Allegations have surfaced that an Awami League leader spread rumors within the Hindu community and assembled hundreds of party workers at the Hatibandha border in Lalmonirhat to stage a crying rally. Reports suggest that secret messages and social media were used to propagate the rumor that “Indian leaders will visit the border to speak with Hindus, record videos for international and Indian media, and arrange for their transfer to India.”
On the afternoon of Friday, August 9, hundreds of Hindu devotees from various areas rushed to the Uttar Gotamari border in Gotamari Union, Hatibandha Upazila.
Sources indicate that the area is the in-laws’ residence of Hossain Bachchu, President of the Hatibandha Upazila Awami League and Upazila Chairman. He has reportedly been staying there since the day of the government’s fall. Allegedly, he spread rumors and gathered Hindus at the border as a strategy to draw Indian media attention to claims of persecution against the Hindu community in Bangladesh. Additionally, he is accused of attempting to organize a human chain on Thursday, claiming that Hindus in the area were under attack.
In response to the situation, Lalmonirhat District Commissioner Mohammad Ullah, Police Superintendent Saiful Islam, and local BNP-Jamaat leaders arrived at the scene, engaged with the Hindu community, and persuaded them to return home.
Former Gotamari Union Parishad Chairman Abul Kashem Mia commented, “Groups of people were heading toward the barbed wire fence at the border. When questioned, they said that Indian leaders had come to speak with persecuted Hindus in Bangladesh. However, upon arrival, we discovered it was all a rumor—there was no one there except the Indian BSF.”
Parash Chandra, who traveled from the neighboring Dimla Upazila in Nilphamari district, stated that he learned through Facebook that Indian leaders would come to the border fence to speak with persecuted Hindus in Bangladesh, prompting his visit.
Attempts to contact Liakat Hossain Bachchu, President of the Hatibandha Upazila Awami League, were unsuccessful as he did not respond to calls.
Local Awami League leader and Gotamari Union Parishad Chairman Monaberul Islam Mona noted, “Since morning, groups of Hindus have been gathering. They aren’t disclosing why, and when I asked them to leave, they became aggressive.”
Barrister Hasan, a member of the BNP National Executive Committee and a resident of Hatibandha Upazila, said, “As soon as I heard the news, I rushed to the scene and spoke with the Hindu community. They couldn’t provide a clear reason for their presence at the border. We eventually convinced everyone to return home.”
Lalmonirhat District Commissioner Mohammad Ullah stated, “I spoke with them, and while they couldn’t specify their complaints, they claimed to be persecuted. We then made arrangements to send them back home after addressing their concerns.”
