Published by IndiaFacts
“This report was sent to IndiaFacts by Narayan Ukil, an activist and researcher working for the cause of persecuted Hindus in Bangladesh.”
Demolition of statue of Hindu deities in Sripur and Kalkini
Some ruffians have demolished a statue of Lord Shiva in a temple in Sripur. After shattering the deity’s statue, these vandals took away the head of the statue at Sardarpara near Sabdalbazar in Sripur Upazilla in Magura district. After being informed the S.P of Magura district Jihadul Kabir along with S.I of Nakol police camp visited the site of the incident. They ensured that they will immediately investigate the incident and take necessary legal actions.
On the other hand in Kalkini of Madaripur a similar incident occurred. Some goons vandalised the statues of Goddess Kali, Goddesh Shitala and some other Hindu deities at the house of Sudhir Biswas in Jhaulata village of Kalkini police station in Madaripur. The O.C of Kalkini police station stated that they will investigate the case and arrest the alleged perpetrator as soon as possible.
Hindu Mother died hearing the news of rape of her daughter
A college going Hindu girl in Lalmanirhat district was raped by a truck driver. Police arrested the rapist Abdus Sattar and his assistant Nazma Begum. On Saturday the victim was going to her college when Nazma Begum called the victim for some reason to her resident. The convict, Abdus Sattar who was waiting there, attacked the girl and raped her. Hearing her screams the neighbours rushed to the place, but the perpetrators escaped. As the local leaders and the general public demanded justice, the police took swift action. On the very next day the Sub-Inspector of district police, Mr. Mahbub Hasan arrested the rapist and his associate. The Superintend of Police Habibur Rahman assured complete security for the victim’s family.
But sadly soon after hearing the news, the mother of the victim had a stroke and died. The father of the victim lives in Chittagong due to his work. Now the victim, along with her younger brother are afraid of possible backlashes.
While investigating, the Officer-in-Charge Md. Jamir Uddin confirmed Bangladesh Minority Watch that the incidents are true and the perpetrators have been arrested. He said ‘ Medical test for the rape case has been performed and the victim herself filed a ‘rape case’ against this incident.’ The case no. is 03, dated 03-02-2013 under section 7/30 of Women and Children Repression Act, 2003.
Mayor Lokman accused for grabbing land of minority Hindus
Lokman Hossain a mayor in Barisal disctrict Mayor, who is also the general secretary of Upazilla committee of the Awami League, has been accused of grabbing a plot of land belonging to a Hindu resident. General public are afraid to speak against the mayor who along with his family members are accused of terrorizing their constituents.
About four months ago Lokman grabbed about one and a half acre of lands owned by a local Hindu family. The original owner of the land was Late Rajeshwar Saha who passed the ownership to his sons Nirmal Chandra Saha, Gopal Chandra Saha, Khokan Chandra and Swapan Kumar Saha. They have filed a case in the police station of Bakergonj. The case no. is 90/13. Dauntless mayor Lokman has started building a super market on the grabbed land. The court has already instructed the alleged perpetrators to halt the construction.
Chairman forced the family of a rape victim to flee to India
A Hindu woman. with her family fled to India after being raped and threatened by the chairman of Kachua Upazilla, Bagerhat. After this incident the inhabitants of Charkathi village (where the incident happened) are in a state of panic.
On 2 January the journalists of Bagerhat district visited the Charkathi village. The villagers told the reporters that they are terrorized by Sheikh Mahfujur Rahman, the chairman of Upazilla Parishad and convener of the Awami League in Kachua Upazilla. This heinous act is said to have taken place on 19 December of 2014.
An aged person of 60 years said that he never thought that a public representative can commit such an atrocious act. The Superintendent of Police at Bagerhat told the journalists that he has ordered the Officer-in-Charge of the Kachua police station to take necessary action. Deputy Commissioner of Bagerhat district, Md. Shukur Alli told that no one is above the law.
Hindus’ houses burned down and Hindu girl kidnapped at Galachipa
On the night of 21 January in 2013 at Chotogabua village of Galachipa police station of Patuakhali district Majibur Rahman Tipu (28) son of Anwar Hossain Howladar accompanied by more than a dozen goons set fire on the house of Anil Baghmar. Before the arson they broke into the house, forcibly took Ritu Moni (17) the daughter of Baghmar along with many valuable properties of the family.
When Baghmar begged for mercy, Anwar Hossain ordered his gang to set fire on the house. The family escaped the burning house but were threatened by Hossain that if they try to take any legal action, they will be killed.
This incident was apparently in response to dispute regarding real estate plot between Anwar Hossain and Bagmar. The septuagenarian Baghmar complained that Anwar Hossain who works as the assistant of an advocate wrongfully occupied a significan portion of his property many years ago. A civil suit regarding this dispute is pending in the Galachipa executive magistrate court.
On 23 January Anil Baghmar lodged a FIR in Galachipa police station accusing Mujibur Rahman Tipu, Rasel, Delwar Hossain, Bachchu Howladar, Jahangir Howladar, Joulas Howladar, Fazlul Haque Howladar, Anwar Hossain Howladar requesting the police to bring back their daughter.
S.M Ziaul Haque, the officer-in-charge of Galachipa police station informed the Bangladesh Minority Watch that he is investigating the case with due care and one of the accused perpetrators Rasel has already been arrested.
On 30 January the High Court ordered the police to rescue the girl within two days and bring her before the court. The courts also ordered the arrest of all the perpetrators and repair the burnt house as well as ensure the safety of the Baghmars.
Source: Dainik Janakantha, Published: 28 January, 2013
Bangladesh Minority Watch Investigation
Bangladesh Minority Watch has investigated a number of cases in the month of March. Short descriptions of the cases are stated here.
Jamaat-Shibir attacks on Hindu community and their temples
Fanatics vandalised idols and torched temples in Comilla, Netrokona and Bhola districts on Tuesday night, creating widespread panic among the local Hindu community.
In Comilla, miscreants vandalised a Hindu temple and set it ablaze at Chapatali village of Mohammadpur East Union under Daudkandi upazila early yesterday, said Abul Faysal, officer-in-charge of Daudkandi Police Station.
Subhash Bhoumik, a resident of Chapatali, said locals kept vigil around the temple till 2:30 am yesterday in the wake of attacks on minority communities across the country, as reported by a correspondent from Comilla.
‘ We found the tin-shed temple in the morning totally gutted,’ he said, adding ‘ Five idols of gods and goddesses were destroyed.’ In Netrokona, around 120 kilometres northeast of Daudkandi, another Hindu temple came under attack in the same way in the early hours yesterday.
Miscreants destroyed five Hindu idols before setting the temple ablaze at Bangla-Dashpara village under Netrokona Sadar upazila, reports our district correspondent. Police and the local Hindu sources said the temple was situated on a field around half-a-kilometre away from the village.
