Communal violence
Iqbal, the prime suspect in Bangladesh communal violence, brought to Cumilla
Iqbal Hossain, the man arrested from Cox’s Bazar last night for allegedly keeping the holy Quran at a Durga Puja venue, has been brought to Cumilla.
”Iqbal was brought to the Police Lines here around 12 noon on Friday," additional superintendent of Cumilla Police SM Tanvir Ahmed told UNB.
Police Thursday night held Iqbal Hossain, who was identified earlier as the one who kept a copy of the Quran at a Durga Puja venue in Cumilla, drawing accusations of desecrating the holy book hurled at the Hindu community and triggering communal tension and violence across the country.
"He was nabbed from the Cox's Bazar sea beach around 10.30pm," Rafiqul Islam, Cox's Bazar additional superintendent of police, told UNB. "Cumilla police will confirm if he is the key suspect Iqbal," he added.
Read: Man suspected of being Cumilla's Iqbal held from Cox's Bazar
Police identified Iqbal, the prime suspect of the Cumilla puja venue incident, Wednesday after scrutinising the footage of closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras.
He is believed to have placed the holy Quran inside Nanuar Dighi Par puja mandap in Cumilla city in the early hours of October 13, which led to attacks on Durga Puja venues across the country recently.
Also, violence against houses and businesses of the Hindu community followed in several districts, including Chandpur, Noakhali, Chattogram and Rangpur, leaving at least seven people dead and many injured. Of the dead, five were Muslim rioters who died in police firing.
Iqbal was most likely instructed to keep the Quran at the mandap by others to stoke communal tensions, according to Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan.
"Everything was done in a planned way. The man, who had kept the Quran at the temple, might have done it as per others' instruction… there might be provocation behind it. We'll be able to know the motive after his arrest," the home minister said.
He said after examining the CCTV footage of the surrounding areas, it was ascertained that the man who kept the holy Quran at the Cumilla temple took it from a mosque.
"The man had been to Mazar mosque thrice that night. It was clear from the CCTV footage that the man took the Quran from the mosque to keep it at the temple," Asaduzzaman added.
Man suspected of being Cumilla's Iqbal held from Cox's Bazar
Police Thursday night held a man suspecting him to be Iqbal Hossain, who was identified earlier as the one who kept a copy of the Quran at a Durga Puja venue in Cumilla, drawing accusations of desecrating the Quran hurled at the Hindu community and triggering communal tension and violence across the country.
"He was detained from the Cox's Bazar sea beach at around 10:30pm and was sent to Cumilla right away," Rafiqul Islam, Cox's Bazar additional superintendent of police, told UNB.
"Cumilla police will confirm if the detainee is the key suspect Iqbal," he added.
Police identified Iqbal, the prime suspect of the Cumilla puja venue incident, Wednesday after scrutinising the closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage.
Read: Provocation perhaps there behind Cumilla incident: Home Minister
He is believed to have placed the holy Quran inside Nanuar Dighi Par puja mandap in Cumilla city in the early hours of October 13, which led to attacks on Durga Puja venues across the country recently.
9 arrested over communal attacks in Noakhali
Law enforcement agencies have arrested nine people for their alleged involvement in the recent communal attacks on Hindu temples, idols and properties during the Durga Puja celebrations at Chowmuhani in Noakhali's Begumganj upazila.
Md Nizam Uddin, 32, Md Russell, 36, Abdul Motaleb Bablu alias Bablu, 47, Md Shahadat Hossain, 34, Golam Kibria Sumon, 32, Anwarul Azim, 40, of Begumganj upazila, were arrested by Rab.
Khandaker Md Shamim Hossain, Rab-11 company commander in a press release issued on Wednesday said they arrested the accused from different parts of Begumganj on Tuesday.
The Rab official said they arrested them after identifying through CCTV footages from the spots.
Read: Stay alert against communal forces, says Quader
The arrested have been handed over to the police in 4 cases filed with Begumganj Model Police Station, said Rab.
Meanwhile, the police arrested three people after seeing video footage of protests and attacks at different places including Puja Mandapas in Chowmuhani Bazar of Begumganj Upazila.
