Freedom Fighter’s house burnt in Cumilla

A shocking incident occurred in South Shripur village of Gunbati Union, Chauddagram Upazila of Cumilla, where the home of freedom fighter Ali Hossain was attacked and set ablaze late Tuesday night.

Ali Hossain, a veteran of the 1971 Liberation War and former general secretary of the Chauddagram Upazila Awami League, was targeted in this violent assault. His wife, Rasheda Akhtar, a former female vice chairman of the Chauddagram Upazila Parishad, expressed deep concern over the incident.

Rasheda Akhtar on Wednesday night revealed that the family currently resides in a rented house in Cumilla city. “Unknown assailants attacked and set fire to our ancestral home in the dead of night,” she said.

The house is managed by Jamshed Alam, who lives there with his wife and three children. Around 1:30 a.m., the attackers broke doors and windows, vandalized the property, and ultimately set it on fire before fleeing the scene. Thanks to the timely intervention of villagers, who responded to the cries of the family and neighbors, the fire was extinguished after nearly an hour.

Rasheda Akhtar said, “My husband fought bravely in Sector 4 along the Bilonia border of Feni during the Liberation War. Since August last year, threats from unidentified criminals have prevented us from visiting our ancestral home. This is not the first time the house has been attacked.”

Chauddagram Police Station Officer-in-Charge Mohammad Hilal Uddin Ahmed confirmed that police have been dispatched to investigate the incident. “The perpetrators are yet to be identified, and no formal complaint has been filed as of now,” he stated.

The attack on a revered freedom fighter’s home has sparked outrage among locals, who demand swift justice.