Around 11:00 pm on Tuesday, locals saw a fire coming out of the temple. The villagers immediately rushed to the spot and brought the fire under control.Tapan Chandra Talukder, a resident of the village, said they did not know who attacked the temple and when it was set on fire. Anil Chandra Das, another resident, told this correspondent that none was arrested so far in connection with the incident. Anis Mahmud, deputy commissioner of Netrokona, and Police Super Mohammad Zakir Hossen visited the spot.
In Bhola, miscreants vandalised the idol of Hindu goddess Kali at a Hindu temple at Pakkhiya union of Borhanuddin upazila early yesterday.Bhobotosh, a custodian of the temple, told The Daily Star that they witnessed some four to five men moving suspiciously near the temple on Tuesday night.Chapa Rani, wife of Bhobotosh, found the idol vandalised when she went to the temple to worship in the following morning, reports our Bhola correspondent.
Gouranga Dey, secretary of the district Puja Committee, said, ‘ We have requested the authorities concerned to take necessary action for safety of the minorities.’ On the same night, another group of miscreants set ablaze the cowsheds of 26 houses in Kachiya union of the same upazila. Locals alleged that those were burnt to create panic in the area.Police arrested Abdul Mannan, 50, a local, in connection with his alleged involvement in the incident.
Moshiur Rahaman, deputy assistant director of Rab-8, said they took necessary steps to find out those responsible for vandalism and fire.Meanwhile, Noakhali police arrested Harunur Rashid, general secretary of Rajganj union unit of BNP, yesterday evening in connection with his alleged involvement in looting and vandalising six temples and eight houses of the Hindu community in the union on February 28.Mahbubur Rashid, acting superintendent of police of the district, confirmed the arrest of Harunur, also chairman of the union parishad.
In a press statement, Bangladesh Development Initiative (BDI), a US-based non-partisan advocacy group, yesterday strongly condemned the recent spate of violence especially on minorities and their places of worship across the country reports the Daily Star, 7 March 13.
The BNP has called for a nationwide dawn-to-dusk hartal today in protest against what it said attacks by armed ruling party men and police brutality. Jamaat-Shibir activists and BNP supporters last night vandalised and torched at least 40 vehicles across the country.Hartal supporters also attempted to set fire to a train heading for Mymensingh at Gafargaon Rail Station late last night. Hartal supporters attacked police in Santhia Bazar area in Pabna, leaving at least four policemen injured, including two sub-inspectors.In the capital, hartal supporters torched at least four vehicles, including a car, and vandalised 10 buses.
‘The present government is capable of thwarting any bid to start a civil war to change the country’s political system,’ LGRD Minister and General Secretary Awami League Syed Ashraful Islam said Wednesday. He said the government acted with great restraint during the recent mayhem unleashed by the Jamaat-e-Islami to avoid too many casualties. ‘ But taking that as our weakness will be a mistake.’ Islam said there was a concerted effort to discredit the Awami League by instigating the party’s rank and file to hit the streets to fight it out. ‘ They want to provoke us into a civil war and we must avoid that trap … but we are not weak.’
‘ No matter how much they provoke for a civil war, the Awami League will not let anyone break the democratic system and replace it with another 1/11-type set-up,’ the minister said. On Jan 11 2007, a military-backed caretaker administration had taken charge and stayed in office for nearly two years, way beyond its constitutional limits.
The press conference was organised at Awami League president Sheikh Hasina’s Dhanmondi office to clarify the party’s line in the wake of the violence unleashed by the Jamaat-e-Islami after its leader Delwar Hossain Sayedee was sentenced to death by the first war crimes tribunal of Bangladesh for crimes, including rape and murder, during the nation’s nine-month-long War of Independence in 1971.
Different socio-cultural organisations formed a human chain at Dhaka Jatiya Press Club on March 6 to protest what they called ‘heinous attacks’ by Jamaat-e-Islami and Islami Chhatra Shibir on the country’s minority communities Jamaat-Shibir attacks on Hindu community and their temples.
A Situation Note from HRCBM-Dhaka, March 8, 2013
Fanatics destroyed an idol of goddess Kali before setting a Hindu temple on fire at Hatibandha upazila of Lalmonirhat in the early hours yesterday,reports the Daily Star.The 15-year-old Sree Sree Kali Mandir at Bejgram village, 2 kilometres off the Indian border, was burnt down when villagers were asleep, locals said.Hearing the crackling of flames around 4:30 am, villagers rushed to the temple and doused the fire after an hour-long effort, reports our Lalmonirhat correspondent.Incidents of vandalism and arson attacks on temples and houses of theHindus have been rampant since February 28.On that day, the International Crimes Tribunal-1 awarded death penalty to Jamaat leader Delawar Hossain Sayedee for his crimes against humanity during the country’s Liberation War.
Since then, miscreants destroyed at least 22 temples, 122 houses and dozens of shops belonging to the Hindus across the country.They also physically assaulted men, women and children of the community and set their houses ablaze after looting.
The High Court yesterday ordered the government to arrest culprits, who vandalisedand torched a temple in Munshiganj, in three days to put them on trial.According to a news report of the daily Janakantha published on Tuesday, miscreants vandalised and torched the Monipara Kali Mandir atGoalimandra village of Louhajang upazila during hartal hours on Monday.Following the report, the HC yesterday directed the authorities concerned to repair the temple, restore it to its previous situation and protect people of theminority community in the area.The court also ordered the authorities concerned to submit a report to it within seven days after complying with the directives, reports our Supreme Court correspondent.
The HC bench of Justice AHM Shamsuddin Choudhury Manik and Justice Mahmudul Hoque also issued a suo moto rule asking the authorities concerned to explain in 10 days why appropriate legal action should not be taken against the culprits.
Home secretary, deputy commissioner and superintendent of police of Munshiganj, upazila nirbahi officer of Louhajang upazila and officer-in-charge of Louhajang Police Station have been made respondents to the rule, Assistant Attorney General Mia Shirajul Islam told The Daily Star.
Protect Bangladeshi Hindus, says Amnesty
Amnesty International has made an urgent appeal to the Bangladesh government to provide its minority better protection. ‘ The Hindu community in Bangladesh is at extreme risk, in particular at such a tense time in the country. It is shocking that they appear to be targeted simply for their religion. The authorities must ensure that they receive the protection they need,’ said Abbas Faiz, Amnesty’s Researcher. Survivors told Amnesty that the attackers were from the Jamaat-e-Islami and its student wing Islami Chhatra Shibir. In the report, ‘Bangladesh: Wave of Violent Attacks Against Hindu Minority’, Amnesty gave the country’s war crimes trial as the context to the violence against the minority.
