Bhola Violence: Muslim couple saves Hindu neighbours

At a time when the southern district of Bhola was trembling with fear after a bloody clash between police and religious zealots, a Muslim couple came forward to protect their Hindu neighbours from an attack carried out by a swarm of fanatics, putting their own lives at stake.   

Md Helal and his wife Farzana Ferdousi came out of their house on Sunday when about a hundred of religious bigots stormed into Bhawal Bari area of Borhanuddin municipality to carry out an attack on the lives and properties of the Hindu community living there.

A section of the crowd gathered at the Eidgah Maidan under the banner of “Sarbastorer Muslim Tawhidi Janata” rushed to the area following a clash with police over a hate conversation spread through Facebook and its messenger.

Though the couple could not protect all their neighbours in the face of such a huge number of attackers, they at least showed the courage to stand against all odds when no one came forward.

The zealots torched a house and vandalised 12 more belonging to the Hindu community.

“When the attacks were being carried out, none but the couple came out and tried to douse the fire,” said Sujit Chandra Dey, a victim of the attack.   

“They have shown their courage and proved how good neighbours they are,” Sujit said, adding that the couple also snatched a sharp weapon from an attacker.  

“All of our houses would have been destroyed if the couple had not come forward,” said Smriti Rani Dey, a university student and a victim of the vandalism.

Farzana said, “I have never seen such attack in my life, but I didn’t lose courage to stand beside my neighbours, whatever be their religious identity,”.

“All I thought was I have to protect my neighbours with whom we have been living with harmony for years,” she also said.

Her husband Helal, an executive member of Borhanuddin upazila unit Awami League, said, “My forefathers have always stood beside their Hindu neighbours during a time of crisis.

Besides, standing beside neighbours in time of their crisis has been made mandatory in Islam, Helal said.