Author:
Publication: ww.bdhindu.com
Date: June 12, 2001
Minority Persecution in Bangladesh
as a semi institutionalized process is virtually a continuation of the
policy of the Pakistani rulers who ruled Bangladesh until 1971. The Islamic
supremacist groups in that country maintain sustained assaults on minorities
as part of ethnic cleansing.
This section will provide a brief
account of how the civil and human rights of the ethnic and religious minorities
of Bangladesh have been systemically violated in recent times. :-
The minority Hindu community
gather in hundreds of thousands every year on the banks of the Brahmaputra
river at Langalbandh, Bangladesh for religious rites including ''Holy Bath''
during the venerated fetival of 'Mahashtami Tithi' during April.
( 1 ) Langalbandh
; Subdistrict : Sonargaon ; District : Narayanganj.
Langalbandh is a very well known
Hindu pilgrimage destination in Bangladesh. The minority Hindu community
gather in hundreds of thousands every year on the banks of the Brahmaputra
river at Langalbandh for religious rites including ''Holy Bath'' during
the venerated fetival of 'Mahashtami Tithi' during April. (Incidentally,
the ashes of Mahatma Gandhi were immersed at this place signifying how
the great leader revered this place. The local Hindus had donated large
tracts of land on the river bank declaring them as religious or 'Debottar
Property' for the benefit of Hindu pilgrims. But since 1947, when the country
was partitioned on communal lines, powerful groups of Muslim supremacists
gradually started usurping the 'Debottar Property' for building Muslim
religious, residential and industrial units totally ignoring the appeal
from the minority Hindu community. The successive Governments in Bangladesh
did absolutely nothing to stop these actions which has cause severe resentment
in the Hindu community.
( 2 ) May 23,
2001 ; Village : Krishnanagar ; Subdistrict : Kaliganj ; District : Satkhira.
A gang of armed Islamic fundamentalists
launched an assault in the house of S. C. Sarker, a Hindu resident of the
village. The zealots left after looting valuables of over Taka 3 lakhs
(US $ 5,500). In this attack, 7 members of the family sustained severe
injuries.
( 3 ) May 20,
2001 ; Village : Charchandiya ; Subdistrict : Sonaghazi; District : Feni.
A gang of armed Muslim robbers
raided several Hindu houses at the village and looted property over Taka
6 lakhs (US $ 11,000). The affected houses all belonged to prominent Hindus
in the village named Advocate Subhas Das, Arjun Das, Arun, Gouranga Das,
etc.
( 4 ) June, 2001
; City : Netrakona.
Shyamalendu Paul, a Hindu correspondant
of the popular daily newspaper 'Ittefaq' of Netrakona and Secretary, Netrakona
Press Club was threatened by Islamic zealots with death. The fundamentalist
foreign backed Muslim groups are systematically eliminating Hindu, Buddhist,
Christian, and tribal intellectuals and thus forcing the minorties to evacuate
the country.
( 5 ) May 19,
2001 ; Village : Charsahabhikhari ; Subdistrict : Daganbhua; District :
Feni.
Armed Muslim fundamentalists forcibly
looted valuables worth over Taka 100,000 (US $ 1,900) from the house of
a Hindu Police Constable, named Dhirendra Nath Das, resident of the village.
( 6 ) May 19,
2001 ; Village : Baghai-hat Bazar ; Subdistrict : Baghaichnar; District
: Rangamati.
A gang of armed Islamic activists
torched thirty one thatched houses of the Chakmas, a Buddhist tribe in
South Eastern Bangladesh. In this case of arson, a Buddhist village resident
Kripamoy Chakma lost his life due to severe burns.
( 7 ) May 24,
2001 ; Town : Alampur ; Subdistrict : Pirgang; District : Rangpur.
Shariful Islam, a leader of the
local Islamic fundamentalist mafia, along with his gang raided the house
of Mrs. Ranjana Rani Sarkar, aged 22 to rape her. As Ranjana bravely resisted
Shariful stabbed her and her 4 year old baby repeatedly killing them on
the spot. Ranjana's husband who was away from home at the time of crime
has since filed a case against the the activist and his gang. The local
police and administration are yet to take the accused, who is freely roaming
in the area with his group into custody.
( 8 ) May 16,
2001; Village : Karpara ; Police Station : Sadar; District : Gopalganj.
The Bangladesh Federal Health Minister,
Mohammed Selim was on a visit to this village. A Hindu resident Kalipada
Biswas was a bit critical of the minister and his department on its performance.
This enraged the Minister who asked Kalipada to go to India for better
health services (Editor. Hindus and other minorities in Bangladesh are
often asked to migrate to India.)
( 9 ) May 25,
2001; Police Station : Sutrapur; City : Dhaka.
The Dhaka Police seized four murthis
(Hindu religious icons) from 'Taj Sharif Press' of Chandra Mohan Lane,
in the Bangladesh capital of Dhaka. The murthis are valued over Taka 20,000,000
(US $ 365,000). The Police took into custody a Muslim named Abul Kalem
linked with an international smuggler gang.
( 10 ) May 20,
2001; Laulbandl Area ; Subdistrict : Sripura; District :Magura.
A gang of Muslim religious fanatics
abducted a teenage Hindu girl, named Miss L. R. Biswas, daughter of Tengra
Biswas from this area. She refused to forsake her religion. In retaliation,
the zealots gang-raped her and then murdered her brutally..
( 11 ) May 21,
2001; Village : Borachandra-Karbaripara ; Subdistrict : Matiranga; District
:KhagraChhari ; Area: Chittagong Hill Tracts.
A group of Bangladeshi Army personnel,
all of whom were Muslims gang raped three minority tribal girls in the
Chittagong Hill Tracts. In protest, the local helpless tribals blocked
local roads for 12 hours.
( 12 ) May 20,
2001; Town : Madhavnagar ; District : Sunamgang.
A Hindu member of the Police personnel,
Montu Bhushan Roy on duty was shot at by rabid Islamic fundamentalists
in this town. His condition was reported to be very serious.
( 13 ) April 10,
2001; Boultal ; Police Station : Sadar; District : Gopalganj.
Chinmoy Biswas, an active worker
of Bangladesh Hindu League was stabbed by members of the Muslim communal
''Bulbul Bahini'' (Bulbul Force or Gang) Chinmoy was fighting for his life
in a hospital.
( 14 ) May 2,
2001 ; Village : Ranabati ; Subdistrict :Abhaynagar; District : Jessore.
Islamic terrorists forcibly looted
property and valuables worth over Taka one lakh (US $1,825) from the house
of Narayan Sarkar, a Hindu resident of the village.. These acts are all
parts of a grand plan of strong-arm tactics and intimidation airned at
forcing Hindus to quit their 'Motherland' Bangladesh and escape to India.
