Shibir man arrested in Pabna

Police yesterday arrested an “Islami Chhatra Shibir” man on suspicion of involvement in the attack on Pastor Luke Sarkar in Pabna's Ishwardi upazila.

The arrested man, Obaidul Islam, 28, of Aotapara village in the upazila, is a Shibir activist and also an accused in a case, police said.

Ishwardi Police Station's Officer-in-Charge Biman Kumar Das said that acting on a tip off, police arrested Obaidul from his Aotapara house early yesterday.

He said they suspected Obaidul was involved in the attack.

“We are hopeful that we will get vital information from him,” the OC said.

On Monday, Luke Sarkar, 52, pastor of Faith Bible Church in the upazila, was attacked by three unidentified men at his home. He, however, survived with a few minor injuries.

Sarkar filed a case, accusing three unidentified people, with Ishwardi Police Station on Monday night. Police recovered a motorbike from outside his home.

Police said they were checking mobile phone call records of Sarkar to know about the assailants.

“We are trying to find out the culprits. We do not have enough information to reveal,” said Abu Jahid, assistant superintendent of Police of Ishwardi circle.

Alamgir Kabir, superintendent of police in Pabna, said police were not yet sure if the attack was carried out by religious fundamentalists or robbers or other criminals.

“We have arrested one suspect and are interrogating him,” the SP said.

Security has been beefed up in important areas of the district after the incident, he added.

SHIBIR'S DENIAL

Pabna district Islami Chhatra Shibir, student wing of Jamaat-e-Islami, yesterday in a press release claimed that detained Obaidul Islam was not an activist of the party.

The statement, signed by Saidul Islam, president of Pabna district unit of Shibir, also said the motorbike recovered from outside the pastor's house was not used by any Shibir man.

TENSION HIGH AMONG RELIGIOUS MINORITIES

Tension runs high among the religious minorities in the upazila over Monday's attack on the pastor. They said they were living in fear and panic.

“The Christians are worried over the attack [on the pastor]. Most of them don't even want to come to the church out of fear,” said Reverend David Ratna, pastor of Pabna Baptist Church.

Shushmita Biswas, a member of the church, said, “We are afraid to go to the church as criminals.”

Monday's assault on the pastor has reminded them of the two major attacks on minorities. One was on Christians in Failjana village in 2001, and another was on Hindus in Bonogram in 2013. And, the attackers, in most cases, were not punished, they said.