenes chillingly reminiscent of the 2017 assault.
Before the attack, loudspeakers were used to gather people in Aldadpur Balapara village.
According to police, local officials, and members of the Hindu community, many of those involved were outsiders; some believed to have travelled from Kishoreganj Upazila in neighbouring Nilphamari district.
The first round of violence took place on Saturday night. A second round followed on Sunday afternoon, despite the presence of police and security forces.
Officers attempting to intervene were also assaulted by the mob.
Yet by Tuesday night, two days later, no charges had been pressed and no arrests had been made.
In the aftermath, several families from Aldadpur Balapara in Betgari union fled their homes. While some returned on Tuesday, fear and trauma were still visible on their faces.
Asked about the situation, Gangachara Upazila Nirbahi (Executive) Officer (UNO), the administrator of the sub-district, Mahmud Hassan Mridha said: “Law-enforcing personnel are present in the area.
“Both district and Upazila administrations have started repair works for the affected homes. The administration stands by the victims. The situation is now under control.”
HOW THE ATTACK UNFOLDED
The violence was sparked by claims that a 17-year-old Hindu boy had made derogatory remarks about the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) on Facebook. The boy, a student at a private polytechnic institute, is the son of a local village doctor.
A neighbour said, as soon as the family learned of the allegation, they took the boy to the police station, where he was taken into custody. Shortly afterwards, a group of people launched an attack.
The neighbour recounted, “Around 8pm on Saturday, people suddenly came and began attacking homes. Mistaking the boy’s uncle’s house for his, they vandalised it first and then proceeded to ransack several others.”
Local resident Atul Roy said, “In the evening, police detained a teenage boy. Then a group from a neighbouring area arrived with sticks, shouting slogans. People fled their homes in fear. The mob then attacked a house they believed belonged to the boy.”
One of the victims, Sandhya Rani, whose home was also damaged that night, had fled with her family. She returned Tuesday morning.
Sitting in her courtyard, she said: “We don’t know what to say. On Saturday we heard our local councillor say that the boy had posted something about the Prophet on Facebook. He was taken to the police station. Then, around 8pm, people came and destroyed our house.”
HISTORY REPEATS IN HORROR
The latest attack has revived memories of a similar incident in October 2017, when a youth from Thakurpara village in the same Upazila was accused of posting a blasphemous image on Facebook. A case was filed at the time.
Protests were held demanding his arrest, including rallies in the nearby Paglapir area and the submission of memorandums to the deputy commissioner and superintendent of police.
On Nov 9, 2017, thousands of people stormed Thakurpara and set fire to homes belonging to the Hindu community. Police later confirmed that many attackers had come from neighbouring villages including Sholeyashah, Balabari, and Mominpur.
That time, police resisted the attackers, and in the ensuing clashes, one person was killed and several others injured. Two cases were filed in Gangachhara and Kotwali police stations.
Now, in 2024, homes in Aldadpur Balapara, just miles from the original site, have been attacked again.
A journalist from Rangpur said: “That incident also occurred just before an election. No justice was ever served. No one was punished.”
With a heavy heart, he added: “If the attackers had been held accountable back then, this might not have happened today. It seems like everyone has forgotten what happened.”
HUNDREDS-STRONG MOB LAUNCHES ASSAULT
The situation in Aldadpur Balapara village has remained tense since Saturday night, when the first wave of attacks on Hindu homes took place. By early Sunday afternoon, announcements made over loudspeakers called for "justice" over the alleged blasphemy, inciting people to gather once again.
Anticipating unrest, police were deployed in the area. But despite the precautions, by late afternoon, hundreds of people, armed with sticks and homemade weapons, stormed the village.
A woman in her 40s recounted the chaos. “There were 500 to 600 men. They came with sticks and local weapons and attacked,” she said.
“Police were present, but when they tried to stop them, the attackers even assaulted the officers. Once police backed off, they entered every home and began looting and destroying everything. Everyone in the village fled.”
She added in anguish, “Whoever is responsible should be punished. But why were the homes of innocent people ransacked and looted?”
The attackers rampaged for a significant period without facing any resistance and left the scene undisturbed.
Several local families said they had never seen most of the attackers before. Rumours suggest the mob came from the Banglabazar area of Kishoreganj Upazila.
The violence was not limited to vandalism. The mob looted gold jewellery, cash, sacks of rice, cattle, clothing, and furniture.
One woman said she fled when the mob arrived, leaving her house unlocked. She could not take anything with her. The cash and gold she had at home were gone by the time she returned.
Sandhya Rani, the local resident, added: “On Sunday afternoon, they came and smashed our doors, looted everything. We ran away in fear. We haven’t been back since that day. I only came home this Tuesday morning.
“But I’m still scared. What if they come again?”
MONDAY NIGHT ATTEMPTED RALLY SPARKS RENEWED FEAR
Residents say fresh panic gripped the village on Monday night after hearing that a group of people had once again gathered in nearby Kishoreganj, allegedly preparing to march towards their village.
According to villagers, the group assembled near the Magura checkpoint adjacent to their community. Word of the gathering quickly spread, triggering fresh waves of fear, especially as most homes in the village remained deserted since the previous day’s attacks.
