Published on 05:07 PM, December 01, 2016

No one knows who attacked Nasirnagar

A vandalised temple in Nasirnagar upazila of Brahmanbaria after attack on October 30, 2016. Star file photo

Some mysteries get even more mysterious with time and eventually fall into an abyss of oblivion. Nasirnagar seems to be a place where no matter how many facts are unearthed by relentlessly inquisitive journalists, the administration manages to come up with a completely different reality. Take the latest probe report of Brahmanbaria's district administration which basically concludes that it is not possible to ascertain who exactly was behind the vicious attacks on Hindu houses and places of worship that continued despite huge deployment of security forces.

This means all those hundreds of men who swooped on around Hindu houses and temples, setting them on fire, terrorising the residents, just cannot be identified. Perhaps the whole thing has been made up by these people who claim they were traumatised by these attacks and did not go out of their homes. Perhaps it was sheer, illogical paranoia that prompted them to send their young girls and women to stay with relatives and friends and the men to stay vigilant night after night. Perhaps the media is just plain delusional when they publish reports of the UNO of the local administration taking part in processions that eventually led to the 'attacks' and remaining silent along with the law enforcers when the violence took place.

But oh wait, what about all those photographs of burnt down homes and grief-stricken people, what about the televised interviews of victims and eyewitnesses corroborating the media reports? Well, yes, of course the attacks took place, says the probe report, of course Hindus were targeted, but they were done by 'outsiders' – beings who had nothing to do with those who had taken part in the vociferous rallies protesting the injury to their religion. So ultimately after a month following the nightmare unleashed on Nasirnagar all we can say if we are to go with the official line, is that 'some individuals' did vandalise, loot and burn Hindu establishments in these areas but we really don't know who they are or where they suddenly appeared from. All this is really confusing to the simple mind. If no one knows who were behind these shameful attacks, why were three local ruling party leaders expelled for their alleged involvement, why was the UNO transferred and more importantly who are the 78 people arrested and accused of the crime?