Ahmadiyya homes come under attack

Supporters of three Islamist organisations attacked and vandalised four houses of Ahmadiyya Muslims in Ahmednagar village of Panchagarh Sadar upazila last night, officials said.

Some 500 supporters of three organisations -- Sammilito Khatme Nabuwat Shangrakkhan Parishad, Iman Akida Rokkha Committee and Touhidi Janata -- blocked the Dhaka-Panchagarh Highway in Sher-e-Bangla Park area around 9:00pm.

They demanded the cancellation of Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat annual conference scheduled for February 22-24, said Golam Azad, additional deputy commissioner (general) of Panchagarh.

They also demanded that Ahmadiyyas be declared as non-Muslims, he added.

Around 11:00pm, the crowd marched towards Ahmednagar village, about two kilometers away from Panchagarh town, and vandalised the houses, the ADC said. 

Golam said police took position in the nearby areas as there was tension over the issue, but the crowd used a bypass to storm into the village and carried out the attack. 

No casualties were reported.

Additional forces of police and Border Guard Bangladesh were deployed in the village, he said.