Bangladesh: Bigots vandalise, loot Ahmadiyya houses

Mominur Rahman, officer-in-charge of Ghatail Police Station, confirmed the incident, and said two cases had been filed in this connection.

File photo

Ahmadiyya Times | News Watch |
Source & Credit: The Daily Star | Bangladesh
By DS Correspondent, Tangail  | August 9, 2010


Religious bigots vandalised and looted at least 10 houses of the Ahmadiyyas in Chandtara village of the district's Ghatail upazila early yesterday.

Irate at the move to build an Ahmadiyya mosque in the area, they attacked the houses at around 2:00am and continued pillaging till 6:00am in the morning, local sources said.

Earlier on Saturday, 10 Ahmadiyyas were injured in an attack while returning from the foundation-laying ceremony of the mosque.

Abu Taher Akhand, a member of the Ahmadiyya community, told The Daily Star that paddy, furniture, livestock and household items worth around Tk 10 lakh were looted from his house.


"They made the attack after police left the village,” he said.

His family and dwellers of the other houses however managed to flee to safety, he added.

Mominur Rahman, officer-in-charge of Ghatail Police Station, confirmed the incident, and said two cases had been filed in this connection.

M Bazlul Karim Chowdhury, deputy commissioner of Tangail, visited the village yesterday morning and talked to the Ahmadiyyas and others of the village.

He told The Daily Star that construction of the mosque has been suspended.

“Additional policemen will be deployed in the village to avert further violence,” he added.

A section of locals under the banner of "Imam Parishad" have long been campaigning against 40 Ahmadiyya families in the village.

On June 17, they thwarted another move to start building the planned Ahmadiyya mosque.



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