Who set fire to the temple at Madhukhali, who took a life
Dhaka office
Publish: 03 May 2024, 12:04 PM
After the incident, an image inside the Panchpalli Barowari Kali Temple. Photo: Bangla Outlook
In Madhukhali's Dumain region of Faridpur, two brothers were beaten to death by the predominantly Hindu community over allegations of arson at the Barowari Kali Temple in Panchpalli. The assault began under the direction of a Muslim chairman. Police have reported that 21 individuals from the Madhukhali temple area have been arrested in connection with the murder of the two teenage workers, and efforts to arrest other involved parties continue.
This incident in the Dumain Union has caused a nationwide stir, raising various suspicions. How did this event begin? Were the murders planned, or were the teenagers victims of rumors? What triggered the incident? Who were the orchestrators? Reporters from Bangla Outlook conversed with eyewitnesses, local residents, the victims' families, and survivors on-site to uncover disturbing details behind these murders.
On the ground, it is observed that midway on the Madhukhali-Kamarakhali highway lies Amdanga Bazaar. A short walk leads to Choperghat Village, enveloped in greenery and profound silence, with few people around. After a 10-minute walk on the paved village road, one reaches the home of the deceased workers, Ashraful and Arshadul. Approaching the house, cries of mourning are heard. Inside, a crowd has gathered, and amidst them, a woman is found unconscious.
Speaking with one individual, it is learned that the unconscious woman is Sharmin Begum, the mother of Ashraful and Arshadul, who were killed in the attack at Panchpalli. Arshadul's madrasa teacher, Rezaul Karim, who is a 15-para Hafiz, is in disbelief over Arshadul's death. Their father, Shahjahan, has also suffered a stroke from the grief of losing his sons and is hospitalized. The entire neighborhood remains shocked by the suddenness of the event.
In the surrounding areas of Choperghat—Amdanga, Arakandi, Musna, and Charbagha—there are no Hindu families, except for a few in Arakandi Sha Para, where police are now stationed. Although people are seen chatting at village corners, the conversations are mostly about Ashraful and Arshadul. Nearby the house, close to a bamboo grove, lie two fresh graves. The brothers' uncle, Abdur Razzak Khan, brought us there and began to weep as he showed the graves of his two nephews.
In the vicinity of the incident site, attempts were made to gather information from multiple households in Krishnanagar, Jinisnagar, Janannagar, Sidhalajuri, Tarapur, Pushamla, Sadhukhali, and Akhshukhna villages. Most of the houses were locked, and the areas appeared deserted, though some women were present in a few homes. However, most were reluctant to speak. Those who were willing to talk first inquired about the religion of the reporter, stating they would not converse if the reporter followed Hinduism. Conversations were tactfully initiated with them.
How the fire started at the temple
On April 18th, an incident of arson occurred at the Panchpalli Barowari Kali Temple, and various facts have emerged from eyewitness accounts. Two individuals present from the beginning, under condition of anonymity, stated that the reality of the events is completely contrary to what is generally known and that the truth has not been brought to light. That afternoon, a conflict arose between some local youths and workers, escalating to physical altercations and threats. Verbal abuses were exchanged, escalating tensions.
As the afternoon turned to evening, Tapati Rani Mandal, a housewife from the neighboring house, came to the temple with incense and tulsi leaves. She witnessed the incident but left after lighting a lamp. Shortly after, Anoy Bhaduri entered the temple. Moments later, the saree adorning the Kali statue caught fire. The others outside began screaming "Fire! Fire!" attracting more people to the scene. The workers and others nearby helped extinguish the fire. Once under control, Anoy Bhaduri loudly accused the workers, claiming they had set the fire, using provocative language (not fully reported here for sensitivity reasons).
The crowd at the scene became agitated and began assaulting the workers. Local village police arrived and physically reprimanded the workers. Member Ajit then tied up the workers with ropes and took them to a room in the school.
The workers were beaten with the intent to kill
Upon hearing about the fire at the temple, nearly 2,000 people from seven surrounding villages gathered at the scene. The construction workers were tied with ropes in a primary school classroom, stripped of their clothes, and made to stand in a line. In the presence of Shah Md. Asaduzzaman Tapon, the chairman of Dumain Union Parishad, the workers were beaten in turns. The room could not accommodate more than 30 to 40 people at a time, so as one group left after assaulting the workers, another entered.
Initially, Chairman Asaduzzaman Tapon, member Ajit Kumar Sarkar, another member Lincoln Biswas, and Binoy Kumar Saha listened to the workers describe the incident and then began beating them with sticks. When Ashraful was being beaten, his younger brother Arshadul tried to protect him by embracing him, but then both were beaten. Another worker, Nannu Mondal, was also assaulted by grabbing his beard. After Chairman Tapon left the room, a second phase of the beating began with local residents Ujjwal, Suphal, Sukumar, Rajkumar, Sadhan, Bikash, Sujit, and Manik entering. They severely beat the workers with rods, iron pipes, and wooden sticks. Arshadul was struck on the back with a mallet, causing his spine to break.
