The attacks on several Hindu temples in Bangladesh were carried out under a well orchestrated plan aimed at grabbing lands of the minority community, the country’s top rights body said on Wednesday.
The statutory National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) said their initial investigation into the attacks on several Hindu temples and households in the central Brahmanbarhia district’s Nasirnagar indicated that they were pre-planned.
“Our investigation is still underway but our initial findings suggest that an organised quarter carried out the attacks in a pre-planned manner,” Enamul Haque Chowdhury, NHRC member and chief of a three-member fact-finding committee of the rights panel, told PTI.
He said near simultaneous attacks were carried out at several temples and Hindu households at different locations in Nasirnagar area to render police helpless.
“We are expecting to wrap up our investigations within the next two days,” Chowdhury said.
“The attack was carried out to drive away the Hindus from their land,” Chowdhury told The Daily Star.
Chowdhury’s remarks came as authorities today ordered the withdrawal of the officer-in-charge of the nearby police station amid complaints of police inefficiency in containing the troublemakers.
Indian High Commission here sent a delegation today led by a First Secretary to the scene of the attacks.
A five-member delegation of the ruling Awami league, led by the party’s organising secretary Enamul Haq Shamim, also visited the affected area.