Communal attacks during Durga Puja: HC asks for judicial probes in 6 districts
The High Court today directed the authorities concerned to conduct judicial inquiries into the incidents of violence and attacks on Hindu temples and mandaps during Durga Puja in six districts -- between October 13 and 18.
The districts are: Cumilla, Feni, Noakhali, Chattogram, Chandpur and Rangpur.
The court also asked the chief metropolitan magistrates and chief judicial magistrates to submit the inquiry reports to it in 60 days.
At the same time, the HC issued a rule asking the local administrations concerned to explain in four weeks why their inaction and failure to protect Hindu citizens and their properties in the districts during their biggest religious festival should not be declared illegal.
The HC bench of Justice Mozibur Rahman Miah and Justice Md Kamrul Hossain Mollah came up with the order and rule after hearing a writ petition filed by Supreme Court lawyers Anup Kumar Saha and Mintu Chandra Das seeking necessary directives on the issue.
They submitted the petition as a public interest litigation to the HC on October 21, saying that eight people were killed and many others were injured and puja mandaps, temples and their properties were vandalised and looted during the "mindless communal attacks and violence" between October 13 and 18 this year.
Local administrations failed to protect them from the communal attacks, they said in the petition.
Lawyer Jyotirmoy Barua appeared for the writ petitioners while Attorney General AM Amin Uddin and Additional Attorney General Sk Md Morshed opposed the writ petition during its virtual hearing.
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