Sanatani community demands end to police harassment

Staff Reporter :

Members of the Sanatani (Hindu) Community from Muradnagar, Comilla, held a press conference on Tuesday (April 29) at the Dhaka Reporters Unity, demanding an end to police harassment and the immediate removal of the Comilla Superintendent of Police (SP), Detective Branch (DB) Officer-in-Charge, and the Officers-in-Charge of Muradnagar and Bangra police stations.

The press conference was organised by the Sanatani community of Muradnagar under the banner of “Muradnagar Sanatani Janata” to protest what they described as continued harassment, extortion, and false cases filed against them by local police, allegedly under political influence.

Professor Din Dayal Pal, vice president of the Muradnagar Puja Celebration Committee, read a written statement alleging that for over 15 years, the Hindu community in Muradnagar has faced persecution, land grabbing, and extortion by elements aligned with the ruling Awami League.

He praised BNP Vice Chairman and former five-time MP Kazi Shah Mofazzal Hossain Kaikobad for ensuring protection of Hindu temples and homes during the political unrest following the fall of the Awami League government on August 5, 2024.

Pal also accused government adviser Asif Mahmud Sajib Bhuiyan and his associates of using police to intimidate and assault local volunteers and of orchestrating propaganda against Hindu leaders and Kaikobad.

He criticised what he called defamatory Facebook posts by pro-AL activists, targeting Hindu businessmen and leaders with false accusations of