Who are the attackers?
Many of those who attacked Hindu homes and temples in Brahmanbaria's Nasirnagar on Sunday were aged between 14 and 25, and they joined the rallies held by two Islamist groups that day.
Protesting a Facebook post “hurting the religious sentiment” of the Muslims, one rally was staged by Ahle Sunnat Wal Jamaat at Nasirnagar College intersection, while the other by Towhidi Janata at Ashutosh Pilot High School.
Both the rallies began around 10:00am and continued till 2:00pm. Many participants left midway through the rallies and took part in the three-hour attack starting from 11:00am, according to locals, police and sources in the administration.
Split into several groups, a mob from the rally of Towhidi Janata simultaneously attacked Namasurdrpara, Sarkar Para, Kashipara and Mahakalpara. Those from the Ahle Sunnat rally reportedly stormed Dutta Para.
“Of the attackers, almost 60 to 70 percent were aged between 14 and 25 and they were from different villages of Nasirnagar Sadar upazila,” Sub-Inspector of Nasirnagar Police Station Mohiuddin Ahmed, investigation officer of the case filed over the attack, told The Daily Star on Thursday.
Witnesses and victims said activists from local chapters of Islamist group Hefajat-e Islam, BNP, Awami League, Jamaat-e-Islami and Ahle Sunnat as well as local goons took part in the attack. And local leaders of those organisations played the role of instigators.
According to witness accounts and video footage obtained by The Daily Star, people wearing panjabis and prayer caps were seen taking part in the attack.
However, Awami League lawmaker and Fisheries Minister Mohammed Sayedul Hoque on Thursday said no attacker was wearing panjabi or prayer cap.
At least three video clips of the attack on Gauro Mandir at Mahakalpara and Dutta Bari Mandir at Dutta Para show that most of the mobs were youths and teenagers.
This newspaper obtained the clips, which also show that some attackers were wearing pants and shirts and some were in panjabis and prayer caps.
Several victims told this correspondent that some women wearing hijab participated in looting Hindu houses and temples.
A section of attackers carrying sticks and locally made weapons had come from Nurpur village of Gokorno union.
“People came from the village and created mayhem,” added a police official of Nasirnagar Police Station.
Nurpur is known as the “village of thieves”, locals say.
Besides, villagers, mostly youths, from Harinber, Noorpur, Datmandal, Kahetura, Sanakaradah, Asoarail and Benipara attacked Hindu temples and houses.
While locals have identified several attackers from mobile phone video clips, the administration is yet to find out the masterminds or the attackers.
“We are working to identify the masterminds and attackers,” said Abdul Kadir, officer-in-charge of Nasirnagar Police Station, who has been withdrawn but is still carrying out duties.
“Most of the attackers were teenagers. We are examining video clips to identify the attackers,” he added.
About 200 houses and business establishments and at least 17 temples of Hindus were vandalised and looted on Sunday in Nasirnagar upazila town and Haripur union.
The mayhem followed a Facebook post from the account of Rasraj Das, a local fisherman.
Rasraj, 27, is now in jail in a case filed over the post. Before his arrest and the attack on Hindus, he claimed he had nothing to do with the post, but apologised for it anyway. Relatives say his account may have been hacked.
Several witnesses told The Daily Star in the last three days that BNP activist Mahbub Ahmed carrying a stick and riding a horse attacked Hindu houses in different areas of the upazila town.
This correspondent on Wednesday visited Mahbub's house at Dantmondon. But the man ran away when he was approached for his comment.
Many witnesses said Chaportola union AL President Suraj Ali addressing the Towhidi Janata rally called upon people to “attack Hindus”.
Contacted, Suraj denied making any such statement but admitted that he had joined the rally.
Locals also said former Bhureshwar Union Parishad member Mohammad Oli Miah and his sons Sumon and Milon attacked Gauro Mandir.
Oli, who had won the union parishad election as an AL-backed candidate in 1996, refuted the allegation and said he tried to protect Hindus.
Nasirnagar AL General Secretary ATM Moniruzzaman said he along with the president of the AL unit joined both the rallies, spoke there and called for a peaceful protest.
“The matter is under investigation and I am not in a position to make any comment,” said Moniruzzaman, also the upazila chairman.
Moniruzzaman, Nasirnagar's Ahle Sunnat Wal Jamaat Convener Reazul Karim, Towhidi Janata Chairman Mufti Muklesur Rahman and BNP General Secretary MA Hannan rejected the allegations that their organisations had any links with the communal violence.
They all said it was an act of some vested quarters that wanted to create anarchy.
Ahle Sunnat's Reazul and Towhidi Janata's Muklesur categorically said none from their rallies were involved in the attack.
They both said that a section of AL leaders amid intra-party feud might have provoked their followers into attacking Hindus. It is also possible that people who want to destabilise the government created the situation.
Muklesur added, “Attackers also could be local goons, Hindu land grabbers and Hindu people who have conflicts with other Hindus.”
Locals alleged that Haripur union AL President Faruk Miah's cousin Kaptan Miah, who is an AL activist, was one of the instigators in the area.
Kaptan was not available for comment but Faurk said his cousin had no links to Sunday's incidents.
After watching mobile phone clips, locals could say that attackers included Nasirnagar Chhatra League leader Rabbi Rubel, Chhatra Dal activist Marzan Bhuiyan of Haripur union, upazila town's Hefajat activist Haris Miah and Jamaat activist Dukhu Miah.
However, those party men could not be reached for comments.
Nasirnagar BNP leader Hannan said no leaders and activists of the party had taken part in the attack or instigated it.
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