A BNP-constituted probe committee has blamed the internal conflicts in the local Awami League for the recent attacks on Hindus and their houses, shops and temples at Digholia village in Narail district, reports UNB.
"Based on our field-level investigation and the statements of the affected families and the local people, our probe body has come to the conclusion that the incident was an outcome of a naked grouping in local Awami League," said BNP vice chairman and probe committee chief Netai Roy Chowdhury.
Speaking at a press conference on the findings of their investigation into the Narail communal violence at the BNP Chairperson's Gulshan office on Thursday, he also alleged that the ruling party used to consider minorities as a very easy element to make their narrow political gains. "That exactly happened in Narail like in other places."
Earlier on July 18, the BNP standing committee formed a seven-member probe body, headed by Netai Roy Chowdhury, to look into the communal attacks in Narail on July 15. The probe team visited the spot on July 23.
Netai Roy said Narail Awami League President Advocate Subhash Bose visited the victims two/three days after the incident while the local upazila chairman probably did not go to the spot and the administration was apathetic. "So, it's completely a well-planned communal attack. We went there (Narail) and gathered information from the witnesses, victims and common people."
Presenting their findings, he said about two to three hundred unruly people entered Sahapara shouting communal slogans suddenly after Maghrib prayers on July 15 and vandalised the houses of the Hindus and their temples.
The BNP leader said the attackers also set the houses and temples on fire and broke idols but police members were seen observing the incident standing idle near the spot.
He said a rebel candidate of the Awami League was elected chairman of the Digholia Union while the Awami League's official candidate was defeated though 70 per cent of the voters were Hindus. "This is the apple of discord. It was assumed that the Hindus voted for the rebel candidate. This is the reason behind the attacks."
Netai said Hindu residents of Digholia village are now living in serious fear and anxiety following the attacks on them.
Speaking at the programme, BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir said the probe report made it clear that the government was responsible for the incident in Narail.
