A prominent leader of the Hindu minority community from Bangladesh’s South Chittagong area was tied to a tree and beaten by supporters of a local government official over an invitation to an Iftar party.
Jitendra Kanti Guha, alias Jiten Guha, vice-president of Chittagong South of the Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Oikya Parishad (Unity Council), was tied to a tree and beaten at Haidgaon Union in Patia upazila of Chattogram. Guha is also the former president of the local Awami League. He was severely assaulted and beaten up by the goons connected to the faction of ‘Awami League’, the ruling party in Islamic Bangladesh.
Guha was rushed to Patia Health Complex and later shifted to Chittagong Medical College Hospital.
The incident took place in front of the Gauchia Community Centre at Brahmanghata in Haidgaon on Friday (April 29) afternoon.
It is learnt that the Iftar mahfil and discussion meeting was organized by the Haidgaon Union Awami League at Gauchia Community Centre. But the union Parishad (UP) chairman BM Jasim was not invited to the Iftar mahfil. This is reportedly said to be the cause of the incident.
Shahidul Islam Zulu, the joint convener of the Haidgaon Union Awami League, said the Union Awami League did not invite Jasim to the Iftar party as he was elected as the rebel candidate of the ruling Awami League. He got angry and came to the venue with 30-40 people and started abusing different people, including Mahmudul Haque Hafez, the Union Awami League convener.
At one point, someone from the perpetrators punched Jiten Guha. The rest of the people at that time dragged Jiten Guha out, tied him to a tree, and beat him to bleeding. When asked for the reason for beating Guha, Haidgaon UP chairman BM Jasim alleged that Jiten Guha had embezzled money from various people by promising to give government houses, tube wells and jobs during his tenure as president. The men who had beaten Guha demanded that he return the money. “I was able to save Jiten by being present at the scene. The situation would have been worse had it not been for me,” Jasim claimed. But, Guha denied the allegations and told the press as the allegations were false to irate the public against him.
Patia Police Station officer-in-charge (OC) Investigation Md. Rashedul Islam told the reporters that the incident was true. He said a case had not been filed yet, but the plaintiff is likely to file a case in this regard as apprehended.
Meanwhile, Rana Das Gupta, president of the Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Oikya Parishad, and Nimchandra Bhowmik, general secretary, in a joint statement, demanded immediate arrest of the culprits and severe punishment under the law.
In another incident, on Friday afternoon, a group of 30-40 people attacked the house of a minority family, Omesh Sharma, in the Barbakundu village of Sitakundu in Chattogram. Equipped with different types of indigenous weapons, they carried out extensive vandalism and violence. The attackers also molested some Hindu women. Sumon Chandra Banik, OC of the concerned police station, told the media, “We have received the complaint. The incident is true”. The OC said an investigation was still going on.
As a matter of fact, Bangladesh has been passing through a difficult time under the grab of Islamist power, who are controlling political powers in the country, causing a gross denial of minority rights there.
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Inputs from Agencies.
Source: Hinduexistence