The report said attacks on Hindus and other minorities were often reported from Bangladesh, especially from the far-flung areas. The latest attack took place on March 6 at Daudkandi in Comilla, where a Hindu temple was vandalised and burnt down. It said on Feb 28 a minority village of Rajganj Bazar in Noakhali was set on fire by the Jamaat supporters. According to Amnesty, Bangladesh’s Hindu minority constitutes only eight per cent of the population and has historically been at risk of violence.
They suffered heavily during the 1971 liberation war and again after the 2001 parliamentary elections, when BNP-Jamaat coalition came to power.The rights body urged all political parties to condemn such violence against the Hindu community
Attacks on Hindus protested
Demonstrations were held across the country yesterday protesting the attacks on Hindu communities and temples since the International Crimes Tribunal-1 sentenced Jamaat leader Delawar Hossain Sayedee to death on February 28.
Jahangirnagar University (JU) students and teachers formed a human chain and brought out a procession on the campus protesting the attacks. Speakers at the human chain, under the banner ‘ Sanatan Biddarthi Sangsad’ , before the JU Shaheed Minar stated that Jamaat-e-Islami and pro-Jamaat student organisation Islami Chhatra Shibir carried out the attacks following the verdict.
They demanded tougher legal steps against the attackers, a ban on Jamaat-Shibir for attacking Hindus and vandalizing and looting their residences and temples, and rehabilitation and security for the affected people and places of worship.
JU Vice-Chancellor Prof Anwar Hossain, JU Teachers’ Association President Ajit Kumar Majumder, Jahangirnagar Sangskritik Jote, JU Chhatra Union and JU Chhatra Front also expressed solidarity with the demands. Bangladesh Janmastami Udjapan Parishad, a platform of the Hindu community, organised a press conference in Chittagong Press Club protesting the attacks. Over 500 households, 300 temples and 300 shops and businesses of minority communities were vandalised, looted and torched since the verdict, claimed the parishad President Debashish Talukder. The parishad also placed the aforementioned demands.
Over 100 Rajshahi University teachers and students under the banner ‘ Biswabiddaloy Kendrio Puja Udjapon Parishad’ formed a human chain before the RU senate bhaban protesting the attacks. The speakers demanded that the government ban Jamaat-Shibir and all religion based political parties.The parishad President Mrinal Kanti, Progressive Teachers’ Society Convener Prof Anand Kumar Saha, Proctor Chowdhury Mohammad Zakaria and Sultan-Ul-Islam of RU Teachers’ Association addressed the programme.
Noakhali correspondent, bdnews24.com : Communication Minister Obaidul Quader has urged leaders and activists of the Awami League to stand by the Hindus recently persecuted by Jamaat-e-Islami supporters.Also an Awami League Presidium Member, he was distributing relief goods on Thursday among the Hindus in Noakhali’s Rajganj, one of the sites that bore the brunt of the recent nationwide communal violence by Jamaat after its number two Delwar Hossain Sayedee was convicted of crimes against humanity and sentenced to death on Feb 28.
‘ There will be no compromise with those who attacked the religious minorities. They will have to be punished for their acts. The government has zero tolerance on this matter.’
The Noakhali-5 MP urged law enforcers and leaders and activists of Awami League to ensure security for religious minorities with the assistance of local community.Quader gave out cash, clothes and books among students from 67 families in Rajganj from the Prime Minister’s Relief Fund.
Govt urges to resist terrorism, violence
The government today gave necessary directives to local administration in cooperation with local elites, public representatives and social organization for making united resistance against terrorism and violence, an official release said here tonight.The government is giving special priority for creating awareness and cooperation maintaining peace and stability in the public life, it said.Terrorism and violence have been created by the direct patronization of different parties and groups in different places across the country in the recent times, it said adding that the opposition BNP is trying to create public sufferings by calling hartal.The release said their (BNP’s) ill efforts went in vain as people have no support in their programmes and the countrywide public life was normal.
Unruly Jammat-Shibir hartal activists conducted destructive activities on religious minority groups at a number of places across the country, it observed. The government has given necessary directives to bring the culprit to justice for upholding the tradition of communal harmony in the country. (BSS)
Govt won’t tolerate any more opposition’s destructive activities-PM
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina today called upon the opposition leader to shun destructive politics as she issued a strong warning that the government won’t tolerate any more their destructive activities to save war criminals.
‘ We don’t believe in conflict and we also don’t want conflict. But it is our responsibility to protect the life and property of the people. The opposition would attack the law enforcement agencies and slaughter our party men and we would see it sitting in the houses, we are not that much of weak,’ she said.
While addressing a discussion on the historic 7 March, Sheikh Hasina, also the Awami League chief, said where the opposition would go if the people, who have become the victims of killing, anarchy and other destructive activities of the opposition, take revenge against them in the same way. The Prime Minister also urged the countrymen to forge a unity like 1971 to resist the new rajakars (collaborators) to save the life and property of the people.
‘You have liberated the country in 1971 by forging a unity under the leadership of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. And time has come again to face the new collaborators like BNP who has extended their hands to anti- liberation forces to save war criminals,’ she said.
‘Minorities at receiving end in Bangladesh violence’
New Delhi, March 7 — Hundreds of Hindus have been attacked, their shops and businesses burnt and women threatened by the Jamaat-e-Islami in the current spate of violence unleashed by the Islamists in neighbouring Bangladesh, said speakers at a talk here Thursday.
‘Hindus, who number more than one crore in Bangladesh, live in fear and agony… They don’t have anyone to help them,’ said Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Rajya Sabha MP Tarun Vijay at a discussion on ‘Bangla Desh-Shahbagh Rising, Jamaat-e-Islami’s violence and the Indian response’.The protests at Shahbag transcend religion, he said.
‘They are an assertion that we are all Bengali Bangladesh is a friendly country, and Sheikh Hasina (prime minister) is a friend (of India).. But it is horrendous and unacceptable that thousands of Hindu homes are being burnt, looted and police are unable to provide protection,’ said Vijay. ‘The Jamaat is acting on behalf of Pakistan and the ISI (Inter Services Intelligence) and against India,’ he alleged.
BJP Rajya Sabha MP Chandan Mitra, who accompanied President Pranab Muherjee on his Dhaka trip, said the situation in Bangladesh ‘ is pretty tense’ .
Mitra said that ‘Hindu minorities are at the receiving end in Bangladesh’ in the current clashes.
The violence against minorities is ‘aimed at driving out the Hindus who are concentrated in a few districts where the Jamaat is also concentrated.. The exodus of Hindus to India is continuing,’ said Mitra.The Jamaat is protesting the death sentence handed over to a leader for war crimes committed in 1971.
Mitra said India has ‘certain moral responsibilities as they have to be mindful of their security.. And if another exodus takes place (like during the 1971 war), we will have to provide shelter,’ he said, adding that the Jamaat is like the Taliban in nature. ‘ It has risen from strength to strength and consolidated its position.’ He said the opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) would earlier maintain a distance from the Jamaat and had good relations with India. ‘But today, they have linked themselves to the Jamaat.’