In the third phase, a group led by Bhupen Biswas and Mani Kumar from the neighboring village of Pushamla entered the room and beat the unconscious workers with wooden sticks. This torture lasted for nearly four hours. Ashraful's head was also crushed with a brick, and his limbs were broken.
Women also participated in the beating
In the incident of beating the workers, women from Krishnanagar village also participated. Inside the room, men used sticks, rods, bamboo, and wood to beat the workers. Meanwhile, some women peered through the windows and threw pieces of bricks at the unconscious workers lying on the floor. They also contributed to the violence by urging the use of fire against the workers.
Ashes from a fire inside the school
A local source reports that an agitated crowd attempted to burn the severely injured workers alive. At one point, they set fire to the face of the deceased, Arshadul, burning part of his face. Subsequently, additional police forces from three districts intervened and controlled the situation, preventing the crowd from succeeding in their attempt to burn the workers.
Arshadul's uncle, Razzak Khan, told Bangla Outlook that when they received the bodies, they observed that Arshadul's spine was broken and his face was burnt. He stated that such injuries could only have been caused by direct application of fire to the face, which bore burn marks.
Arshadul's madrasa teacher, Rezaul Karim, also claimed that burn marks were visible on Arshadul's face when he was bathed.
Police fire 237 rounds to rescue 3 workers
Miraj Hossain, the officer in charge at Madhukhali police station, was the first to receive news of the local Hindus attacking the workers. He instructed Deputy Inspector Shankar Bal, who was on night duty, to quickly proceed to the scene with a force. The police arrived at the scene at 8:40 PM. Upon receiving reports that the situation was escalating, the Officer in Charge himself went to the location with additional police. The locals nearly besieged the police as well. At that time, the locals had locked the workers inside the school and had set fire to the Nasimon (a type of vehicle) they were in. When the police attempted to intervene, the crowd also attacked them. Later, when the district police and the UNO (Upazila Nirbahi Officer) arrived, they were surrounded too. Even bricks and other projectiles were thrown at the police. For self-defense and to control the situation, the police eventually fired 237 rounds. Joint forces including the police then rescued the workers and transported them to the hospital. (The exact time of police arrival at the scene is unclear)
What are the survivors of the attack saying?
Mohammad Jalal Sheikh, a subcontractor from Choperghat village who was in charge of constructing a toilet, also fell victim to the attack. He shared his harrowing experience: "Before being taken inside the room, we were tied up under a banyan tree where the local watchman came and slapped and verbally abused the workers. Later, a council member came and took us inside the room. The member was extremely agitated, seemingly in a state where he could have killed us if given the chance."
Habibur Rahman, a worker who survived the attack, recounted his experience: "That day, I was working in the area as well. However, when the incident started, I was bathing in the field. Suddenly, I heard a commotion and saw our fellow workers being tied up and taken inside the school. Shortly after, some people ran towards me, grabbed me, and started slapping me. Then one of them took out his mobile phone and started a live video. On the live feed, he demanded that I declare that these four workers had set fire to the temple. He threatened that if I didn't comply, I would be beaten along with them and wouldn't survive either. When I refused, several of them started slapping me repeatedly. At that point, I ran and hid in the crowd. Later, as they got busy beating other workers, I slipped under the stairs. I stayed there for about four hours until the police arrived, after which I came out."
What are relatives and neighbors saying
Abdur Razzak Khan, the uncle of the two deceased brothers, reported discrepancies in the accounts surrounding the events. He asserted that the chairman was present at the scene and participated in the beating, although Jalal Sheikh, the subcontractor, has denied this, claiming the chairman was not involved. Razzak Khan mentioned that due to these inconsistencies in Jalal's statements, he was taken in for questioning by the Detective Branch (DB). Razzak expressed suspicion about Jalal's role, noting that Jalal might have tried to cover up the chairman's involvement and attempted to protect him.
Razzak also revealed that there was trouble in Krishnapur, which led to his nephews being initially pulled from the area, only for Jalal to later assign them work there again without the family’s knowledge, raising further suspicions about his intentions.
A neighbor, Shanowar Hossen, commented on the hostile environment, noting that the local Hindu community in the area could be quite aggressive and that there were no Muslims in the surrounding eight villages. All local shops and businesses were owned by Hindus. He mentioned that Arshadul's father had told him his sons had been threatened with death prior to the incident. There were allegations of severe harassment, and it was rumored that the brothers were beaten in the afternoon and later falsely implicated in the temple fire that evening, though he could not confirm the veracity of these claims.
Officer in Charge (OC) Mohammad Miraj Hossain of Madhukhali police station stated that they are investigating whether the killing of two teenagers, suspected of setting fire to the temple, was instigated by any incitement. He mentioned that although they have not yet been able to arrest the Union Parishad chairman, who is implicated in the allegations of arson at the temple and the killing of the two workers, they are determined to apprehend him soon.
OC Hossain further reported that 21 individuals involved in the killing of the two workers, under the guise of them having set the temple on fire, have been sent to court last Wednesday.
Contextually, on the evening of April 18th, following an incident where a Kali temple in Panchpalli village of Dumain Union caught fire, an attack occurred on construction workers stationed at a nearby primary school, where they were involved in building a toilet. This attack resulted in the death of two of the workers.