Two killed in Faridpur mob beating

Two people were killed and five others injured in a mob beating in Faridpur on Thursday night.

The incident happened at Panchapalli village of Dumain union of Madhukhali upazila around 7:30pm when locals saw a fire on a piece of cloth that covered an idol inside the temple.

Locals suspected involvement of some construction workers who had been constructing a toilet at Panchapalli Government Primary School, some 50 yards from the temple, in the fire incident and attacked them, said Morshed Alam, superintendent of police in Faridpur.

Police and district administration officials could not confirm how the fire originated.

The Faridpur SP told reporters yesterday that the mob confined the workers to a room of the school building, tied them up with ropes, and beat them severely.

The victims are Ashraful, 21, and his brother Ashadul, 15, from Gopherghat village in Naopara union of the district. They were declared dead at Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical College Hospital in Faridpur, he said.

Miraj Hossain, officer-in-charge of Madhukhali Police Station, told The Daily Star last night that they arrested one suspect and the process of filing a case is underway.

The situation in the area remains tense since Thursday night. Apart from additional forces of law enforcers, three platoons of Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) led by a magistrate were deployed to ease the tension.

Shah Mohammad Asaduzzaman, chairman of Dumain Union Parishad, said that upon hearing about the fire, he rushed to the temple and saw that the piece of cloth covering an idol was burnt.

He said he could not pacify the mob as the situation was already out of control, with hundreds of people already gathered there.

According to police, locals from neighbouring areas may also have gathered there, escalating the tension.

Faridpur Deputy Commissioner Md Qamrul Ahsan Talukdar said Madhukhali police and upazila administration officials rushed to the spot, but the mob obstructed them.

After an hour, additional forces from Faridpur Police Lines, Rajbari Police Lines, Sreepur Police Station in Magura, and the Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) from Faridpur went to the spot, fired shots in the air and used sound grenades to disperse the crowd. The agitated locals hurled brickbats at the law enforcers, he said.

Police and the local administration were able to rescue the seven injured workers around 11:30pm.

The situation was brought under control after six hours around 1:30am, the DC added.

The injured were taken to Madhukhali Upazila Health Complex and Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical College Hospital in Faridpur, he said, adding that two of the injured died while undergoing treatment around 1:00am and 4:00am on Friday.

Police said investigations are underway to determine whether the fire was accidental or deliberate.

Visiting the area, a local journalist said many adult men fled the area out of fear.

A number of locals said that a few days ago there was an altercation between the workers and the locals about some issues, although police could not confirm it. 

Liton Mollah, one of the injured workers, said upon noticing the fire, they joined the locals to douse the fire.

"But the agitated locals suspected we had a hand in it, and tied our hands and feet and beat us up," he told local reporters.

He said a large number of angry people attacked the workers with sticks, rods and bricks. They also vandalised the doors and windows of the school.

Another worker, Nannu Mondol, said they saw devotees lighting up lamps in the temple every evening. Similarly on Thursday evening, someone lit a lamp in the temple and after a while, they heard about the fire.

He said they have been working there for 15-20 days, but never entered the temple.

Senior officials of the district administration and law enforcement agencies, including Additional DIG Maruf Hossain Sorder, visited the area yesterday.

The local administration formed a three-member committee to investigate the incident.

At a press briefing last night, the Faridpur SP said the attack was carried out by circulating rumours over the fire.

It is unclear if there is any connection between the fire and the workers, as there is no credible complainant or eyewitness yet, he said.

Some riotous crowd capitalised on the rumors that "some workers might be involved in the fire incident" to launch the attack, he said, adding that 11 police officers were injured during the incident.