BJP leader and former external affairs minister Jaswant Singh said the Shahbag protests ‘were a movement of truth and identity’…Bengali is the dominant culture Bangladesh is wedded to language,’ said Singh.
He said when Mohamed Ali Jinnah, the founder of Pakistan, had gone to then East Pakistan in 1948 and spoke of making Urdu the national language, there ‘ there were loud protests’ .
‘ Language and culture is important to the people of Bangladesh.. and India shares that important linkage with Bangladesh, which needs to be nurtured and preserved,’ he said.The Shahbag protests are a manifestation of the ‘ spirit of the Bengali youth’ and transcend religion,’ he said. (Original article © IANS / Daily News 2013 )
Hindus under attack 6 temples, houses burnt outside Dhaka
Lashing a déjà vu of 1971, Jamaat-Shibir fanatics yesterday wrecked havoc on the Hindu community across the country. They damaged at least six temples, including one of Buddhists, and torched houses and business establishments of Hindu people in Noakhali, Gaibandha, Chittagong, Rangpur, Sylhet, Chapainawabganj and elsewhere in the country.
In Rajganj of Noakhali, Jamaat-Shibir men set ablaze a temple and eight houses of the Hindu community. They also traded bullets with law enforcers in Datterhat under Sadar Police Station and in Rajganj under Begumganj Police Station, leaving two people killed. The deceased were identified as Khokon, 17, a pickup van assistant, and Liton (28), a fish monger, reports our Noakhali correspondent.
The Jamaat-Shibir men also looted a jewellery shop owned by one Biplob Sarkar at Chandraganj Purbo Bazar in Begumganj. Witnesses and police said hours after top Jamaat leaders Delawar Hossain Sayedee had been sentenced to death, the marauding activists equipped with firearms, iron rods and kerosene set fire to Harishiva temple in Rajganj market area at 3:30pm.
‘ They returned an hour later. This time we were left with no choice but to flee the area, as they started torching our houses with kerosene,’ schoolteacher Shankar Chandra, who lost his house in the attack, told The Daily Star over the phone.
Some 50 Hindu people used to live in the houses burnt down, he said, adding that all but a few people had managed to escape to safety. Those left behind had been beaten up and kicked out of their houses by the Jamaat-Shibir attackers.
‘ We ran for our lives leaving everything behind. I was only seven during the Liberation War in 1971, but it didn’t feel this insecure even then,’ said Shankar Chandra.
Assistant Police Superintendent (ASP) of Begumganj circle Mahbub Alam told The Daily Star that informed of the arson, police and firefighters had reached Rajganj around 5:00pm. Police had a hard time containing the violence in the area, as Jamaat-Shibir men had outnumbered the law enforcers.
CHITTAGONG
Jamaat-Shibir men attacked two Hindu-majority localities at Jaldi union of Banshkhali upazila and set ablaze a Buddhist temple at Satkania upazila of the district on 28 February.
They set fire to houses at Dhopapara and Mohajonpara of the union and attacked people with sticks, iron rods and sharp weapons, said Inspector Md Shahjahan of Banshkhali Police Station.
Two people had been critically wounded in the attack, said the inspector, adding that the injured had been undergoing treatment at upazila health complex.
Jamaat-Shibir men also set ablaze three shops belonging to Hindu people at Kaliaish union of Satkania upazila, said Additional Superintendent (South) Md Iltutmish of Chittagong Metropolitan Police.
GAIBANDHA
Rioters of Jamaat-e-Islami and student body Islamic Chhatra Shibir attacked a temple and business establishments belonging to Hindus at Bhelkobazar in Sundarganj upazila of the district yesterday afternoon.
Later in the evening, they swooped on and vandalised some houses in Shovaganj union.
Meanwhile, Hindu community leaders last night told The Daily Star that vandalism, arson and looting took place in temples, houses and business establishments of Hindu people in Sylhet, Rangpur, Thakurgaon, Laxmipur and Chapainawabganj.
According to them, attackers had vandalised the central Kali temple at Mithapukur upazila in Rangpur and another at Kansat in Chapainawabganj.
‘ We are observing the situation. So far we have heard they had attacked and vandalised temples, houses and business establishments of Hindu people at least in 10 districts,’ said Nirmal Chatterjee, secretary general of Dhaka Mahanagar Puja Committee.
‘ We have informed law enforcers of the situation and sought security to the Hindu community,’ he added. (Source: The Daily Star)
Sunday, March 3, 2013
Jamaat’s Attacks on Minority Communities
1) The ruins of the Hindu neighbourhood of Dhopapara in Banshkhali, Chittagong after the belligerent activists and supporters of Jamaat-e-Islami and Islami Chhatra Shibir torched all houses and a temple there on Thursday.
2) A man offering prayers in the burnt down temple of Dhopapara.
3) A man trying to salvage whatever he can in the wreckage of Banshkhali Upazila Parishad, which also came under the Jamaat-Shibir arson attack on Thursday.
4) A shattered idol of a Hindu goddess in a temple at Dumuria in Morelganj upazila, Bagerhat following an attack of zealots early yesterday.
5) The remains of an early Friday attack on the Pinglakathi Hindu temple in Gournadi, Barisal.
6) Two Hindu girls in sullen silence look through their damaged books on the ruins of their house in Rajganj union of Noakhali’s Begumganj upazila where religious fanatics ravaged through several Hindu neighbourhoods on Thursday.
7) Another destroyed Hindu neighbourhood in the union.
8) An elderly woman has a vacant look on her face and tears roll down her cheeks after her home was destroyed by the fanatics in Rajganj. Photo: Star, Focus Bangla (Source: The Daily Star)
HC asks govt as fresh attacks on Hindus in Dinajpur, Barisal
The High Court yesterday directed the government to protect until further orders the minority communities and places of worships attacked allegedly by activists of Jamaat-e-Islami and BNP in Noakhali on Thursday.
In a suo moto rule, the authorities concerned were also asked to repair the houses and places of worships and to bring those back to their previous condition. A report on the compliance of the directives has to be submitted in the court in 10 days, the HC said.
The court passed the rule on the government following a report published in The Daily Star on March 2 with the headline ‘ Attacks on Noakhali Hindus: Victims feel insecure.’
The HC directives came in tandem with fresh attacks on minority establishments reported from Munshiganj, Dinajpur and Barisal yesterday.
Soon after the International Crimes Tribunal-1 passed a verdict against Jamaat-e-Islami Nayeb-e-Ameer Delawar Hossain Sayedee for war crimes on Thursday, leaders and activists of Jamaat, its student wing Islami Chhatra Shibir and local BNP men launched attacks on the Hindus in Noakhali, according to the March 2 report.
