Shaheed Minars vandalised in Kushtia, Pabna

Miscreants have vandalised two Shaheed Minars in Kushtia and Pabna on the eve of ‘Amar Ekushey’, the Mother Language Day.

The criminals smashed three pillars of the Shaheed Minar at Joduboira Secondary School in Kushtia’s Kumarkhali Upazila early on Thursday after tying up the night guard, the school’s acting headmaster Sunil Kumar said.

The temporary structure of the Minar was constructed in 1968 and a permanent structure was built in 1971.

Shariful Islam, president of the school’s board of advisors, blamed activists of Jamaat-e-Islami and its student wing Islami Chhatra Shibir for the attack.

“We have informed the police about them (Jamaat-Shibir activists),” he said.

Teachers and students took out a procession on the school premises demanding punishment for those responsible.

Kushtia Deputy Commissioner Syed Belal Hossain and Superintendent of Police Mafiz Uddin Ahmed visited the school in the morning.

Kumarkhali Police Station OC (Investigation) Salekuzzaman said they were investigating the incident.

Action would be taken against those responsible irrespective of their party affiliation, he said.

No arrest has been made so far.

bdnews24.com Pabna correspondent adds, miscreants damaged the Shaheed Minar at Boalmari Government Primary School at Chatmohar sometime between Wednesday night and Thursday morning.

Chatmohar Police Station’s OC Asaduzzaman Munsi said they were looking into the matter.

A case would be filed over the incident, he said.

Police are yet to ascertain who were behind the attack.

Jamaat-Shibir activists had unleashed widespread violence across Bangladesh after the death verdict of Jamaat leader Delwar Hossain Sayedee in a war crimes case in Feb last year.

Shaheed Minars were vandalised in many places such as Sylhet and Feni during that period.