HC asks judicial probe into attacks on Hindus

The High Court on Thursday ordered a judicial inquiry into the vandalism, arson attacks on Hindu community people during their Durga Puja in six districts of the country.

The six districts are Cumilla, Chandpur, Noakhali, Feni, Chattogram and Rangpur.

The court directed the judicial magistrates of the six districts to submit a report within 60 days.

The HC bench of Md Mojibur Rahman Miah and Md Kamrul Hossain Molla passed the order with a rule during the hearing on a writ filed in this regard.

On October 21, Supreme Court lawyers Anup Kumar Shaha and Mintu Chandra Das filed the writ petition.

The court issued the rule seeking explanation why the inactivity and failure of the authorities concerned in protecting puja pandals, temples, houses, lives and property of the Hindu community during those attacks will not be considered illegal and why a directive should not be given to ensure the safety of the Hindu community members.

Twenty-one people, including secretaries to the Home, Law, Religious Affairs Ministries , Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission Chairman, Deputy Commissioners and Police Superintendents of the six districts were made respondents to the rule.

Barrister Jyotiromoy Barua appeared for the petitioner’s side during the hearing while Attorney General AM Amin Uddin and Additional Attorney General Sheikh Mohammad Morshed stood for the state.

During the hearing, Attorney General AM Amin Uddin said in the writ petition the state and local administrations have been directly blamed for failure during the attacks on Hindu community.

“We demand the removal of those words from the petition as the state is not sitting idle. Some miscreants involved in the attacks in Cumilla and Rangpur have been arrested,” he said.

Meanwhile, barrister Jyotirmoy Barua said as per the Constitution, citizens have the right to life, property, free movement and freedom of practicing religious rituals but the victims did not get any support from the local administrations during these communal attacks.

The failure of the local administrations has been proved with the vandalism and arson attacks on the houses and temples of Hindus, he said.