The opposition party men torched, vandalised and looted at least one temple and many houses at Begumganj of the district, sending the minorities into a panic, the report says. Jamaat-Shibir men also damaged six temples, torched 36 houses and vandalised 40 other houses after looting those at Alampur and Aladin Nagar villages in Rajganj.
Witnesses said Shibir activists Saddam and Alauddin and BNP activists Khalil and Ibrahim led the attacks.
An HC bench of Justice AHM Shamsuddin Choudhury Manik and Justice Mahmudul Hoque yesterday issued another rule upon the government to explain in 10 days why it should not be directed to arrest and prosecute the criminals.
Home secretary, inspector general of police, deputy commissioner (DC) and superintendent of police (SP) of Noakhali, and officer-in-charge (OC) of Begumganj have been made respondents to the rule.
Deputy Attorney General Amit Talukder told The Daily Star that he had already informed the DC of Noakhali of the HC order and asked him to take steps.
ATTACKS IN MUNSHIGANJ, BARISAL, DINAJPUR
In the latest development, a temple was set on fire at Louhajang upazila in Munshiganj around 10:00pm yesterday. Seeing the fire, people in the neighbourhood rushed to the place and doused it. But by that time many idols of Goalimandra Monipara Kali Mandir were damaged, said Anil Chandra Das, president of the temple’s committee.
Local people said they suspected that hartal supporters were behind the incident. In Barisal, unidentified miscreants tried to torch a Hindu temple at Aliganj Bazaar of Hizla upazila, but were resisted. In another incident, police arrested three people in connection with damaging and torching of idols of Hindu goddesses at Sarbojoneen Durga Mandir in Gournadi upazila of the district.
OC of Gournadi Police Station Abul Kalam Azad said police had raided different areas in the early hours yesterday and arrested Mizan Khalifa, 20, first year student of Dhaka Titumir College, Baharuddin Ahmed 31, a businessman of Dhaka and Aminul Islam, 18, student of Gournadi Kasemabad Madrasa.
‘ We have sent the arrestees to the court in the afternoon with a seven-day remand prayer for interrogation,’ the police officer said.
In Dinajpur, harvests of rice belonged to nine Hindu families were burnt to ashes and at least 50 trees were felled on the Dinajpur-Panchagarh highway at Birganj upazila allegedly by Jamaat-Shibir men. Fire brigades rushed to the spot and doused the fire, Abdul Kader Zilani, officer-in-charge of Dinajpur Sadar Upazila, confirmed. (Source: The Daily Star)
Monday, March 4, 2013 UK deplores attacks on temples
British High Commissioner to Bangladesh Robert Gibson yesterday deplored the cruel and unwarranted attacks on places of worship and private property in Bangladesh.
In a statement, the UK envoy expressed his sadness over the violence and the number of senseless and unnecessary deaths that have taken place across Bangladesh over the past few days.
He called for all parties to exercise restraint and resolve their differences through constructive and peaceful dialogue.
‘ Bangladesh has struggled hard and at great cost to achieve its independence and create a tolerant state where every citizen can live without fear of religious persecution and follow their individual faiths,’ Robert Gibson said.
‘ This great achievement risks being undermined by the callous and unacceptable actions of a few.’
The British envoy noted that while every citizen has the right to mount a peaceful protest, intimidation and imposition of strikes disrupt the lives of all citizens and hamper the operation of legitimate business. ‘ This is sending a negative signal to the international community and those wishing to invest in Bangladesh.’
He further said, ‘ The UK will continue to call for all parties to exercise restraint, moderation and respect for the rule of law; and to resolve their differences through constructive and peaceful dialogue. To continue to subject the country to unnecessary disruption and violence risks undermining Bangladesh’s democratic credentials and stability.’ (Source: The Daily Star)
Tuesday, March 05, 2013- Attack on Hindus ;Khaleda finally condemns it;Stays silent over identity of culprits
BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia last night condemned Thursday’s attacks on religious minorities at different parts of the country. In a statement, signed by her Press Secretary Maruf Kamal Khan, she also demanded punishment to the perpetrators. She, however, made no mention of BNP ally Jamaat-e-Islami which, according to victims, unleashed terror against the Hindus, burning down houses and temples, shortly after a war crimes tribunal gave death sentence to Jamaat leader Delawar Hossain Sayedee.
On March 1, the opposition leader categorically blamed the government for the ‘ planned attack aimed to divert people’s democratic movement and destroy the country’s communal harmony’ .
Now, four days after the atrocities against minorities, Khaleda demands the government identify and punish the perpetrators through neutral investigation and compensate the victims.
The statement urged the media not to publish anything with prejudice or get confused with propaganda from a certain quarter. Saying attempts were being made to destroy the existing religious harmony, Khaleda called for restraint.
She also said attacks on minorities were taking place at a time when people were waging movement against the ‘ government’s fascism and indiscriminate killings across the country’ .
‘ I called upon the administration and law enforcers to prevent such attacks on minorities with an iron fist,’ said Khaleda, also the leader of the opposition in the House. (Source: The Daily Star)
Jamaat continues attacking Hindus
Jamaat-Shibir attacks on Hindu community and their temples continued in different parts of the country yesterday creating widespread fear among general people living unprotected in rural areas. Reports of arson, vandalism and physical assaults on members of Hindu community and also on Awami League activists have been rampant since Thursday, when the International Crimes Tribunal-1 had awarded death penalty to Jamaat leader Delawar Hossain Sayedee.
Khulna
Yesterday in Khulna, more than 300 Jamaat-Shibir and BNP acitivists brought out a procession from Chad Ali Bridge in Amadi Bazar area of Koyra upazila around 10:30am, during the BNP-called hartal.
Locals said the focus of the procession suddenly turned to Dhopapara, an extremely poor locality with predominantly Hindu population traditionally making a living on washing clothes. Within minutes, eight houses belonging to Hindus were set ablaze. While the Hindu men, women and children ran for safety, the attackers looted whatever they could put their hands on.
The attackers soon swooped on to nearby Amadi Bazar. They broke into eight to 10 shops belonging to local Hindus and looted them before being dispersed by Border Guard Bangladesh and police personnel around noon.
Meanwhile, the attack left a woman and a young man injured. They were admitted to the local health complex. Amiya and Apurbo Das, who lost their home in the attack, said neighbours had tried to douse the fire but their thatched house stood no chance. Others who lost their houses to the arson include Subodh Das, Kartik Das and Sona Das. Each of the victim families had more than one thatched house. The attackers also torched a prayer room set up inside a house.
‘ We do not know what to do and are living in fear of further attacks,’ said Apurbo Das. Locals said the attackers also unleashed violent assaults on several residents.
