Five years on, victims still wait for justice
The people belonging to minority Hundu community in Rajganj union of Begumganj under the district are still haunted by the harrowing memory of the day five years ago, when activists of Jamaat-e-Islami and its student wing Islami Chhatra Shibir unleashed a reign of terror in the area.
The attacks on the Hindus were made on February 28 in 2013, hours after the International Crimes Tribunal awarded death sentence to Jamaat-e-Islami leader Delawar Hossain Sayedee on charges of arson, rape, murder and forced conversion during the 1971 Liberation War.
Unidentified criminals damaged at least six temples, torched 36 houses and vandalised 40 others after looting those at Alampur and Aladin Nagar villages in Rajganj on February 28 in 2013.
Fish trader Liton and day labourer Nur Uddin were killed during the incident when Jamaat-Shibir activists swooped on police and the latter fired 250 rounds of bullets and lobbed tear shells to bring the situation under control.
Two cases were filed in the connection with the incident, accusing 71 named people and at least 1,500 others unidentified.
But trial of the cases is yet to start.
“The Detective Branch of police submitted charge-sheet to the court accusing 111 people. Except the eight accused who are on the run, all others are now on bail,” said District Public Prosecutor ATM Mohib Ullah.
Raju, son of victim Liton, said he was a Class V student when his father was killed.
“I could not continue schooling due to hardship. I now drive auto-rickshaw to maintain our family including my mother and siblings. We did not get any help from the government,” he said.
Members of several victim families who faced the attack have urged early trial of the perpetrators of the heinous crimes committed five years ago.
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