DHOBAURA, Bangladesh — Attackers set fire to the home of a leader of Jatiya Chhatra Shakti, the student wing supported by the Bangladesh National Citizens’ Party, in the Dhobaura upazila of Mymensingh, the leader said.
The incident took place after 3 a.m. Thursday, March 12, in Domgata village of Baghber union. The leader has blamed activists of the banned Awami League. Police have launched an investigation.
The leader, Md. Saifullah, is the organizing secretary of the Dhaka University chapter of Jatiya Chhatra Shakti and a resident of the village. He is the son of Ali Hossain. His parents, wife, two children and elder brother Jainal Abedin live at his village home.
Saifullah said that at around 3:10 a.m. Thursday, attackers set fire to a kitchen on his property and tried to chop and burn the main house. Family members brought the fire under control quickly, averting major damage.
“I have been receiving various threats from Chhatra League and Awami League for a long time, and recently those threats had intensified,” he said. “Even after the arson, I received messages on WhatsApp and Messenger saying, ‘We set fire to your house. Lucky you weren’t there. Your children survived.’ I will take legal action over this incident.”
Earlier, on March 10, Saifullah posted screenshots of some messages on his Facebook account, alleging that he and his family members were being threatened with death from various domestic and foreign phone numbers. In the post, he also expressed concern over his family’s safety.
After the incident became known, a five-member delegation visited the site Friday morning. The delegation included Mozammel Hossain, central organizing secretary of Jatiya Chhatra Shakti; Ali Hossain, former member secretary of the Anti-Discrimination Movement’s district unit; and Al Noor Mohammad Ayas, central member secretary of the Jatiya Biplabi Mancha.
Shafiqul Islam, officer-in-charge of Dhobaura police station, said: “Police visited the scene after receiving information about the fire. Initially, we found signs of fire in a firewood shed and three chop marks on the tin walls of the main house. The matter is under investigation.”
বাংলায় মূল প্রতিবেদন পড়ুন · Read the original Bengali report