District Superintendent of Police Mohammad Shahidul Islam PPM confirmed this on Wednesday noon.
He added that a total of 80 people have been arrested in this regard.
Read: No tolerance for communal attacks: Quader
On Friday, some miscreants in the Chowmuhani Bazar area vandalized and carried out arson attacks on puja mandaps, Hindu temples and some shops.
To keep the situation under control, additional troops of Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) and Rapid Action battalion (Rab), armed police and other law enforcement agencies were deployed in the area.
Upazila Nirbahi Officer Shamsun Nahar said the situation in the area is peaceful after the imposition of section 144.
Communal attacks in Bangladesh: 72 cases filed, 450 arrested
As many as 72 cases regarding last week’s communal violence have been registered and 450 people have been arrested across the country till Tuesday, police said.
AIG (Inspection) of police headquarter Mohammad Shah Jalal, who is in additional charge of AIG (Media), said on Wednesday more cases are being filed and the operation to arrest the accused is continuing.
Besides the police, special units of the force have been involved in unravelling the facts behind the violence and crime, he said.
Technology-based investigations are underway to unravel the mystery quickly. Cyber monitoring has also been intensified to curb rumours and incitement through social media.
Poets, artists, journos unite against communal violence in Bangladesh
Over 200 poets, writers, artists and journalists on Tuesday staged a protest in the capital against the recent communal violence in Bangladesh.
The protesters gathered outside Bangladesh National Museum in Shahbagh in the afternoon and demanded that the perpetrators of the communal attacks in various parts of the country, including Rangpur and Cumilla, be brought to justice.
Their eight-point demands also included taking prompt steps to prevent communal and sexist remarks on social media.
The protest was anchored by recitation artist Shahadat Hossain Nipu. Also present were writer Anisul Haque, filmmaker Amitabh Reza, poet Chanchal Ashraf, journalist Ahmad Mostafa Kamal, writer Jharna Rahman, filmmaker Masud Pathik, actor Moutushi Biswas, poet Tokon Tagore, and author-journalist Humayun Kabir Dhali.
Speakers at the protest site claimed that the recent communal violence was nothing but a conspiracy, based on the rumours that the Holy Quran had been disrespected at a puja mandap in Cumilla.
"It has become clear to us that similar occurrences are occurring as a result of the government's impunity culture. We've seen in the past how the Hindu and Buddhist communities have been targeted and attacked purposefully based on false rumours spread on social media, none of which has been thoroughly examined and the culprits have not been brought to punishment," the speakers said.
"Bangladesh is a country of communal harmony. In 1971, Hindus, Muslims, Buddhists and Christians of all faiths fought side by side and made Bangladesh independent; but in the last 50 years after independence, every government has abandoned the spirit of the Liberation War to go to power by colluding with communal forces or to go to shameless competition for power. Article 32 of the constitution has given way to the formation of religion-based political parties," they alleged.
Renowned writer Swakrito Noman raised eight-point demands at the event, on behalf of the organisers.
The demands include identifying the communal attackers in different parts of the country centring on this year's Durga Puja and arresting and prosecuting them immediately; identifying the real reasons behind the communal attacks in Ramu, Nasirnagar, Shalla, Cumilla, Hajiganj, Noakhali and Rangpur; taking steps to stop communal and misogynistic statements on social media including Facebook, YouTube and Waz Mahfil; and the abolition of 'state religion' from the Constitution.
Communal violence seeks to turn Bangladesh into a failed state: Minister
Liberation War Affairs Minister AKM Mozammel Haque on Tuesday said communal violence is taking place in the country to turn Bangladesh into an ineffective country like Pakistan.
“A vested quarter, who are against independence and directly opposed it re involved in a conspiracy to turn the country into a failed state. Those responsible will be identified soon and people will know everything,” he said.
Also read: PM orders stern action against those involved in communal attacks
The minister said this after laying the foundation stone of Collectorate High School near Gazipur Circuit House in sadar upazila.
State Minister for Youth and Sports Zahid Ahsan Russell was present.
Also read: Rangpur: 1 arrested in Joypurhat under DSA, 42 for arson