In the end, the group reportedly dispersed without marching on the village, but the sense of unease remains.
When asked about the developments earlier that day, Gangachara UNO Mahmud Mridha told journalists: “We’ve heard about some isolated incidents… A sufficient number of law-enforcing personnel have been deployed in the area. They will remain for as long as necessary to ensure public safety.”
Gangachara Model Police Station chief Al Emran confirmed: “Between 9 and 10pm on Monday, a group of people had gathered at the Magura checkpoint. We received that information. But they eventually left after staging a brief protest.”
LINGERING FEAR HAUNTS VILLAGE
Fear and devastation continue to grip Aldadpur Balapara. When visited on Tuesday morning, the village lay in uneasy silence, its atmosphere thick with tension. Rows of modest tin-roofed homes stood eerily quiet, with a few semi-pucca buildings scattered throughout. Some showed signs of hurried abandonment, others scarred by the violence of the days before.
The streets were largely empty, and daily life seemed suspended. At the village entrance, two schools, Aldadpur Dimukhi High School and Aldadpur New Government Primary School, stand side by side. Nearby, a few Army personnel were stationed, asking visiting journalists to first obtain permission from their camp.
Once inside, the scale of destruction became painfully clear. Nearly every home bore machete gashes on tin walls. Belongings lay strewn across courtyards and rooms; furniture and puja rooms were destroyed.
Some villagers were seen trying to collect whatever could be salvaged. Others sat silently in front of their homes, weeping.
In the cluster of 23-24 houses where the attack was concentrated -- a Hindu-majority section of the village -- both targeted and neighbouring families fled after the violence.
The home of the 17-year-old boy accused of insulting Islam’s Prophet on Facebook, located near the far edge of the village, was also heavily vandalised. No one was found there during the visit.
Signs of looting and destruction were visible in nearly every household. Among the damaged properties were several prayer rooms and temples.
One elderly widow sat under a tree in the middle of the village, sobbing: “Oh God, they’ve left us destitute. How will we survive now? They took everything from us!”
Residents identified some of the worst-hit families as belonging to: Promod Mohanto, Sujan Roy, Kishore Roy, Jaychand Roy, Amit Mohanto, Rabindranath Roy, Dharani Mohanto, Atul Roy, Suman Roy, Dhananjay Roy, Kamalakanto Roy, Subal Roy, Abinash Roy, Lal Mohon Roy, Haridas Roy, Manoranjan Sheel, Liton Mohanto, and Upin Chandra Mohanto.
Local union council member Paresh Chandra Roy told bdnews24.com that by Monday afternoon, at least 25 families had already left the village.
“Villagers are receiving threatening calls from unknown numbers. Many are too frightened to even step out of their homes,” he added.
POLICE OFFER ASSURANCE
Police officials in Gangachara say the situation is now under control and that residents who fled following violent mob attacks have begun returning to their homes.
Al Emran, the local police chief, said: “Some families had fled in fear, but they are now returning. We have reassured them, and law-enforcing officers are deployed in the village. The situation is stable.”
He added, police have not yet received any formal written complaints regarding the attacks, and as such, no arrests have been made.
Mridha, the Upazila administrator, said the family of the teenage boy arrested for allegedly defaming Islam on Facebook has also left the village in fear.
“We’ve been informed that a few other families left due to concerns over further attacks,” he said. “However, we have assured villagers that there is no need to leave their homes.”
Claiming that the situation is now calm, UNO Mridha said: “We are providing dry food and financial aid to affected families. Reconstruction of their homes is already under way.”
Although police and administrative officials suspect that the attackers came from Kishoreganj Upazila in Nilphamari district, the Kishoreganj Police Station chief offered a different view.
“This is a border area,” Ashfaqul Islam told bdnews24.com. “No one has officially informed our station about the events in Gangachhara. But if such information is shared, we’re prepared to assist.”
CALL FOR JUDICIAL INVESTIGATION
The BNP has demanded the immediate arrest and prosecution of those involved in the attack, calling for a judicial investigation into the incident.
Visiting the site of the violence, BNP’s Rangpur metropolitan unit Convenor Shamsuzzaman Samu said: “We urge the authorities to swiftly identify and bring the perpetrators to justice through proper investigation. This country belongs to people of all faiths and ethnicities. We do not want extremist groups to exist here. We ask the administration to take prompt legal action against the culprits.”
Swapan Kumar, general secretary of the Rangpur metropolitan unit of the Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council, described the attack as “heinous and disgraceful”.
“I visited the village myself. What happened there is absolutely appalling. If someone commits a crime, we have laws in place to punish them. But attacking people's homes in this way is unacceptable,” he said.
“We want to live together in harmony. If the boy is not guilty, he must be sent back to his parents. The state must ensure that such incidents are not repeated.”
Fakhrul Alam Benju, president of the Rangpur metropolitan chapter of Citizens for Good Governance (SHUJAN), echoed the call for justice.
“This is not an isolated event. Such attacks have been happening since the previous government,” he reminded.
“We strongly condemn this act and demand a thorough investigation. I believe a judicial probe is essential to ensure this never happens again,” he said.
