Retired major attacks mosque with pistol after not getting a spot in the first row during prayer

Staff Correspondent

A retired major attacked a mosque with a pistol in Bariyachni village of Rupganj upazila in Narayanganj after he was denied a seat in the first row for Fajr prayers.

According to locals, the worshippers alleged that retired Major Harun Or-Rashid entered the mosque early yesterday morning and carried out the attack.

Witnesses said that Harun got into an argument with madrasa students and worshippers after not being able to sit in the front row of the mosque during prayers. At one point, he pulled out his licensed pistol and tried to intimidate the worshippers. During this, a student named Hafez Mizanur Rahman was injured.

Maulana Faiz Ullah, principal of Babus Salam Madrasa and Orphanage, said, “Harun has been forcing himself to stand in the front row for a long time by pretending to be a former administration official. He behaved indecently with the imam and students on Islamic issues. In today’s incident, he also attacked the students with a pistol.”

Siraj Mia, a local worshipper present at the mosque, said that since Harun bought land and started living in the area, he often threatens people by raising a pistol. He has been seen involved in such incidents before. He is very fierce and bad-tempered. From time to time, he takes out a pistol and starts a showdown.

Locals also said that on February 19, Harun raised a pistol and threatened to shoot in a land dispute in the Teknowaddah area, a video of which went viral on social media and sparked strong criticism.

However, retired Major Harun Or-Rashid denied the allegations and said, “I pray according to the ‘Hanbali method’, they are Hanafi. When I went to stand in the front row for Fajr prayers, they stopped me, and I felt humiliated. Later, I took out a pistol just to scare them, I didn’t kill anyone.”

He further claimed that the pistol is legal and the police took it after checking the license. I will bring it back.

Rupganj Police Station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Tariqul Islam said, “We have come to know about the incident verbally. A legal weapon has been seized. No written complaint has been received yet. Efforts are being made to resolve the matter locally.”