Jamaat – Shibir not involved with temple vandalism in Lakhsmipur

News reports published by some media accusing Jamaat-Shibir of setting fire to Hindu temples at Camperhaat area at Ababil union of Raipur upazila in Lakhsmipur under cover of darkness on the 28^th of February are false. A temple executive committee president and members of the Hindu community have confirmed the above statement and protested such news reports. The two temples mentioned are Shree Shree Harichand Guruchand Thakur temple and Swami Vivekanand Sriti Sheva Asram Radha Govind temple.

Residents in the area say a conflict of interest had been prevalent in the executive committee regarding the two temples which stand side by side. On the 28^th of February, the bamboo fence surrounding Radha Govind Temple was set on fire by unidentified miscreants. The bamboo fence got burnt and although a few bales dry straw situated near the Harichand Guruchand Thakur temple caught fire, the main temple building remained intact and unharmed.  The temple committee filed a case at the Raipur police station in this regard. No person was accused as per details of the case. This incident was exploited by vested quarters through using news and print media to spread false propaganda in order to associate Jamaat Shibir with such attacks.

Recently Hindu leaders have officially protested news associating Jamaat-Shibir with such attacks, saying that vested quarters used the incident to their benefit through media manipulation. They however said that neither did they know who were behind such media manipulation nor had they given any information regarding any Jamaat-Shibir involvement in such attacks. More than a hundred Hindu citizens including Radha Govind temple executive committee president Nitya Gopal Majumder, Harichand Guruchand Thakur temple executive committee General Secretary Babu Sudev Majumder, local Hindu community leader Taponeshwar Kirtoniya and Balram Majumder were present while voicing such concerns.

Upazila executive official Dulal Chandra confirmed to investigating journalists that nobody had seen the miscreants who had carried out such cowardly attacks and keeping in line with this fact, the case filed by the Hindu leaders did not name anybody in this regard. He also said that it had come to his attention that some media had published news associating Jamaat - Shibir with such attacks. This, he said, had been the source of a lot of confusion among the general populace.

Raipur police station OC has expressed his hope to the Naya Diganta that police investigation would uncover those responsible for such criminal acts. He confirmed that no political links to the incident had been uncovered yet. He also reiterated the statements made by local Hindu leaders, confirming that no names had been mentioned in the case filed by the aggrieved, let alone names of any Jamaat - Shibir activists. 

Source: http://www.dailynayadiganta.com/new/?p=141200