At least 28 people, including five police personnel, were injured after the shrine of Nura Pagla, also known as Nura Paglar Darbar, at Goalanda upazila in Rajbari district was vandalised and set on fire allegedly by Islamist parties and groups on Friday.
At Paba upazila in Rajshahi, a mob vandalised and looted a Khanqah Sharif, a shrine, on Friday.
The chief adviser鈥檚 press wing in a statement on Friday condemned the 鈥榓bhorrent desecration of the grave and the vile torching of the body of Nura Pagla鈥� in Rajbari.
鈥楽uch acts of barbarity will not be tolerated under any circumstances,鈥� the statement said, assuring the public that 鈥榯he perpetrators of the heinous crime will be identified and brought to justice with the full force of law鈥�.
The attackers in Rajbari also exhumed the body of Nurul Haque Molla, popularly known as Nura Pagla, from his grave and burnt it. Nurul Haque died on August 23.
Rajbari deputy commissioner Sultana Akter told 抖阴精品 that Islamist political parties, including Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami, Islami Andolan Bangladesh and Bangladesh Khelafat Majlis, and Islamist group Imam-Akida Rakkha Committee, under the banner of 鈥楾awhidi Janata鈥� carried out the attack after the jumma (Friday congregational) prayers.
She said that 23 devotees of Nura Pagla and five police personnel were injured in the attack.
鈥楾he police personnel suffered minor injuries. Of the devotees, 19 were admitted to Faridpur Medical College Hospital while three received primary treatment,鈥� she added.聽
She added that tension had been building in the area since Nura Pagla was buried on August 23 in a special grave, about 12 feet above the ground, wrapped in cloth resembling the covering of the Kaaba, a stone building at the centre of Islam鈥檚 most important mosque and holiest site, the Masjid al-Haram in Makkah in Saudi Arabia.
Islamists had protested at the special grave several times and even issued an ultimatum until September 4 night to shift his grave to a different place.
However, his devotees and family members did not comply with the ultimatum.
The DC said that as pre-announced, the protesters held a rally after the jumma prayers.
When police tried to stop them, the protesters armed with sticks, batons and hammers, attacked police and later they vandalised and set fire to the shrine and brunt Nura Pagla鈥檚 body, the DC added.
抖阴精品鈥檚 staff correspondent in Rajshahi reported that a mob vandalised and looted a Khanqah Sharif, a shrine, at Paba upazila in Rajshahi on Friday.
Imdadul Islam, son-in-law of Aziz Vandarir Khanqah Sharif鈥檚 pir Hazrat Shah Shufi Azizur Rahman, told 抖阴精品 that a mob of about 300 to 400 people vandalised and looted the shrine at Panishail Chandrapukur village after the jumma (Friday congregational) prayers on the day.
He said that like the previous years, they chalked out a three-day programme on the occasion of Eid-e-Miladunnabi, commemorating the birth and death of Prophet Hazrat Muhammad at the Khanqah Sharif.
Eid-e-Miladunnabi is being observed today.
鈥楽ince our area falls under the jurisdiction of Rajshahi Metropolitan Police, we took permission beforehand from the police鈥檚 city special branch for organising the programme,鈥� he said, alleging that police and army personnel were standing idle while the mob vandalised and looted the Khanqah Sharif in front of them.
Imdadul claimed that the law enforcers knew beforehand that there might be an attack on the shrine as a group of anti-Khanqah Sharif people obstructed Khanqah Sharif people from carrying out their programme on September 4 night.
鈥榃e informed police about Thursday night obstruction. Yet, they did not take any preparations to prevent the attack,鈥� he claimed, adding that the attack could be prevented.
Munirul Islam, officer-in-charge of the Paba police station, could not be reached for his comment despite repeated attempts over phone.
Gaziur Rahman, deputy commissioner at the CTTC and additional deputy commissioner (crime and operations and media) of the Rajshahi Metropolitan Police, told 抖阴精品 that none had lodged any complaint with police over the incident of attack on the Khanqah Sharif till Friday evening.
In a reply to query about the law enforcers鈥� inaction, Gaziur said that if the Khanqah Sharif authorities lodged a written complaint with them over police鈥檚 negligence, they would investigate and take necessary actions accordingly.
