Religious minority persecution does not seem to end under the interim regime of Yunus Muhammad. First they targeted the Hindus, and then the Buddhists, now Christians have been attacked in Bangladesh.
Seventeen houses belonging to the Christian community in the Chittagong Hill Tracts of Bandarban district were set on fire just a day before Christmas, leaving families devastated and unable to celebrate the holiday. The attack occurred in the SP Garden area of Lama Sarai, where 19 families from the Tripura community had been living for the past four months.
Bangladesh 🇧🇩: Islamists set ablaze 17 houses belonging to the minority Christian community in Chittagong on Christmas. pic.twitter.com/QsFegdZ6I4
— Avinash K S🇮🇳 (@AvinashKS14) December 26, 2024
The victims claim that they were attending Christmas prayers at a nearby church when their homes were set ablaze by assailants who took advantage of their absence. The estimated loss due to the arson is over 15 lakh Taka (approximately 15,000 USD), leaving the families with nothing but the charred remnants of their homes.
According to local sources, the area where the incident took place was previously known as Tangjhiri Para. However, after Benazir Ahmed, a senior officer in the Hasina government, vacated the land in August, the 19 families from the Tripura community moved into the area, which had been renamed SP Garden. The victims insist that the land belongs to their community, but the arson attack has fueled tensions and deepened a long-standing dispute.
One of the victims, Ganga Mani Tripura, whose family lost their home in the fire, revealed that they had been threatened with eviction since 17 November 2024. The attackers allegedly demanded a large sum of money in exchange for allowing them to remain in the area. Ganga said that despite lodging a formal complaint with the Lama police station against 15 individuals, no action was taken to address their grievances or prevent the attack.
Following the fire, local police arrived at the scene but have not yet received any formal complaint. Authorities have stated that they will take action once a complaint is officially filed.
The Christian families affected by the fire are now left without shelter and are living under the open sky, forced to endure the aftermath of a senseless attack on Christmas Eve.
(With inputs from Dainik Bhaskar)
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