Govt behind communal violence in Panchagarh: BNP

Condemning the communal violence in Panchagarh centring a religious event of the Ahmadiyya, BNP on Sunday alleged that the government has created the incident with evil motives.

“A very extreme communal incident took place in Panchagarh. Two people were killed while shops and houses were looted and set on fire. Our question is why the government kept silent on such a controversial issue?” said BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir

He questioned why the government gave permission to hold such an event without taking necessary security measures.

“Why did the police play the role of a silent spectator when the attack was made (on Ahmadiyya)? Why were they not able to resist it? The government has created the communal problem and discord. We think they have done it with very ulterior motives,” the BNP leader said.

Fakhrul made the comments while talking to reporters after a meeting between the liaison committee of the BNP and Ganatantrik Bam Oikya at the BNP Chairperson’s Gulshan office.

He alleged that when the people of the country waged a democratic movement to restore their rights and when people and the political parties started taking to the streets against the unusual price hikes in all essentials, then the government created such a communal incident to mislead people and divert their attention to a different direction. “They want to foil the democratic movement through such incidents and diversion.”

The BNP leader said their party thinks the government is fully responsible for the communal incident in Panchagarh. “They (govt) must be held accountable for it.”

He also demanded the government identify those responsible for the incident and mete out exemplary punishment to them.

Earlier, on Friday, two people were killed and at least 50 others including policemen were injured in the clash between a section of Muslim devotees and police over devotees’ demand for the closure of an Ahmadiyya community’s event in Panchagarh district town.

Later on Saturday, a vested interest group spread rumours in different parts of the district town and on social media saying that some Ahmidyya community members slaughtered two Muslims.

Following the rumours, some young people equipped with sticks and sharp weapons blocked roads, carried out arson attacks, and looted shops and houses of the Ahmadiyya community.