Names of puja violence instigators to be disclosed soon: Home Minister

Staff Reporter

Published: October 26, 2021, 03:04 PM

Names of puja violence instigators to be disclosed soon: Home Minister

Home Minister Asaduzzman Khan on Tuesday said the names of those who fuelled the violence at puja mandaps in different parts of the country will be made public soon.

The minister said this at ‘BSRF Dialogue’ organized by Bangladesh Secretariat Reporters Forum at the secretariat.

“Those who’ve been arrested in Rangpur and Noakhali vandalism cases have disclosed their (instigators) names in their confessional statements given under section 164 of the penal code,” he said.

“So far, 10 cases have been filed over the vandalism triggered following the desecration of Holy Quran in Cumilla, and 18 people have been arrested for being directly involved in the criminal acts. Confessional statements of the arrestees are being recorded, and we’ll disclose the names after being hundred percent sure,” the minister added.

The involvement of BNP and Jamaat will also be confirmed after being sure following the scrutiny, he said, adding, “We’ve taken up this incident as a challenge. We had sent the members of the police and all other law enforcement agencies to the spots to unearth the facts,” said the minister.

They spotted the man from the CCTV footage who kept the Quran and arrested the absconding accused who have revealed his name, and they are currently being interrogated, Asaduzzaman said.

“We had a hunch of violence after Jum’a prayers on the day of Dashami and directed the Hindu community members to carry out their immersion ritual before that, which they followed,” he mentioned.

The home minister went on saying, “Yet people got divided into two groups equally and unleashed destructive activities keeping the police force busy. And a man, meanwhile, has died jumping into a pond.”

Asaduzzaman said a vested quarter carried it out with a well-thought-out plan to destroy the country’s communal harmony. “And their names will be revealed in no time,” he added.

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