Officer-in-Charge (OC) Khairul Kabir of Koyra Police Station said they had arrested two Shibir activists from the area. ‘Two to three houses were torched and looted and about eight shops were looted during the attack,’ said the OC. Superintendent Golum Rouf Khan of Khulna police said BNP and Jamaat-Shibir men had set fire to thatched houses and a semi-concrete structure, and vandalised shops belonging to local Hindus. The ploy in which attacks on Hindu temples and idols were executed, bear striking similarity in most cases throughout the country.
Lalmonirhar
At Rotherpar village in Aditmari upazila of Lalmonirhat, religious fanatics entered the Sree Sree Shoshan Kali Mandir [temple] some time early hours yesterday and vandalised the temple smashing the idol of goddess Kali.
President of the temple committee Subhas Chandra Roy said they had lodged a written complaint with the police and it was now up to the law enforcers to take action.
Gopalganj
At Lakhirpar village under Kotalipara upazila in Gopalganj, zealots set fire to a temple of goddess Kali on Monday around 7:45pm. The fire partially gutted the temple and destroyed four idols of the goddess. The arson instantly drew protests in the area.
Kotalipara police detained five suspects in this connection.
Natore
In Natore, Jamaat-Shibir men are strengthening themselves in the border areas of Lalpur upazila where Awami League activists and members of the Hindu community are living in fear.
On Monday evening, Jamaat-Shibir men in a bid to spread further panic set fire to a temple of Shoair village under Singra upazila and destroyed the Hori Protima [the idol of Lord Hori].
Isahaq Ali, secretary of Lalpur upazila unit Awami League, said Jamaat-Shibir men were capitalising on the innocence of the villagers through anti-minority propaganda.
‘ The situation is such that we cannot even go to the border areas of Char Jazira, Horir Char and Gorgoria where on the one hand, gangs of Jaamat-Shibir rule and on the other, outlaws roam around at large,’ said Isahaq Ali.
Chittagong
In Chittagong, Hindu temple Sarbajaneen Magadeshwari Mandir at East Rupkania of Satkania upazila was torched early yesterday. Sukumar Nath, a local resident, said the arson took place around 2:30am. ‘ We woke up by the sound bamboos cracking in fire and witnessed our holy temple burn to ashes,’ said Nath, adding, ‘ We do not know who did it.’
Sub-Inspector Nazmul Alam of Satkania Police Station said the pattern of all the arson attacks leads police to suspect that Jamaat-Shibir fanatics had been involved in the act.
Since Thursday, Jamaat-Shibir men had wrecked havoc in the area, mainly targeting the Hindu community. The fanatics have changed their tactics for attacks on the state mechanisms. In Jhenidah, Lalmonirhat, Satkhira and elsewhere they shielded their attack force by luring rural women and children in the front line of the processions with religious propaganda.
Barisal
In Uzirpur upazila of Barisal district, miscreants tried to set fire to Guthia Sarbajaneen Kali Mandir [temple] under Guthia union early yesterday.
President of the temple committee Sudhir Malakar said some miscreants had thrown burning torches of straw and tree branches inside the temple and fled the scene.
The fire died automatically as the branches and straw were not so dry but yet it partially damaged the fences said Sudhir, adding that they had informed the local upazila parishad chairman of the incident.
Officer-in-Charge Anwar Hossain of Uzirpur Police Station said a general diary had been lodged with them and that they had visited the spot and started investigating the arson attempt. (Source: The Daily Star)
Hindu family’s house burned down in arson attack
The house of a Hindu family in Laksam upazila of Comilla was burned down in an arson attack by unidentified miscreants on Friday night, said police. However, the three dwellers of the house, belonging to an expatriate, Ratan Chandra Das, escaped unhurt.
Ratan’s wife Milon Rani Das said the fire gutted Tk 1.70 lakh and 20 bhories of gold ornaments alongside furniture and rice. On information, Laksam police went to the spot and extinguished the fire with the help of locals. Ratan’s son Niloy Chandra Das, 13, said he was asleep with his mother and brother Hridoy Chandra Das, 10, in their Uttarda village residence when a sound woke him up and he found the house on fire.
He said to have heard the sound of running footsteps while they were rushing out of the house.
Md Shahadat Hossain Majumder, a senior teacher of the village’s Uttarda High School, said the incident was a part of a plot of an evil quarter orchestrating violence against minority communities around the country, including Chittagong and Noakhali.
Officer-in-Charge Md Abul Khair of Laksam Police Station termed the incident ‘ an act of sabotage’ and said police were conducting investigations into the incident. (Source: The Daily Star)
Arrest culprits in seven days ,HC asks police over Banshkhali rampage
The High Court yesterday ordered the police to arrest within seven days the culprits who attacked minority people and damaged their houses and temples in Banshkhali upazila of Chittagong on February 28 and March 2.
The court also directed the local administration to repair the houses and temples and bring those back to their previous condition within two months, and ensure protection to the victims until further orders.Issuing a suo moto rule, it asked the Attorney General’s Office to inform the court by March 14 of what steps the administration had taken after the incidents of attacks and vandalism.
In the rule, the court also asked the government to explain within 10 days why it should not be directed to take appropriate legal action against the culprits. The bench of Justice AHM Shamsuddin Choudhury Manik and Justice Mahmudul Hoque came up with the order and the rule following news reports of different newspapers, including The Daily Star, on the attacks and vandalism.
Home secretary, inspector general of police, deputy commissioner and superintendent of police of Chittagong, upazila nirbahi officer of Banshkhali and officer-in-charge of Banshkhali Police Station have been made respondents to the rule. The minority people in Banshkhali came under attack allegedly by Jamaat-e-Islami activists after a war crimes tribunal on February 28 sentenced Jamaat leader Delawar Hossain Sayedee to death for his crimes against humanity.
Yesterday, Supreme Court lawyers Subrata Chowdhury and Anupam Biswas placed the newspaper reports before the HC bench and prayed to the court to pass necessary orders.
The lawyers said at least four people were killed and several others were injured and temples and houses were damaged by Jamaat-e-Islami men at Banshkhali. But the administration did not arrest anybody and take any effective measure in connection with the incident, they added. (Source: The Daily Star)
Tuesday, March 12, 2013: Idol damaged, protesters form human chain
Criminals damaged an idol at a ‘Kali Temple’ at Achim Bazar of Phulbaria upazila early yesterday. The damaged idol was of Goddess Swarasati, police said.
Anwar Hossain Bhuiyan, officer in-charge of Phulbaria police station, said hoodlums entered the temple early yesterday and broke the Swarasati idol into pieces. However, the other idols remained intact, said the OC.
On information, police visited the spot in the morning and talked to the local leaders of Hindu community and public representatives. A case was lodged with Phulbaria police station but none was arrested till filing of this report yesterday afternoon.
Bogra
In Bogra, a human chain was formed by Hindus in Shantahar railway station area under Adamdighi upazila yesterday morning, reports our correspondent.
The participants protested the attack by Jamaat-Shibir men on houses, business centers, temples and vandalism and arson across the country.
