BNP’s Rizvi alleges ‘international conspiracy’ behind Rajbari shrine attack

A mob calling themselves "Tawhidi Janata" exhumed and burnt the body of a self-styled religious leader during an attack on his shrine in Goalanda

Senior BNP leader Ruhul Kabir Rizvi has described the recent attack on a shrine in Rajbari as part of an “international conspiracy”.

The BNP senior joint secretary general made the remarks on Saturday at a prayer gathering in Dhaka marking Eid-e-Miladunnabi.

On Friday, the grave, home and shrine of Nurul Haque, known locally as “Nural Pagla”, were attacked and vandalised by the "Tawhidi Janata", a loosely defined Islamist movement portraying itself as defenders of Islamic morality.

Nurul, who had declared himself Imam Mahdi -- an end times religious figure in Shia Islam -- died recently and was buried in a grave raised slightly above ground level. The grave was also designed in the style of the Kaaba, the holiest site in Islam, fuelling anger among religious fundamentalists. During the attack, the mob exhumed and burnt Nurul's body, while clashes with his followers left one person dead in Goalanda.

Rizvi condemned the violence, calling it unprecedented.

“Bangladesh is a tolerant, moral country where various religious communities live peacefully side by side. Yet here we have seen an incident where a shrine was attacked, and a body was burnt,” he said.

The BNP leader suggested that larger forces were behind the unrest.

“This kind of unrest has begun, this kind of anarchy is being created. Who are doing these things in the name of the Tawhidi Janata? There must be some international conspiracy behind it,” he said.

“My feeling is that there is a deep conspiracy from within. Even during the Pakistan era, we never heard of shrines being attacked or bodies being burnt. The country was supposed to move forward. Why are these things suddenly happening now?”

Rizvi also drew parallels with ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina’s past accusations against the BNP.

“Sheikh Hasina used to say that the BNP is a pro-Pakistan party and shelters Islamist militants. She spread this disinformation and propaganda,” he said.

“But despite all that, she could never prove it in any way. When danger comes upon us, we remain in the country. Our leader [former prime minister Khaleda Zia] remains in the country. She endured six years of persecution and imprisonment under false cases.”