Shroud cloth, attar, soap and blood-stained chickens with their throats cut were left at the main gates of three homes in Dhamrai, Dhaka, late at night, spreading fear across the area.
It happened in the early hours after Wednesday (4 November) in Boro Chandrail of Kulla union in the upazila. The affected families and other villagers say they now feel afraid and unsafe.
A message of death at the door
According to the victims and local sources, the heads of two households woke on Thursday (5 November) morning to find shroud cloth and slaughtered chickens at their main gates. On Wednesday night, a bag had been seen hanging from the grille of Moslehuddin’s house. The news spread quickly and the village was gripped by fear.
The three homes targeted belong to Md Moslehuddin, whose house was damaged by fire last month, and his neighbours Md Wahid Bhuiyan Ripon and Sentu Mia.
What the families say
Md Moslehuddin said: “On the night of 24 October, criminals set fire to my house. Before I could recover from that loss, this has happened. Shrouds have now been sent to the very homes of the people who stood by me and helped me then, as a message of death. We are living in extreme insecurity. Someone threatened me from a phone number over the land I bought next to my house, asking why I bought it. Since then the threats have kept coming one after another.”
Another victim, Md Wahid Bhuiyan Ripon, said: “At night I went over when I saw the bag hanging at uncle Moslehuddin’s house. Many people from the area came out in fear. After uncle went inside, I went home too. I saw nothing in front of my house then. In the morning I found the shroud, attar, soap and a blood-stained chicken with its throat cut at my door, and we were horrified. This is no ordinary incident. A group has planned this out of old enmity to break our families mentally and to threaten our lives.”
The third victim, Sentu Mia, said angrily: “We want to live in peace in our area. Such acts of terror and threats, by day or in the dark of night, cannot be accepted. Our whole family is now spending its days indoors in fear. We want a fair trial and strong security from the administration.”
Police action
Local residents said that since the incident, not only the three families but the whole of Chandrail village has been afraid. They fear a serious incident could happen at any time if police do not act quickly.
After the repeated threats and the shrouds left at their homes, the victims first called the national emergency number 999. They later went to Dhamrai police station and informed police in writing.
Md Nazmul Huda Khan, officer-in-charge of Dhamrai police station, said police set out to visit the scene as soon as they were informed. The matter is being investigated with great seriousness, and those involved will be identified and swift legal action taken based on the investigation, he said.
বাংলায় মূল প্রতিবেদন পড়ুন · Read the original Bengali report