Under the banner of Shantahar Puja Udjapon Parishad, the human chain was joined by people from all walks of life, enchanting ‘ Dharmo Jar Jar, Desh Sobar’ (Region is yours but the country belongs to all) slogan. President of the parishad Shibesh Kumar Idul presided the programme. Organiser of liberation war Kochim Uddin Ahmad, former chairman of Shantahar municipality and freedom fighter Golam Morshed, FF Ajmal Hossen and noted businessman Raj Kumar Shaha and others were present at the human chain. (Source: The Daily Star)
Tuesday, March 12, 2013: Attacks on Hindus Govt to rehabilitate victims
The government will rehabilitate the victims of religious minorities whose houses and temples were attacked by fanatics around two weeks ago. ‘ A decision has been taken to rehabilitate them. It’s our moral responsibility to stand beside them,’ Agriculture Minister Matia Chowdhury told The Daily Star yesterday.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has already sent some supports to many of the areas attacked by Jamaat-e-Islami and Islami Chhatra Shibir men, officials said. The government will first assess the losses and act accordingly. But when the rehabilitation work will start officially is not clear. Officials said the offices of the deputy commissioners (DC) from Chittagong, Noakhali, Comilla, Cox’s Bazar, Rajshahi, Bagerhat, and Bogra had started gathering information.
‘ We are collecting information from various sources and preparing a detailed report on the financial losses,’ said Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister Shaikh Md Wahid-uz-Zaman.
The losses could exceed Tk 200 crore or even Tk 500 crore, he said. ‘ The government will take all-out measurers to rehabilitate the religious minorities.’ Some ministers will visit the most affected areas to gather first hand information about the casualties. The agriculture minister will lead a team to Bogra on March 20 and Environment and Forests Minister Hasan Mahmud will visit Chittagong.
Meanwhile, Communications Minister Obaidul Quader has visited Noakhali and arranged rehabilitation in some affected areas and distributed money personally. (Source: The Daily Star)
Saturday, March 16, 2013: Attack on Minorities; Home Minister finally visits affected area in Ctg
Home Minister Muhiuddin Khan Alamgir yesterday said the state will make its highest effort to punish the attackers of religious minorities. He was addressing a meeting at Banshkhali Upazila Parishad ground after visiting different areas affected by Jamaat-Shibir violence on February 28. It was his first visit to an affected area after the Jamaat-Shibir men had unleashed mayhem across the country on that day, hours after the International Crimes Tribunal-1 awarded death penalty to Jamaat leader Delawar Hossain Sayedee for committing crimes against humanity during the Liberation War.
‘ Those who attacked the religious minorities and torched their houses and temples are anti-liberation forces. They [attackers] are against our country and Liberation War and Bangladesh has no place for them,’ said MK Alamgir.
He pledged to confront with iron hands those who are trying to foil the war crimes trial and attacked the religious minorities. The minister visited the affected Hindu families, temples, UNO office, upazila parishad office and court building under Banshkhali Municipality.
He distributed Tk 10,000 among each of seven Hindu families whose houses were burned down in the attack.
On February 28, activists of Jamaat-e-Islami and its student front Islami Chhatra Shibir vandalised and torched the courts of senior judicial magistrate and senior assistant judge, Upazila Parishad office, upazila krishi office, office of upazila fisheries officer and office of upazila nirbahi officer (UNO). (Source: The Daily Star)
Tuesday, March 26, 2013: Attacks On Minorities;Academics call for rehabilitation
Teachers of Dhaka University hold a solidarity meeting at Aparajeya Bangla yesterday, calling for furthering the spirit of the Liberation War and condemning those who carried out communal attacks on minorities. Photo: Star
Academicians, victims of recent communal attacks, and Shahbagh protesters yesterday called upon the government to immediately ensure rehabilitation of the minorities who lost their houses, worship places and business establishments in Jamaat-Shibir attacks.
They also demanded immediate arrest and trial of Jamaat-e-Islami and pro-Jamaat Islami Chhatra Shibir activists who are responsible for the countrywide attacks after Delawar Hossain Sayedee was sentenced to death on February 28. The demands came at a ‘ solidarity rally’ organised by Dhaka University teachers before Aparajeya Bangla on the campus.
They also urged the countrymen to resist Jamaat-Shibir terror, reiterating that the politics of the anti-liberation forces should be banned for their role since 1971. DU Prof Emeritus Serajul Islam Chowdhury said the state apparatus is responsible for its failure to protect the minority community.
Noted educationist Ajoy Roy said they did not attack the minorities for destroying their houses or worship places, rather their motive is to turn the country into a communal one like Pakistan. He announced to hold a rally before TSC cafeteria on March 29. Citing the communal attacks as violation of human rights, Gonojagoron Mancha Convener Imran H Sarkar criticised the role of different international human rights organisations who termed the capital punishment for war criminals as ‘ inhumane’ . (Source: The Daily Star)
Thursday, March 28, 2013: Houses of three Hindu families attacked for skipping AL meeting
A group of people allegedly belonging to the ruling Awami League (AL) vandalised eight houses of three Hindu families at Doyarampur village in Kumarkhali upazila on Tuesday night for not attending an AL meeting at the upazila headquarters. A case was filed with Kumarkhali Police Station of Kushtia district in this connection and police arrested two of the attackers, Abdur Rashid and Ibrahim Hossain, of the same village early yesterday, said Mofiz Uddin Ahmed, superintendent of police, Kushtia.
Shamsuzzaman Arun, Kumarkhali municipality mayor and also general secretary of AL upazila unit, said the arrestees are AL activists. Deputy Commissioner (DC) Syed Belal Hossain, Superintendent of Police Mofiz Uddin, Kumarkhali Upazila Parishad Chairman Abdur Rouf visited the village at around 12:30am.
Police said a group of at least 20 people vandalised the houses of Kartik Ghosh, Montu Ghosh and Robi Ghosh at the village around 9:00pm on Tuesday. According to the case filed by Kartik Ghosh, one of the victims, a group of 20 to 25 people led by Abdur Rashid and Ibrahim Hossain, came to their house in the morning and introduced themselves as the men of Kumarkhali upazila AL President Abdul Mannan Khan.
They asked all members of the three Hindu families to join the meeting of upazila AL at Kumarkhali municipality market ground in the afternoon, Kartik said. ‘ As only a few of us attended the meeting, the group led by the duo attacked our houses and looted valuables including gold ornaments,’ he further stated.
Upazila Parishad Chairman Abdur Rouf has strongly condemned the incident and demanded immediate arrest of the culprits involved. Advocate Joydev Biswas, president of the Kushtia unit of Bangladesh Hindu-Bouddha-Christian Oikyia Parishad, yesterday protested the attack on the houses of three Hindu families at Doyarampur village in Kumarkhali upazila and demanded arrest and exemplary punishment of the attackers. Deputy Commissioner Syed Belal Hossain said stern action will be taken against the persons involved in the attack. Law enforcers have been asked to arrest the rest of the culprits, the DC added. (Source: The Daily Star)
Friday, March 29, 2013: 2 temples vandalised
Criminals set fire to a temple in Rangamati and vandalised another in Naogaon early yesterday.
