Online Edition
Monday, 01 October 2012
COX’S BAZAR: The law enforcers so far arrested 115 people from four different upazilas of Cox’s Bazar till Monday afternoon following Saturday’s sectarian violence.
Of the arrestees, 44 were arrested from Ramu, 31 from Ukhiya, 22 from Tekhnaf, and 18 from Cox’s Bazar Sadar, our Cox’s Bazar correspondent reported.
A series of sectarian violence apparently triggered in country’s south-western part since early Sunday night centring a photograph, allegedly defaming Muslim’s holy book, posted by a Buddhist man in his Facebook Wall, that allegedly Muslims’ religious sentiments.
As a consequence, an agitated mob destroyed 12 pagodas (Buddhist temples) and more than 50 houses in Ramu upazila of Cox's Bazar early Sunday. Another pagoda was burnt to ground in Ukhiya.
As news flared up in other parts of the region, thousands of angry mob also vandalised two pagodas and one Hindu temple in Patiya upazila of Chittagong.
Meanwhile, a fresh violence took placelat Sunday night in Ukhiya and Tekhnaf which damaged 10 other temples there.
Police fired 50 rounds of bullet to bring the situation under control.
At least 50 people, including police, were injured.
The local administration imposed section 144 in several parts of Ukhiya and Tekhnaf to avert further untoward incident.
Cox’s Bazar MP bins home minister’s allegation:
Meanwhile, Lutfur Rahman Kajal, BNP lawmaker of Cox’s Bazar-3 constituency termed Home Minister MK Alamgir’s statement “unreasonable and childish” at a press conference at Cox’s Bazar Press Club this morning.
He also demanded the resignation of the home minister as government failed to restore communal harmony in the region.
A series of sectarian violence apparently triggered in country’s south-western part since early Sunday night centring a photograph, allegedly defaming Muslim’s holy book, posted by a Buddhist man in his Facebook Wall, that allegedly Muslims’ religious sentiments.
As a consequence, an agitated mob destroyed 12 pagodas (Buddhist temples) and more than 50 houses in Ramu upazila of Cox's Bazar early Sunday. Another pagoda was burnt to ground in Ukhiya.
As news flared up in other parts of the region, thousands of angry mob also vandalised two pagodas and one Hindu temple in Patiya upazila of Chittagong.
Meanwhile, a fresh violence took placelat Sunday night in Ukhiya and Tekhnaf which damaged 10 other temples there.
Police fired 50 rounds of bullet to bring the situation under control.
At least 50 people, including police, were injured.
The local administration imposed section 144 in several parts of Ukhiya and Tekhnaf to avert further untoward incident.
Cox’s Bazar MP bins home minister’s allegation:
Meanwhile, Lutfur Rahman Kajal, BNP lawmaker of Cox’s Bazar-3 constituency termed Home Minister MK Alamgir’s statement “unreasonable and childish” at a press conference at Cox’s Bazar Press Club this morning.
He also demanded the resignation of the home minister as government failed to restore communal harmony in the region.
The minister, while talking to press in Dhaka after visiting the trouble-stricken area on Sunday, alleged that local BNP lawmaker had fuelled the violence, saying the MP neither met the visiting team from the capital nor visited the victims.
“Me and Ramu upazila chairman (Sohel Sarwar Kazal) went there at 12.00am Sunday to pacify the people who were involved in the violence on urgent calling by Ramu UNO (upazila nirbahi officer). The whole time I was there. Even when the home minister called an impromptu meeting, he then blamed the members of law enforcement agency for their failure to protect the minority community. But after returning to Dhaka, he blamed me just to get some cheap political advantages,” he said.
Reports of Rohingya link:
On Monday morning, Home Minister Mohiuddin Khan Alamgir said the government has reports that the Rohingyas instigated the violence in Cox's Bazar which later spread to Chittagong.
"We (the government) are aware about Rohingya link with the violence," he told reporters after inaugurating a training programme at Armed Police Battalion headquarters in the capital.
Mohiuddin said the law enforcers have been asked to keep vigilance in the areas where the UN-run Rohingya refugee camps situated so that no Rohingyas could come out of their camp premises and communicate with the local people.
The minister also claimed that 73 people were picked up in Chittagong in connection with the violence.
“Me and Ramu upazila chairman (Sohel Sarwar Kazal) went there at 12.00am Sunday to pacify the people who were involved in the violence on urgent calling by Ramu UNO (upazila nirbahi officer). The whole time I was there. Even when the home minister called an impromptu meeting, he then blamed the members of law enforcement agency for their failure to protect the minority community. But after returning to Dhaka, he blamed me just to get some cheap political advantages,” he said.
Reports of Rohingya link:
On Monday morning, Home Minister Mohiuddin Khan Alamgir said the government has reports that the Rohingyas instigated the violence in Cox's Bazar which later spread to Chittagong.
"We (the government) are aware about Rohingya link with the violence," he told reporters after inaugurating a training programme at Armed Police Battalion headquarters in the capital.
Mohiuddin said the law enforcers have been asked to keep vigilance in the areas where the UN-run Rohingya refugee camps situated so that no Rohingyas could come out of their camp premises and communicate with the local people.
The minister also claimed that 73 people were picked up in Chittagong in connection with the violence.
Cases filed in Chittagong:
News agency UNB reported that two cases were filed against 76 identified and about 2,000 unidentified people on charge of arson attack on the Buddhist and Hindu temples in Patiya upazila in Chittagong following Sunday’s communal violence.
Officer-in-charge of Patiya Police Station Aminur Rashid said Srimat Dipananda, a Buddhist monk, on Sunday night filed a case with the station against 37 identified people, including arrested 26 workers of Western Marine shipyard and unknown 400/500 people.
Meanwhile, Patiya Police Station Sub-Inspector Zakir Hossain filed another case against 39 identified people, including the arrested 26 workers, on Monday morning.
Preparation is going on to file another case in this connection, the OC said.
On Sunday noon, several hundred agitating Muslims attacked Lakhara Abhay Buddhist Bihar and torched it.
They also attacked Ratnangkur Buddhist Bihar and Nabarun Sangha Durga temple in Kolagaon and Matri temple of the Hindus and vandalised those.
Twenty-six people were arrested in connection with the attack on the temples on Sunday. Most of the arrestees were the workers of Western Marine Shipyard.
News agency UNB reported that two cases were filed against 76 identified and about 2,000 unidentified people on charge of arson attack on the Buddhist and Hindu temples in Patiya upazila in Chittagong following Sunday’s communal violence.
Officer-in-charge of Patiya Police Station Aminur Rashid said Srimat Dipananda, a Buddhist monk, on Sunday night filed a case with the station against 37 identified people, including arrested 26 workers of Western Marine shipyard and unknown 400/500 people.
Meanwhile, Patiya Police Station Sub-Inspector Zakir Hossain filed another case against 39 identified people, including the arrested 26 workers, on Monday morning.
Preparation is going on to file another case in this connection, the OC said.
On Sunday noon, several hundred agitating Muslims attacked Lakhara Abhay Buddhist Bihar and torched it.
They also attacked Ratnangkur Buddhist Bihar and Nabarun Sangha Durga temple in Kolagaon and Matri temple of the Hindus and vandalised those.
Twenty-six people were arrested in connection with the attack on the temples on Sunday. Most of the arrestees were the workers of Western Marine Shipyard.
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