In Pirganj, Thakurgaon, a dispute over a "debutter property" (religious endowment land) has led to three separate lawsuits. The conflict arose on Monday, March 27, 2023, around 1:30 PM, when a group allegedly obstructed and attacked individuals involved in the repair of a temple in the village of Khangaon, within the 3rd Khangaon Union.
All three cases pertain to the same incident, with the same individuals named as defendants in at least two of the cases
Case Details
Case No. 31 (Filed by the Temple Priest)
On March 29, 2023, Ekadash Barman (65), son of the late Joy Singh Barman, and the temple's priest, filed a lawsuit against nine named individuals and five to six unknown people. The accused are:
* Md. Momir Uddin (65), son of the late Abdus Sobahan.
* Md. Golap Hossain (50), son of Md. Azgar Ali.
* Md. Mobarak Ali (50), son of Md. Azgar Ali.
* Md. Nur Alam (44), son of Md. Azgar Ali.
* Md. Nur Islam (58), son of Md. Azgar Ali.
* Md. Saheb Ali (43), son of Md. Tofir Uddin.
* Md. Jahangir Alam (25), son of Md. Golap.
* Md. Atik (22), son of Md. Montu.
* Md. Anwar Hossain (35), son of Md. Nur Islam
Case No. 30 (Filed by the Land Officer)
Md. Monowar Hossain (58), the acting Assistant Land Officer of the 3rd Khangaon Union, filed a separate lawsuit on March 27, 2023. The case names eight individuals and 40 to 50 unknown individuals as defendants. The accused are:
* Ram Krishna Roy (52), son of Atul Chandra.
* Monojit Chandra Roy (65), son of Murabi Mohan Roy.
* Harilal (50), son of Dundi Barman.
* Pratap Chandra Roy (Manik) (37), son of Bhupal Chandra Roy.
* Jyotish Chandra Roy (35), son of Ramesh Chandra Roy.
* Pratap Chandra Roy (52), son of Joy Golap.
* Kailash Chandra Roy (47), son of Bosunath Roy.
* Laxmikant Roy (35), son of Sudhir Chandra Roy.
According to the land officer's FIR, the disputed land (CS Khatian 719, Dag 325, JL 29, 0.22 decimals) is listed as "hat" (market) land in the SA No. 1 Khatian, Dag 325 and 325/1595, and is registered as state property under the name of the Collector Bahadur Dinajpur on behalf of the government of Bangladesh.
Case No. 32 (Filed by one of the Accused in Case 31)
Md. Golap (55), son of the late Azgor Ali and one of the accused in Case No. 31, filed a third lawsuit on March 29, 2023. The case names eight individuals and four to five unknown people as defendants. The accused are:
* Monojit Chandra Roy (56), son of the late Murabi Mohan.
* Joyanta Kumar Roy (22), son of Khirod Chandra Roy.
* Jyotish Chandra Roy (53), son of Ramesh Chandra Roy.
* Ram Krishna Roy (44), son of the late Atul Chandra Roy.
* Bikash Chandra Roy (24), son of Harilal Chandra Roy.
* Pratap Chandra Roy (Manik) (53), son of the late Bhupal Chandra Roy.
* Milan Singh Roy (35), son of the late Nibaran Chandra Roy.
* Laxmikant Roy (45), son of Sudhir Chandra Roy
Background of the Conflict
Advocate Rabindra Ghosh, President of Bangladesh Minority Watch, and Gour Hari, its Thakurgaon District President, reported that the land is claimed by the Hindu community of Khangaon Mouza. The land (CS Khatian 719, Dag 325, JL 29, 0.22 decimals) is "debutter property" belonging to the Sri Sri Govindajiu Thakur Bigraha. For a long time, the local Hindu community has been using this land for worshipping Goddess Raksha Kali and Goddess Durga
Since the temple of Sri Sri Govindajiu Thakur Bigraha was in disrepair, the temple committee decided to renovate it and repaint the idols of Kali and Durga. On March 27, 2023, around 11:30 AM, the acting land officer, Md. Monowar Hossain, along with two Ansar members and two village police, arrived and obstructed the construction work
Later, around 1:30 PM, as the work was ongoing, the accused individuals, armed with sharp weapons, allegedly entered the temple. They reportedly vandalized the newly constructed wall and broke three idols. When the temple committee members and priests tried to intervene, they were beaten indiscriminately, sustaining serious injuries. The injured—Monojit Roy (68), Suresh Chandra Roy (36), Shashi Mohan Roy (32), Prahlad Roy (20), and Palash (22)—were later rescued by locals and admitted to the Upazila Health Complex
Official Response
When the President of Bangladesh Minority Watch inquired about the matter with the Thakurgaon District Commissioner and the Officer-in-Charge of Pirganj Police Station, they both assured that legal action would be taken in accordance with the law and the District Commissioner's instructions.
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