At least four people were arrested on Thursday in a case filed over an arson attack on the homes of Tripura Christian families at Lama upazila in Bandarban early Wednesday, on the eve of Christmas.
Three of the arrested are from a rival Tripura Christian group鈥擲tephen Tripura, 50, Joakim Tripura, 52, both residents of Betchara Chobichandrapara village, Mosoyniya Tripura, 44, of Tongjhiri Hanising Karbari village鈥攁nd one is a Bangalee Muslim named Ibrahim, 65, of Tongjhiri.
Chief adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus condemned the incident that triggered widespread public anger.
The police headquarters, meanwhile in a press release issued early Thursday, stated that the land on which the victim families had been聽 living for generations was leased out to the wife of former inspector general of police Benazir Ahmed during the Awami League regime.
These families were evicted from the land 3鈥�4 years ago and came back there after the Awami regime was overthrown in a student-people mass uprising on August 5. They built homes with makeshift materials and started living there again, the release added.
Earlier, local people also gave 抖阴精品 similar accounts of these families鈥� plight caused by the lease affair.
Lama police officer-in-charge Shahdat Hosssain on Thursday said that one of the victims, Gungamoni Tripura, filed the case against six members of a rival Tripura Christian community and a Bengali Muslim over the incident early Thursday.
鈥榃e have arrested four people in the case. Operations are going on to arrest others involved,鈥� he said.
According to the case statement, accused individuals demanded Tk 5 lakh extortion from the victims who refused to give the money. The accused then torched their houses.
On early Wednesday, miscreants set fire to 16 makeshift houses in the remote Purba Betchhara Para Tongjhiri village of Saroai union during when the villagers were attending prayers and celebrating Christmas in a nearby church.
The police put the time of the incident between 12:30am and 1:00am Wednesday.
Condemning the incident, the chief adviser鈥檚 press wing in a press statement on Thursday said that authorities concerned had been ordered to extend all assistance for the reconstruction of the torched houses.
The police also stepped up security measures there, said the press wing release.
The adviser for Chittagong Hill Tracts Affairs, Supradip Chakma, would visit the community affected by the Tuesday鈥檚 arson attack.聽
Deputy commissioner of Bandarban district Shah Mujahid Uddin and Bandarban police superintendent Shahidullah Kawser visited the victim families.
District authorities have provided immediate food and relief assistance to the families.
The Human Rights Forum Bangladesh and Parbatya Chattogram Treaty Implementation Movement in separate statements condemned the incident, demanding fair investigation.
United People鈥檚 Democratic Front-backed student wing Greater Parbatya Chattogram Pahari Chhatra Parishad also condemned the incident in a protest rally at Raju Memorial Sculpture in Dhaka University.
