Author: SAR News
Publication: Renovacao
Date: August 16-31, 2002
Four houses were destroyed in an
attack over a land dispute July 21 on Choto Dumuria, a Catholic village
in Barisal here. A certain Alamgir Hossain Kazi had seized 13 decimals
of church land after the October 1 general election last year.
The land was restored to Christians
only on July 21 after the community members approached the BNP and the
administrative authorities for help.
Soon Alamgir Kazi, his son, and
some 20 BNP armed activists raided the village and injured seven people,
one of them seriously.
In another incident in Tetulia Union,
a Protestant pastor, Manik Sarkar, was abducted from a tea stall on July
14 for a huge ransom. When he refused to pay any money, the kidnappers
allegedly left him with a broken shoulder. A case was registered July 15,
but the BNP activists threatened him with dire consequences if he did not
withdraw the case. Christians held a protest meeting and appealed to the
Prime Minister and the Home Minister to provide them protection and security.
