Four injured as encroachers beat devotees in mosque

Four devotees were injured at Sherpur upazila in the district yesterday when some people who had long been illegally occupying a large piece of land owned by the mosque attacked them entering the mosque.
The Juma prayers could not be held at Baitullah Jame Mosque due to the attack that left Mosque Committee Secretary Khan Mohammad Ekhtiar seriously injured.
He is now undergoing treatment at a local hospital.
Locals said seven people, including Solaiman Ali, son of one Abdul Ali, and Ashraf Ali, son of Moschher Ali, of Tirail village had long been occupying several bighas of land of the mosque and growing crops there for a long time.
After the mosque committee was formed recently, the secretary moved to free the land from their occupation.
As the occupants did not agree to leave the land and give the crop, the committee sought help of local administration.
Just before the Juma prayers yesterday, the illegal occupants locked in arguments with the mosque committee members.
At one stage, they entered the mosque and attacked the devotees with sticks, locals said.
However, Rabiul Islam, officer-in-charge of Sherpur Police Station, denied the news. He said that people were beaten up but none entered the mosque.
None was arrested and no case has been filed in this connection till yesterday evening.