STAFF CORRESPONDENT

Home Affairs Adviser Lt Gen (retd) Jahangir Alam Chowdhury yesterday said law enforcement agencies had successfully foiled an attempt by “fascists and their collaborators” to incite communal unrest during Durga Puja celebration.

“Fascists and their collaborators tried to create communal tension by drawing beards on faces of idols at 793 mandaps. That conspiracy has been thwarted,” he reporters at the Secretariat.

Referring to the Khagrachhari incident, he said medical tests had found no evidence of rape in the alleged case. “The army, police and locals handled the matter professionally. The blockade and Section 144 have since been withdrawn,” he said.