Some people set fire to Shree Shree Hari Mondir at Amtali Bazar under Baghaichhari upazila of Rangamati around 5:00am and fled the scene, said Md Rafiqullah, officer in-charge of Baghaichhari Police Station. Police later held a union-level BNP leader and four activists of the Jamaat-e-Islami in this connection. They are Sirajul Islam Bachchu, general secretary of Amtali union unit of the BNP and Jamaat activists Alam, Shafi, Haris and Ahad Bhandari.
The OC blamed the arson on the BNP and Jamaat men. Bhuson Som, president of the temple committee, condemned the attack, and demanded punishment to those who were behind it.
Meanwhile, unidentified criminals vandalised an idol of Hindu goddess Swaraswati at Ramnagar village under Manda upazila in Naogaon.
The idol had been taken away from a temple at the residence of Soumendranath Pramanik in the middle of the night, said Abdullah Hel Baki, officer-in-charge of Manda Police Station.
Later, broken pieces of the idol were found in a field some three hundred yards from the temple, the OC said, adding local people informed the police of the damaged idol in the morning.
Soumendranath filed a case with the police station in this regard. (Source: The Daily Star)
Sunday, March 31, 2013: Protect minority community. Need for citizens’ resistance committees
RECENT attacks on members of Hindu community and destruction of their properties and temples have been a shame for a pluralistic society. Despite the government’s promise to stop the onslaught on the community and its assurances to protect them, there is still no sign that acts of vandalism are abating.
Against this backdrop, participants in a roundtable, while voicing their concerns over the trend urged political leaders, intellectuals, cultural activists and members of the common people to form citizens’ committees at the local level to combat this menace.
Involvement of the entire community is an essential element of creating resistance against quarters out to destabilise communal harmony. And any worthwhile programme to deal with problems of this nature must be inclusive.
So far, the government has increased police presence and sent some relief materials to the affected localities. There is need for more of this.And short of taking a comprehensive strategy through involving the community, the government has been blaming the opposition and Jamaat-Shibir elements for the communal attacks.
As a consequence, fear and an acute sense of insecurity have gripped them. This has somewhat tarnished the image of the government and the country, which is avowedly a secular one. It is expected that the government develop a failsafe strategy to combat communal violence. Side by side with forming citizens’ committees, it should also ensure that the Members of Parliament (MPs) are present in their own constituencies to motivate the people to resist those fanatics trying to destabilise society. We would do well to remember that how we treat the minority community will be a measure of civilised conduct in our society.
Saturday, March 30, 2013: Urge noted citizens; NHRC chief frustrated over failure to protect them
The formation of citizens’ committees composed of political leaders, intellectuals, cultural activists and general masses in every locality is a must to resist repressions on the minority communities, speakers told a roundtable yesterday. They said torture on the minorities, which has been a recurrent phenomenon across the country, is now increasing geometrically.
The recent attacks on them, particularly the Hindus, have serious dimensions in terms of its characteristics which lead to a silent but rapid migration of the persecuted people, they added.
Sampreeti Mancha, a citizens’ platform, organised the roundtable titled ‘ Duties to resist minority repression’ at TSC cafeteria at Dhaka University campus.
The lawmakers will have to go to their own constituencies not only to stand beside the victims but also to unite local leaders and people to raise a defence against any repression, the speakers observed. They also suggested the lawmakers initiate a new cultural revolution in their localities.
Pointing at the recent attacks on the minorities across the country, Prof Ajoy Roy, president of the Mancha, said the migration rate of the Hindus has increased to a large extent with the wealthy and meritorious people of this community leaving the country.
The marginal Hindus, especially the poor, are the victims of the recent attacks, he said, adding, ‘ We have to stand against the attackers and resist them unitedly.’
Expressing frustration over the recent attacks on the minorities, National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) Chairman Prof Mizanur Rahman said there will be no Hindu citizen left in Bangladesh after 20 years.
‘ Because we did whatever is needed to force them [Hindus] out of the country and we have always failed to do what was needed to protect them,’ he added. The NHRC chief cautioned that whatever has happened in the recent time was merely a rehearsal and the final act was yet to come. ‘ Are we — the citizens, civil society members and the government — prepared for that? It’s not the time for talks only; it’s high time we came forward and acted to resist that quarter which is playing a game to destroy the state,’ he said. ‘ We have to form citizens’ committee in every vulnerable areas,’ Prof Mizanur said, demanding that the government quickly rebuild the damaged houses and temples of the minorities as it did in Ramu.
Kajol Debnath, presidium member of Bangladesh Puja Udjapan Parishad, suggested the government get prepared to thwart possible violence centring war crimes verdicts to be delivered in the coming days. Communist Party of Bangladesh (CPB) President Mujahidul Islam Selim, its presidium member Haider Akbar Khan Rono, general secretary of Bangladesh Adivasi Forum Sanjib Drong and Mancha leaders Sourav Sikdar and Robayet Ferdous also spoke. (Source: The Daily Star)
Investigation by BDMW on April 2013
Bangladesh Minority Watch has investigated a number of cases in the month of March. Short descriptions of the cases are stated here.
Case 1: Agailjhara, Barisal
Type of Violation: Right to own/retain property
Type of Act: Vandalising statue of Hindu deity
Investigation conducted by: Adv. Rabindra Ghosh and Badal Bairagi
Date of Incident: 13 March 2013
Location: Village: Bagpara, Union Council: Bakal, Police Station: Agailjhara, District: Barisal.
Date of Investigation: 10 April 2013
Description:
On 13.03.2013 at about 03.30 one of the devotees Mr. Anjan Sarkar by his Cell telephone number 01739908486 informed the complainant – Mrinal Kanti Bepari that ‘ Bagpara Sarbajanin Sree Sree Kali Mandir’ was attacked and broken by some unknown perpetrators. As soon as Mrinal Kanti Bepari got information he went to the spot and saw the lock and key of the Temple was not broken but the Kali Murthi (statue) was broken & defaced, but the other statue of Hindu Goddess nearby were not found broken. Mrinal Kanti informed Dr. Nil Kanta Bepari (71) and others and they found the broken Hindu Kali Deities at the spot. Mrinal Kanti said ‘ The Hindu deities have been broken with a view to defame the Hindu religion.’
Due to breaking of this statue they sustained an amount of Taka 5,000/-. Mrinal Kanti lodged F.I.R. at Agoiljhara Police station on 13.03.2013 under section 448/295/34 of penal code without naming any suspected perpetrators.