Temple land grab bid alleged in Bagerhat, committee leader assaulted

An allegation has been raised over an attempted land grabbing of a temple in Morrelganj upazila of Bagerhat and the assault on the temple committee General Secretary Sanjib Kumar Das.

The incident, late last month, reportedly stemmed from a dispute over land belonging to the BKBB Sarbojanin Durga Temple located beside the Bagerhat-Pirojpur highway.

This morning (03 April), local traders along with leaders of the BNP and the Jamaat-e-Islami staged a protest procession and rally condemning the incident.

Morrelganj Police Station Officer-in-Charge Mahamudur Rahman said he has visited the scene and that legal action will be taken upon receiving a written complaint.

Sanjib Kumar Das said that five days earlier, a group led by Ferdous Sikder brought materials to build on temple land. When they were obstructed and told that a decision would be taken after consultation with the committee, they became agitated, used abusive language and left.

Sanjib alleged that they later went to his residence at night and issued death threats.

He further said that around 10pm yesterday, while returning home from the market, he was assaulted by one Ferdous Sikder and his associates, which left him injured, including in the eye.

Following the incident, local BNP, Jamaat and market leaders organised a protest demanding justice.

Former Banagram union parishad chairman and BNP leader Abdul Jobbar Molla alleged that Ferdous Sikder has long been involved in criminal activities and leads a group that intimidates locals.

Jobbar claimed the attempt to occupy temple land was deliberate and aimed at creating communal tension.

Mashiur Rahman Didar, president of the Balabhadrapur Market Committee,  said the accused used BNP affiliation as a cover but is not associated with any political party.

He added that Hindu and Muslim communities have coexisted peacefully in the area for a long time and demanded legal action to prevent recurrence.