3 more held on charge of attack on Hindus

Police arrested three more accused in the cases for attack on Hindu houses at Sahapara and Ghoshpara of Bonogram village in Santhia upazila of the district yesterday and the day before.
The arrestees are Md Akkas Ali and Md Yunus Ali of Sujanagar municipality area, and Md Saidul Islam of Ataikula area. Akkas and Yunus were arrested early yesterday while Saidul was arrested on Friday.
They were yesterday produced in a Pabna court that sent them to jail. With the three, police have so far arrested 32 accused in three cases filed for November 2 attack on Hindu houses at the village.
A group of youths attacked and looted houses of Hindus in the area after creating sensation by saying that Rajib Saha, son of Babul Saha, a shop owner at Bonogram Bazar, maligned Prophet Mohammad (pbuh) in a Facebook page.
Soon, hundreds of people stormed Babul Saha's house in Bonogram. Unable to find the boy, the mob got hold of Babul and took him to the bazar. There, he was warned that he and his son would be tried for “defaming the prophet”.
Despite protesting repeatedly that his son was innocent, Babul was mercilessly hit and kicked upon. At one stage, some locals intervened to save him and confined him to a shop.
In the meanwhile, another gang, more aggressive and violent, set fire to Babul's house. Later, more gangs joined in to attack the predominantly Hindu village and vandalised about 26 homesteads.