Bangladesh burning: Christian Tripura community houses set ablaze on Christmas eve

Seventeen houses belonging to the Christian Tripura community in Bangladesh, were allegedly set ablaze by unknown miscreants on Christmas eve, the Daily Star reported.

The incident took place at Notun Tongjhiri Tripura Para in Sarai union of Lama upazila at around 12:30 am on Wednesday.

The victims said that the unidentified miscreants fled the scene after setting fire to the houses.

The alleged arson attack took place while the residents had gone to a nearby village for Christmas celebrations, and prayers, as there was no church in their vicinity.

The locals reported that 17 out of 19 houses in the village were completely destroyed in the attack, the publication added.

This comes amid a spate of violence on religious minorities in Bangladesh -- an issue India has addressed in the recent past as well.

The Tripura community has been living in Tongjhiri for a very long time, however, some residents stated that the community were displaced from the area a few years ago, as the area was leased out to the wife of a police official during the Awami League regime.

"We have been living here for three or four generations. A group of people, identifying themselves as 'SP's men,' evicted us four to five years ago," Paisapru Tripura, the head of Notun Tongjhiri Para said.

After the fall of the Awami League government, the community returned to this land to rebuild their homes, the publication stated citing locals.

"Our houses have been completely burned to ashes. We couldn't save anything,” said one of the victims named Gungamani Tripura.

Demanding punishment for the miscreants, another said, “Today is supposed to be the happiest day of the year for us. I never imagined such a thing would happen to us on Christmas."

The publication, citing officials, mentioned that officers were sent to the spot of the incident and raids were also conducted by the police to catch the culprits. An FIR has also been filed regarding the incident.

Sarai Union Parishad Chairman Md Idris also confirmed that 17 houses in the area were completely destroyed in the attack.

Ruppayan Deb, the acting Lama Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO), also visited the spot and provided relief material to the affected families.

Deb added that he has asked the families to file a written complaint to ensure that further action can be taken properly.

Inspector (investigation) of Lama Police Station, Md Enamul Haque Bhuiyan, after the Awami League was ousted on August 5, several cases of land grabbing issues in the remote area have come to light.

He also assured that law enforcement was working in full swing to ensure a fair investigation and identify the culprits at the earliest.