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Published : 15 May 2026, 04:08 PM
A group of people have attacked and vandalised the shrine of Hazrat Shah Ali Baghdadi in Mirpur during an Urs or religious ritual on Thursday night.
Several devotees who were present at the shrine claimed that the attackers were affiliated with Jamaat-e-Islami and its student wing, Islami Chhatra Shibir.
However, the local Member of Parliament from Jamaat-e-Islami, Mir Ahmad Bin Qasem (Barrister Arman), denied that any members of his party were involved.
He claimed that what happened was part of an “anti-drug operation” by police.
Police officials have also given different versions of what took place, with accounts varying between an anti-drug drive and an unauthorised operation carried out by local groups.
Followers of the shrine fear that Thursday night’s attack may be part of the ongoing wave of attacks and vandalism targeting shrines and Sufi sites across the country since Aug 5, 2024.
According to them, members of Jatiotabadi Jubo Dal, the student wing of BNP, had also attacked the shrine the previous week in the name of an anti-drug drive.
Devotees present on Thursday night said attackers entered the shrine premises and assaulted those inside.
Abdus Sabur, who works in a private company, said a weekly Urs is held every Thursday night, attracting visitors from Dhaka and other parts of the country.
He said during the gathering, a group of people suddenly arrived carrying sticks and began attacking devotees.
One injured victim said, “Some people came with sticks… they created complete chaos. People started running everywhere. I was trying to get out through the main gate when they hit me on the head.”
Showing photos on his mobile phone, he added: “These people led the attack. Look at this boy here… they were in charge.”
When asked whether police in plain clothes had carried out the operation, several people present immediately responded, “No, no.”
One of them said although four police vehicles were stationed outside the shrine gate at the time, officers did not enter the premises.
“They must have planned this in advance. Otherwise why didn’t the police come inside?”
When asked who carried out the attack, one person nearby replied: “All Jamaat people.”
Mirpur Division Deputy Commissioner Md Mostak Sarkar said police had gone to the shrine area for an anti-drug operation, but some “curious people” created complications, after which police withdrew themselves.
However, videos of the attack circulated on Facebook show more than 50 people carrying sticks and beating individuals, but no police officers are among them.
Assistant commissioner of Darus Salam Zone Imdad Hossain Bipul denied that police conducted any operation there.
He said, “We did not conduct any operation at the shrine. From what I saw, it seemed that Jamaat-Shibir members carried out an operation on their own initiative. Last week, BNP activist Miraj carried out a similar operation independently, and this time Jamaat-Shibir appears to have done the same. The police had no involvement.”
When asked whether police were present, he initially denied it, saying: “No. How can we conduct an operation with a political party?”
However, a senior official from Mirpur Division reportedly told bdnews24.com that several officers had gone there.
When the assistant commissioner’s attention was drawn to it, he said: “No one went to an operation. Who told you this?”
He was informed that the deputy commissioner of Mirpur Division gave such a statement. The assistant commissioner then said: “They (Jamaat-Shibir) conducted the operation. We did not go inside.”
Asked whether police were outside the shrine, he said: “We weren’t outside either. I tell you this clearcut, we have no option to conduct a raid while engaged with a political party.
“We realised they were going to carry out such an operation, so we decided not to conduct any operation ourselves and stepped back.”
The chief of Shah Ali Police Station gave a different version of events. He said: “Some men and women from outside had spread mats and were smoking marijuana in the area east of the shrine where Friday prayers are usually held.
“The shrine devotees themselves removed them from the premises.”
He added, “That is all we found. I went there, and my officers went there. No one smokes marijuana in that place where Friday prayers are held. But last night, people were openly using drugs there, so the devotees drove them away. The police had no role in this.”
Mir Ahmad, local MP and a member of Jamaat-e-Islami, denied any involvement of Jamaat activists.
When contacted, he told bdnews24.com, “the incident was the result of a “police anti-drug operation.”
He said, “Police informed me that marijuana is used there every night and that Thursday nights see large gatherings of drug users. I was only told that a major operation would be conducted.”
When asked if Jamaat members or locals took part in it, the MP said: “No. The issue is that local people are angry and disturbed by illegal and obscene activities taking place at a religious institution.”
He added, “One of the main promises in my election manifesto was zero tolerance against drugs. That is why we repeatedly urged police to act, and police have been active on the matter. What happened Thursday night was primarily related to drug activities. Drug dealing and consumption are most visible there on Thursday nights, so police took action.”
When asked again whether any local Jamaat activists were present, MP Mir Ahmad said: “None of my people were there. Some journalists sent me videos, and I watched them. I did not recognise anyone from my party in those videos.”
After the fall of the Awami League government on Aug 5, 2024, attacks on shrines and other religious institutions began across the country.
According to Maqam, Center for Sufi Heritage, 97 shrines were attacked between August 2024 and Dec 31 last year.
