Amid the reports of ongoing attacks on minority groups in Bangladesh, another incident has recently surfaced. About 17 houses in the Christian community were set on fire in Notun Tongjhiri Tripura Para in the Chittagong Hills Tracts, Bangladesh, on Christmas Eve.
According to the reports, the houses were set ablaze around 12:30 am. The residents had gone to attend the nearby midnight mass in a church in Bandarban. There were around 17 houses, which were completely destroyed, while two others have been partially damaged.
Villagers Claims
The villagers claimed that unidentified people had set their houses on fire, but the interim government in Bangladesh led by Muhammad Yunus said that the preliminary investigation has claimed that arson could be linked to a long-running rivalry between the two groups of the same community.
Meanwhile, four people have been arrested in their alleged connection to the incident.
Bangladesh Government Condemned the Incident
The Bangladeshi government condemned the incident and said that a community elder, on whose complaint an FIR has been lodged, He blamed six rival Christian community members and one Bengali Muslim for the arson. They have also urged the authorities to unearth the motive behind the attack at the earliest.
The government officials have also said that the assistance has been given to residents of the Christian Tripura community to rebuild their houses. Additionally, relief materials have also been provided for them. The police and authorities have been on high security.
Md Idris, the chairman of Sarai Union Parishad, confirmed the incident. Ruppayan Dub, Acting Lama Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO), visited the site where the incident happened. He strongly condemned the incident and provided relief materials, including a blanket and a sack of rice, to each family affected.
“I have asked the families to file a written complaint. We will coordinate with the deputy commissioner and the upazila project implementation officer for further action,” he added.
Villagers Demand Exemplary Punishment
Meanwhile, the villagers residing in the Christian community have demanded the authorities launch immediate action against the rivals.
“I never dreamed such a situation would happen on Christmas. We demand exemplary punishment of the criminals,” Gungamani Tripura, a victim, told The Daily Star.
“Our houses have been completely burned to ashes. We could not save anything. Today is supposed to be our happiest day, but this has turned into a nightmare. We demand exemplary punishment for the criminals,” he further asserted.
Turbulent Past and Rivalry Associated with Tongjhiri
The community people also said that they were forced to leave the area several years ago. They claimed that the Tripura community had lived here for a long time but had moved when some people said that the land belonged to the wife of a high-ranking police officer during the Awami League’s rule.
Paisapru Tripura, the head of the community, told the media, “We have been living here for three or four generations. A group of people, identifying themselves as ‘SP’s men,’ evicted us four to five years ago.”
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