2016 Nasirnagar communal attacks: 3 accused get AL nod for UP polls in B’baria
Three people charged with vandalising and attacking Hindu houses and temples in 2016 will contest the upcoming union parishad (UP) elections on the Awami League ticket in Brahmanbaria's Nasirnagar upazila.
Dewan Atikur Rahman, current UP chairman of Haripur union, Abul Hashem, current chairman of Sadar union and Akhter Mia, brother of current Purbobhag UP chairman, were given AL nominations last night, reports our Brahmanbaria correspondent.
According to the Brahmanbaria District Judge's Court, police on December 11, 2017, pressed charges against 228 suspects -- among them Dewan Atiqur, Abul Hashem and Akhter Mia -- in one of eight cases filed over incidents of vandalism and arson of Hindu houses in the upazila in October and November of 2016.
Among the 228 accused in the charge sheet, Haripur Union chairman Dewan Atiqur was mentioned as the "mastermind" of the attack.
Police had arrested him on January 5, 2017, from the capital's Bhatara area of the capital. At that time, Awami League was embarrassed about Atiqur due to criticisms all over the country.
Following the arrest, the LGRD ministry suspended Atiqur from the union parishad on January 23, 2017. His dismissal order was later withdrawn and he returned to his post. He was released on bail from the High Court on November 6, 2017.
"The centre has nominated these three, [who are] accused in the 2016 Narisnagar attack case. We have no comments on this," Nasirnagar Upazila Awami League President and Upazila Parishad Chairman Rafi Uddin Ahmed told The Daily Star.
"We objected to the names of these three controversial nominees on behalf of the selection committee at the district level. But even after that, they got the nomination from the centre. Maybe someone hid the information about them being charge-sheeted accused in the cases," said Al Mamun Sarkar, district Awami League general secretary.
"The district committee today sent a letter to the Awami League central committee to reconsider the issue of the three controversial candidates. Now that the central committee has learned about the matter, it may change its decision," he added.
On October 29, 2016, a group beat up a Hindu boy from Harinber village of Nasirnagar upazila, alleging that he had hurt religious sentiment on Facebook, and handed him over to police.
The next day, 15 temples and more than 100 houses of the Hindu community were vandalised, looted and set on fire from two separate rallies in Brahmanbaria Sadar upazila.
On November 4 and 13 that year, at least six Hindu houses in Sadar upazila were set on fire.
More than 2,000 people were charged in a total of eight vandalism cases. Police have arrested 126 people in these cases.
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