HVK Archives: From Bangladesh with hope
From Bangladesh with hope - The Indian Express
Molay Krishna Dhar
()
15 April 1997
Title : From Bangladesh with hope
Author : Molay Krishna Dhar
Publication : The Indian Express
Date : April 15, 1997
The frozen dream called Kamalpur, the verdant village, on the bank of Meghna,
was nursed by me all these 48 years, since I crossed over to Bharat,
clutching my mother's fingers, wading pools of blood and piles of cadaver. I
tried to grow out of it. Muslim friends, across the sub-continent and abroad,
helped me reaching a partial catharsis out of the pain of Partition.
But the journey to Bangladesh was awarded with rare experiences.
I was angry, because I thought the Muslims were responsible for Partition and
pushing me in the dark alleys called refugee camps, and my dream Kamalpur was
snatched away from me. Having spent major part of my active life as an
intelligence technocrat, I was taught to look at the neighbours through the
prism of bias.
But, my friends like A. B. M. Mostafa Ameen, Ajoy Kumar Roy, Rejaul Hakim, K.
M. Sobhan, Neelima Ibrahim, Poet Shamsur Rehman and several other secular
crusaders, had helped me in cracking the witches' mirror. My shame helped me
immediately in extinguishing the spark, a wrong spark of communal hatred
driven deep in my consciousness by history. Lessons of geopolitics have now
been tampered with the glow of a different kind of struggle by a dedicated
group of Bangladeshi people.
The Communal Harmony Council of Bangladesh (Sampreeti),with its head quarters
at Dhaka and branches in the countryside, was formed by some progressive
souls of Bangladesh in January 1993.
Rising above the political squabbles of the Awami League, a potential
prosecular force, Bangladesh Nationalist Party, Jatiyo Party, Freedom Party,
Jammat-e-Islami etc, all waiting in the wings to stage another coup, the
Sampreeti is doing a wonderful job. They have been struggling against all
odds to protect minority rights, blunting the edges of Islamic
fundamentalism, communalism and strengthening the democratic aspirations.
Sampreeti has survived many storms, unleashed by the military regimes till
Begum Hasina Wajed made a historic comeback, after 21 years her father and
his legacy met the brutal bullets. The Bangladeshi left has since
disintegrated, Mujib ideals have started compromising with forces often
identified with Pakistan and China. And corruption continues to spread a
sub-continental malaise.
A visit to Sampreeti had brought me in contact with several Hindu victims of
communal oppression from remote villages, who were trekking back from India.
Advent of Hasina, told Dr. Das of Bhariah Bazar, had rekindled confidence
among minorities.
But, don't be taken for a ride by reports of diplomats in Dhaka, warned a
former major general, a freedom fighter and member of Jatiyo Sangsad. The
Ganga and Chakma accords and likely progress in transit talks have already
been taken up by Begum Zia, Jammat, some remnants of the infamous Freedom
Party, and other agents of Pakistan as instances of sellout to Hindu India.
The ISI and its frontal forces are likely to build up waves of terrorism,
political impasse and communal attacks on Hindus.
Sampreeti friends apprehended sudden, spectacular actions against the Hindus.
Hasina, they felt, was on a fragile probation, to China, the US, Pakistan,
and other guardians of Islam. To please them, she might try to compromise
with the fundamentalist forces. But, few small sparks are required to put
Bangladesh on fire again.
Many in India are not aware of Sampreeti, striving against all odds and
preserving the flame of secularism. Since its inception the organisation has
taken up thousands of cases of persecution of Hindus in rural areas, forcible
grabbing of their land, cattle and often their women. Ershad and Begum Zia
administrations did precious little to address the plights of the minorities.
Sampreeti workers have established an efficient network and have developed an
efficient mechanism for monitoring instances of communal violence and human
rights violation. Sampreeti is trying to build a third force in Bangladesh.
(The writer is a former IPS officer with vas experience in intelligence)
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