Govt debunks claim of arson at Khagrachhari mosque

The Chief Adviser’s Press Wing on Sunday dismissed as “entirely false” claims circulating on social media that the Khagrachhari Model Mosque was set ablaze during recent unrest in the district.

In a Facebook statement, the press wing said the viral footage, which carried the logo of United News of Bangladesh (UNB), did not depict events in Khagrachhari. Instead, the video was linked to an August 28 attack on the Jibon Mahal amusement park resort in Dinajpur, where members of “Touhidi Janata” vandalised and set fire to the facility over allegations of immoral activities.

According to UNB reports, at least 12 people, including a journalist, were injured in the Dinajpur incident. A mobile court had earlier raided the same resort on August 17, sentencing seven people to jail and fining its owner Tk100,000.

The press wing, citing Prothom Alo and local journalists, confirmed that no mosque in Khagrachhari’s Guimara upazila had been attacked. “The claim that the Khagrachhari Model Mosque was set on fire is false. The mosque is still under construction and not yet in use,” it said.

Unrest in Khagrachhari escalated after protests by Jumma Chhatra Janata over the reported gang rape of a teenage girl from the hill community. Demonstrations triggered road blockades and clashes, leading the district administration to impose Section 144.

Officials said the circulation of the Dinajpur video was a deliberate attempt to spread confusion during the tense situation in the hill district.