Rangpur Mayhem: Many Hindu families still in panic

Scared, the Hindus of Thakurpara in Gangachara of Rangpur are staying put.

They have confined themselves to the village since Friday's attack on their village by zealots and this is hurting them badly as most of them are labourers and depend on daily work outside their village. 

“We are sitting idle as we are scared of going out of the village,” said Polash Chandra Roy even though a police camp was set up at the village for the protection of the Hindus.  

Police have so far arrested 108 people in connection with the attack but that apparently has failed to bring a sense of security in the village.

Mizanur Rahman, superintendent of police in Rangpur, claimed that police already identified the people who organised the propaganda campaign against the Hindus over a Facebook post.

He, however, did not disclose their names.

The investigation is still on and the cybercrime unit is working on the matter, said the SP.

Avijit Chakraborty, Indian assistant high commissioner, visited Thakurpara yesterday and talked to the affected people. He also met Waheduzzaman, DC of Rangpur, and requested him to set up a permanent police post at the village.

The propaganda campaign against the Hindus of the village began on November 4. Loudspeakers, banners and leaflets were used every day to spread hatred. The people running the campaign used the local mosques and madrasa students and teachers. They used a Facebook post allegedly made by a Hindu person as the centre piece of their campaign claiming that it hurt the religious sentiments of Muslims.

On Friday afternoon, hundreds of people attacked the village. They torched 10 houses, vandalised 10 more and looted their valuables, including 25 cattle.

A large number of the attackers came from Taraganj and Badarbanj upazilas of Rangpur, and Jaldhaka of Nilphamari, sources claimed.