Sunday, October 7, 2012 |
| A statue of Lord Buddha is left standing amidst the ruins of a temple burnt down by a violent mob at Ramu upazila in Cox's Bazar early hour of November 30. Photo: Focus Bangla |
A truck driver arrested in connection with the sectarian violence in Ramu of Cox's Bazar on Sunday made his confessional statement disclosing the names of 4-5 people involved in the attacks.
A team of local police arrested trucker Ramzan Ali, a resident of south Rajarkul village in Ramu upazila, from Sitakunda in Chittagong on Friday.
Police produced him before the court of senior judicial magistrate Towhidul Haque on Sunday when he made his confessional statement under Section 164.
In his statement, Ramzan told the court that he along with his vehicle was staying at a bus terminal in Cox’s Bazar Sadar upazila at about 11:00pm on September 29 when 10-15 people forced him to go to Ramu carrying them.
“Those forced me to carry them to Ramu and they later took part in the attacks on pagodas,” he said.
“The driver identified 4-5 of them and disclosed their names,” court inspector Mohammad Jahangir told the news agency.
The court inspector, however, did not disclose the names.
A sectarian violence broke out at Ramu upazila on the night of September 29 after a Buddhist youth, Uttam Kumar, reportedly posted a photograph on the wall of his facebook account disgracing the holy Quran.
The clash that ensued at Merunloa village in Ramu upazila continued on Sunday and spilled over into Chittagong, leaving many homes of the Buddhist community and pagodas damaged.
Ramu AL rally was to protest, not to attack: MKA
Home Minister Mohiuddin Khan Alamgir claimed on Sunday that the ruling party men had held a rally just before the eruption of violence in Ramu only to protest the Facebook posting, not to attack the Buddhists.
“The ruling party men did not take part in any communal attack," Alamgir said after journalists enquired about the rally, reports our Chittagong correspondent.
He was replying to the reporters queries after attending the closing ceremony of parade of Border Guard Bangladesh's 81st batch at Border Guard Training Centre and School in Satkania of Chittagong.
The home minister also informed newsmen that the government is dealing the Ramu violence with utmost priority.
"Whoever is responsible for the mayhem would be brought to book," he said.
A mob went on rampage in Ramu of Cox's Bazar in the night of September 29, leaving 12 temples and monasteries and over 50 houses destroyed.
The violence was apparently triggered by a Facebook posting of a photo derogatory to the holy Quran.
About alleged police inaction, the home minister said a 4-member administrative body has been formed to investigate the matter.
Legal steps will be taken against the local law enforcers if the probe body finds any irregularities against them, he said.
About the investigation of journalist couple Sagar-Runi murder case, the minister reiterated his hope that the motive behind the killing would be unveiled by October 10.
166 detained in Chittagong, Cox's Bazar
Several thousand accused in 16 cases
Law enforcers have so far arrested 166 people in connection with Saturday's violence at Ramu in Cox's Bazar that later spread in the port city.
Of the arrestees, 93 were picked up from Cox's Bazar and 73 from Chittagong, Home Minister Mohiuddin Khan Alamgir yesterday told the media in the capital.
Sixteen cases -- 13 in Cox's Bazar and three with Patiya Police Staion -- have been filed so far against several thousand people in connection with the violence.
Dipananda Bhikkhu, priest of Kolagaon Sarbojanin Ratnangkur Buddha Bihar, which was set on fire on Sunday, lodged one of the cases with Patiya Police Station accusing 37 persons by name and around 500 unknown persons.
Of the cases in Cox's Bazar, six were lodged with Ramu, four with Ukhia, two with Teknaf and one with Sadar police stations, Babul Akhter, additional superintendent of police in Cox's Bazar, told The Daily Star.
Law enforcers were reported to have been raiding different places in Cox's Bazar to detain more people involved in the sectarian attack.
State Minister for LGRD and Cooperatives Jahangir Kabir Nanak and Joint General Secretary of the ruling Awami League Mahbubul Alam Hanif yesterday visited Ramu Kendriya Shima Bihar in the afternoon. Bir Bahadur, lawmaker from Bandarban, was also present with them.
Meanwhile, Western Marine Shipyard remained closed yesterday following the arrest of its 25 sub-contractors in connection with Saturday night's violence.
During a visit yesterday, The Daily Star found the Buddhist community of four upazilas in Cox's Bazar district passing time in panic owing to the last two days' violence in the region.
Although Section 144 has been imposed and law enforcement agencies, including the army, have been patrolling the sensitive areas, local residents still seemed to be reeling from the violence.
On Saturday night, protestors attacked seven temples in Ramu. Some of these temples were damaged extensively.
Locals claimed that around 2,000 people participated in the attack and no police were there during the time. The protestors used gunpowder and petrol during the attack.
Maj Gen Sabbir Ahmed, general officer commanding (GOC) of Chittagong Cantonment, said the army had set up camp in the area. He said army troops would stay there until the situation calmed down completely.
Lutfor Rahman Kajol, BNP lawmaker from Cox's Bazar-3 constituency, said he had asked police to arrest the man who carried a poster that was defaming the Quran during the rally at Ramu Chaumuhoni before the incident.
“But police did not arrest the person. Had they done it, the situation would not have gone so bad,” he added.
Meanwhile, agitated locals yesterday chased Nazibul Islam, officer-in-charge of Ramu Police Station, when he went to visit the Shima Bihar around 3:30pm. The OC took shelter in a nearby house, from where police later had to rescue him.
Speakers at a rally in Chittagong yesterday protested the violence, saying the attackers had ruined the 300-year-old Buddhist temples and set fire to archaeological testimony of the country's opulent heritage. The speakers termed the attackers traitors and enemy to the culture and glory of the nation.
The rally, under the banner of “Sachetan Nagarik Samaj O Sarbastarer Sanskriti Karmi”, was organised at Chittagong Press Club.
No comments:
Post a Comment