Dhaka: BNP on Friday demanded a fair investigation into the allegation of land grabbing against LGRD and cooperative Minister Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain brought by Bangladesh Hindu-Buddhist-Christian Unity Council.

‘Bangladesh Hindu-Buddhist-Christian Unity Council yesterday (Thursday) accused LGRD Minister and the Prime Minister’s brother-in-law Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain of capturing a landlord house of the minority community in Faridpur. Not only that, they also brought the allegation of grabbing the property of the minority community against two ruling party MPs, including Dabirul Islam,’ said BNP spokesman Asaduzzam Ripon.

Addressing a press briefing at the party’s Nayapaltan central office, he further said, ‘We want to say that LGRD is a very important ministry. The government should look seriously into the allegation brought against a vital minister like that of LGRD.’

The Bangladesh Hindu-Buddhist-Christian Unity Council at a press conference on Thursday brought some specific allegations of grabbing the land property of minority community against some ministers, whips and MPs, including LGRD Minister Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain, Whip Mahbub Ara Begum Gini, and Thakurgaon MP Dabirul Islam and Pirojpur MP AKMA Awal.

Council’s general secretary Rana Dasgupta, also a prosecutor at the International Crimes Tribunal, read out a prepared statement at the conference.

Referring to the council’s allegation, Ripon said the ruling party men are capturing the land of the Hindu community members and forcing them to leave their homesteads. Their women are also being assaulted and molested.’

The BNP spokesman urged the council to be more vocal, and come up with the specific names of the Awami League leaders involved in torturing the minority members and grabbing their property.

He voiced frustration as there was no positive outcome about border killing from the recent director general-level conference between Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) and Indian Border Security Force (BSF) held in New Delhi.

‘We’re upset as we did not find the desired outcomes from the recently held DG-level conference of BGB and BSF. We’re in doubt whether the BGB DG could properly represent Bangladesh at the programme as no substantial discussion was held over stopping border killing,’ the BNP leader observed.

He regretted that though Bangladeshis are being brutally killed along the border, the government could not take any effective step to stop it.

Referring to the statistics of different rights bodies, Ripon said 22-31 Bangladeshi citizens are being subjected to border killing every month.

‘The most regrettable thing is that a Bangladeshi was killed along Naogaon border on the concluding day of the conference.’ Our party thinks such an attitude from a friendly country is completely unexpected.’