Ethnic Garo Christian families came under a mob attack in Sherpur district on Aug. 12
About 200 mostly ethnic minority Christians joined a protest rally in Bangladeshi capital Dhaka demanding a judicial probe into a recent mob attack on Garo Christian villagers. The Garo Student Union (GSU), a body of ethnic Garo students, organized the rally at Dhaka’s Shahbag intersection on Aug. 18. It drew support from a host of political groups, indigenous rights bodies and cultural organizations.
The demonstrators alleged the mob attack by Bengali Muslims on Garo villagers in Purba Gazarikura and nearby areas of Jhenaigati subdistrict in Sherpur district on Aug. 12 was based on unfounded allegations related to the death of a Muslim man.
They also accused the local administration and police of taking sides with the instigators of the attack and detaining five Garo Christians without any proof of their connection to the crime.
Mrinmoy Chiran, a GSU leader from Dhaka, said the physical attack, vandalism and looting left Garo villagers devastated. “They are low-income people. Many of them cannot afford private lawyers to seek justice from the court,” Chiran told UCA News. He said the community is seeking assistance from Bangladesh Legal Aid and Services Trust (BLAST), a non-government organization, to wage a legal battle for justice.
Garo activist Nilu Chambugong alleged that the discovery of the body was used as a pretext for a planned attack on the community without any investigation into the death. He said that abuses and attacks on ethnic minorities for various reasons, including land disputes and impunity, are very common in Bangladesh.
