Jamaat, AB Party condemn Mirpur health center demolition, seek investigation
Jamaat chief Shafiqul Rahman and AB Party leaders have condemned the demolition of a health center in Dhaka’s Mirpur and called for an impartial investigation.
DHAKA — Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami chief Shafiqul Rahman has condemned the demolition of a health center in Dhaka’s Mirpur area and called for those responsible to be identified and punished.
In a Facebook post on Saturday, Rahman said more than 200 masked people allegedly attacked, looted, and vandalized the Radda MCH-FP Center in Mirpur-1 before demolishing the facility. He also questioned the role of the administration and law enforcement agencies.
“Power has now reached the health service center,” Rahman said in his post, adding that the incident required an investigation into those behind the attack.
Jamaat’s Dhaka North city unit also issued a statement alleging that a BNP lawmaker from a reserved women’s seat and a BNP leader from Dhaka North had planned or encouraged the attack. The statement did not provide evidence for the allegation.
The Jamaat leaders called for an impartial investigation into the incident, including the alleged involvement of political figures and the role of law enforcement. They said any dispute over land ownership or a lease should be resolved through legal and administrative procedures.
The opposition party also called for the recovery of looted medical supplies and government vaccination equipment and for the health center’s services to be restored.
The Amar Bangladesh Party, or AB Party, separately condemned the incident and called for those responsible, including any planners or financiers, to be brought to justice.
The party said the center had provided primary healthcare, maternal care, family planning and vaccination services to low-income communities. Citing information from the center, it said government EPI vaccines, vaccination records, medicines, medical equipment, documents, and cash were allegedly looted. The center has estimated the damage at about 15 million taka.
AB Party leaders said allegations of involvement by political or local leaders should be established through an impartial investigation rather than treated as fact. They also called for an investigation into whether police failed to perform their duties during the incident.
The party issued six demands, including the arrest of those involved, investigation of alleged planners and financiers, recovery of stolen supplies and records, an inquiry into the police response, legal resolution of any land dispute, and the restoration of the center’s healthcare services.
The incident took place around midnight on Thursday. More than 200 masked people allegedly entered the center carrying locally made weapons and held two security guards hostage before taking equipment, medicines, vaccines, cash, and other property. Heavy machinery was then used to demolish one permanent and three semi-permanent buildings, according to accounts cited by the parties.
