HEADLINE: |
Violence by Rongdhanu Rafiq
Peoples Time Desk
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To garb land, attacks were carried out on at least 40 houses at Kayetpara in Rupganj of Narayanganj, leaving those vandalised in the last two months. After vandalism of their houses, a number of families left the area in fear of further attacks. Victims alleged that the cohorts of Rongdhanu Group Chairman Rafiqul Islam allegedly backed by local Narayanganj-1 MP and Textiles and Jute Minister Golam Dastagir Gazi (Birpotik) committed the crime to grab their land. As the local police station refused to record cases or complaints, some victims lodged cases with courts. When contacted Golam Mostafa Rasel, superintendent of police (SP) of Narayanganj, told that he heard that only one house was attacked, but the victim family did not lodge case. Ali Ashgar Bhuiyan, organising secretary of Kayetpara Unit of Awami League, told that a group of cadres of Rafiq vandalised his newly built building at Nawra on Saturday. “Golam Dastagir Gazi is helping Rafiq. They want to grab our land. We seek assistance of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to save us from the clutch of them,” he said. Another victim Khandaker Abul Bashar Tuku, former senior vice-president of Rupganj Upazila Unit of Awami League, told that a big number of cohorts of Rafiq gathered in front of his house at West Gaon on November 13. “I then phoned local police outpost seeking help to save my house from the attackers. After two hours of the phone, the attackers vandalised my house, but not a single policeman of the outpost, which is only three minutes off my house, came to save,” he said. “Rafiq did BNP politics. Now, he with the blessing of Golam Dastagir Gazi joined the Awami League. Both are carrying out tortures on the people of Kayetpara aiming to grab land,” he said. Visited the spot at Nawra, it was seen that a number of houses were vandalised. The families of the broken houses were not found there. Some neighbours said that they left the houses in fear. During visit there, elderly Motalib Bhuyian, president of ward no.1 of Kayetpara Union Unit of Awami League, told that more than 100 people led by Mizan and Shafiq, brothers of Rafiqul Islam, attacked his house at Nawra Hazibari Madhyapara at noon several weeks ago. “Almost all the attackers were equipped with sharp weapons while some were holding firearms. I was kept hostage on a sharp weapon point. The attackers vandalised the main gate, windows, doors, furniture and others at my two-storey building and two other one-storey houses,” he said. “He said that they fired several rounds of bullets to crate panic,” he said. Former two-period member of the ward no. 1 under Kayetpara Union Parishad Mosharraf Bhuyain told that the cohorts of Rafiq with the support of Golam Dastagir Gazi vandalised his and brothers’ houses, damaging and looting houses and valuables worth about Tk 8-10 crore. “Rafiq and the MP want to grab their land. The attacks were committed to grab the land,” he said. He claimed that they had attacked at least 40-50 houses. He said that about 80-90 families, including Azizullah, Fazlu, Moktar, Amarat, Somed Ali and Kabir left the areas after their houses were vandalised. Mosharraf, also general secretary of Kayetpara Union Unit of Jubo League, said that he went to police station to file cases, but the officer-in-charge did not record the cases. “Later, I filed five cases with a Narayanganj court. The Police Bureau of Investigation (PBI) is investigating the cases,” he said. |