Hindus suffer most during Awami League rule, says BNP’s Fakhrul

The Hindus were the worst sufferers whenever the Awami League came to power, BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir has said after visiting the Hindu homes torched in Rangpur.

Rangpur Correspondentbdnews24.com
Published : 20 Nov 2017, 11:59 AM
Updated : 20 Nov 2017, 11:59 AM

“The Hindus have been subjected to attacks during the Awami League’s regimes. Their houses have been vandalised or torched,” he said after taking a tour of Thakurpara village on Monday.

Several homes in village were set ablaze on Nov 10 during a large demonstration over a Facebook post allegedly by a Hindu man, Titu Roy, which reportedly hurt religious sentiments.

A man was shot dead in clashes with police while 11 others were injured.

Fakhrul distributed clothes among the victims and provided Tk 10,000 to each of affected families.

“Bangladesh is a country of communal harmony. But some vested groups are trying to create differences there. We believe such groups led the Thakurpara attacks with similar motives,” he said.

A probe team formed by the BNP will visit the area soon, Fakhrul said, adding that a fair probe may help identify the perpetrators.

The BNP stalwart said he was due to visit Rangpur on Sunday but changed his schedule out of “political courtesy.”

“I came to know the ruling party ministers were arriving there for a meeting. So I changed my schedule,” he said.

The BNP had earlier announced that it would contest the Rangpur city polls due in December.

Fakhrul said on Monday that his party would make decisions for the future after seeing how the Election Commission plays its role during the Rangpur polls.

Earlier the day, while speaking to journalists at Saidpur Airport in Nilphamari, he said: “BNP will contest the polls although it is yet to fix the nominees. The Rangpur city polls will be another challenge for the Election Commission. We want them to ensure a proper, unbiased and credible one in Rangpur.”