NIKHIL BANGA SANGHA'S CLAIM
Repression on Hindus has increased
Faisal Rahim
Repression on the Hindu minority in Bangladesh not only continues unabated but has also increased at a time when the Awami League, which enjoys overwhelming support of Hindu voters, is now in power.
The Hindus -- alleged the Kolkata-based 'Nikhil Banga Nagorik Sangha' (All Bengal Citizens' Society) -- are now leaving Bangladesh on an average 70 persons per day and local leaders of Awami League have been largely blamed for mounting concerted attacks on their life and property forcing them to leave the country.
The allegation came in the form of a memorandum to President Zillur Rahman recently by 'Nikhil Banga Nagorik Sangha' seeking his intervention to stop the repression on the minority community people of Bangladesh.
Secularism questioned
Presented to Bangladesh Deputy High Commission in Kolkata, a copy of the memorandum has also been sent to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina questioning what kind of secularism is in place in Bangladesh now when intimidation and repression of Hindu minorities are on the rise.
The leaders of the 'Nikhil Banga Nagorik Sangha' said this is an organization mainly comprised of Hindu migrants from Bangladesh since 1971 and their local supporters are spearheading a movement to protect the basic human rights of the minorities in Bangladesh.
A national daily in Dhaka recently carried out a detailed report on the memorandum in which the leaders of the organisation have expressed doubts over the government's true intention and sincerity to establish a real secular society in Bangladesh.
Referring to the government's efforts to bring back secularism of 1972 in the Constitution, the Banga Sangha leaders said they "do not believe that this cover of secularism will bring an end to the project of 'creating Bangladesh a country free from minority population.'
Pointing to deep-rooted communalism and its various manifestations at different levels in the country's majority Muslim population, the Banga Sangha leaders held the view that even if Bangladesh is declared a Hindu state, repression on the minorities will not come to an end.
This is because they said there is a lack of sincerity and commitment in the government, political parties and socio-cultural organisations to uproot communalism from society.
Even the local leaders of Awami League and its party workers from the majority community are failing to get them mentally free from this venomous communal feeling.
Some examples
The Banga Sangha leaders in the memorandum gave some examples of minority repression and forcible occupation by Awami League leaders and their cadres of their property.
In one case a local Awami League leader expelled 33 Hindu families from over a 300-year old two-storied building located over 22 kathas of land in the old part of Dhaka city.
The memo said, over 200 party workers, all of them belonging to Awami League, evacuated the house on August 11, 2010 along with forceful occupation of Hindu temples. They fired gunshots and exploded hand bombs to create panic among the inmates to force them to leave the house. Police did not come forward to give them protection, they alleged.
The Sangh leaders further alleged that more than 100 families were evicted by force from their homes in the old city over the past six months. They lost valuable land and assets to local party leaders and their cadres. Most of the victims are now living in the open air on embankments and roadsides in utter miseries.
Land grabbers are at large to take forcible possession of land of the minorities and in doing so they are taking cover of influential Awami League (AL) leaders, in addition to police protection and support from local administration.
The memorandum cited some other examples such as forcible eviction of Hindu temple land at Dhamrai, anout 30km from Dhaka city.
In another incident, AL leaders at Sylhet did not allow to hold a human chain that the Manipuri Students Council of MC College sought to form on July 17 this year demanding arrest of the killers of a Manipuri student by a Chhatra League leader.
At Shalla in Sunamganj district, terrorist belonging to the ruling party had attacked the upazila chairman Abani Mohan Das. He was beaten in public on alleged instigation from local ruling party MP, the memorandum said.
The Banga Sangha leaders blamed Awami League for running the country like other parties in the past; this party has no difference in repressing the minorities.
Critics say Awami League has always used the minority repression card against BNP and Jamaat but this memorandum showed the ruling party is the biggest repressive party although it claims it is secular and minority-friendly.
There is yet another dimension of the issue. Some Kolkata- based organizations are using the issue too much to take political advantage no matter it is BNP or Awami League in power.
They said migration is an emotional issue in the minority population and they are taking it up to join members of their greater families already living in India. Why only speaking about Hindu minority, said a political analysts pointing finger to massive migration of Muslim youths to Western countries, in addition to labour markets in many Gulf countries and other parts of the world.
The Hindus -- alleged the Kolkata-based 'Nikhil Banga Nagorik Sangha' (All Bengal Citizens' Society) -- are now leaving Bangladesh on an average 70 persons per day and local leaders of Awami League have been largely blamed for mounting concerted attacks on their life and property forcing them to leave the country.
The allegation came in the form of a memorandum to President Zillur Rahman recently by 'Nikhil Banga Nagorik Sangha' seeking his intervention to stop the repression on the minority community people of Bangladesh.
Secularism questioned
Presented to Bangladesh Deputy High Commission in Kolkata, a copy of the memorandum has also been sent to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina questioning what kind of secularism is in place in Bangladesh now when intimidation and repression of Hindu minorities are on the rise.
The leaders of the 'Nikhil Banga Nagorik Sangha' said this is an organization mainly comprised of Hindu migrants from Bangladesh since 1971 and their local supporters are spearheading a movement to protect the basic human rights of the minorities in Bangladesh.
A national daily in Dhaka recently carried out a detailed report on the memorandum in which the leaders of the organisation have expressed doubts over the government's true intention and sincerity to establish a real secular society in Bangladesh.
Referring to the government's efforts to bring back secularism of 1972 in the Constitution, the Banga Sangha leaders said they "do not believe that this cover of secularism will bring an end to the project of 'creating Bangladesh a country free from minority population.'
Pointing to deep-rooted communalism and its various manifestations at different levels in the country's majority Muslim population, the Banga Sangha leaders held the view that even if Bangladesh is declared a Hindu state, repression on the minorities will not come to an end.
This is because they said there is a lack of sincerity and commitment in the government, political parties and socio-cultural organisations to uproot communalism from society.
Even the local leaders of Awami League and its party workers from the majority community are failing to get them mentally free from this venomous communal feeling.
Some examples
The Banga Sangha leaders in the memorandum gave some examples of minority repression and forcible occupation by Awami League leaders and their cadres of their property.
In one case a local Awami League leader expelled 33 Hindu families from over a 300-year old two-storied building located over 22 kathas of land in the old part of Dhaka city.
The memo said, over 200 party workers, all of them belonging to Awami League, evacuated the house on August 11, 2010 along with forceful occupation of Hindu temples. They fired gunshots and exploded hand bombs to create panic among the inmates to force them to leave the house. Police did not come forward to give them protection, they alleged.
The Sangh leaders further alleged that more than 100 families were evicted by force from their homes in the old city over the past six months. They lost valuable land and assets to local party leaders and their cadres. Most of the victims are now living in the open air on embankments and roadsides in utter miseries.
Land grabbers are at large to take forcible possession of land of the minorities and in doing so they are taking cover of influential Awami League (AL) leaders, in addition to police protection and support from local administration.
The memorandum cited some other examples such as forcible eviction of Hindu temple land at Dhamrai, anout 30km from Dhaka city.
In another incident, AL leaders at Sylhet did not allow to hold a human chain that the Manipuri Students Council of MC College sought to form on July 17 this year demanding arrest of the killers of a Manipuri student by a Chhatra League leader.
At Shalla in Sunamganj district, terrorist belonging to the ruling party had attacked the upazila chairman Abani Mohan Das. He was beaten in public on alleged instigation from local ruling party MP, the memorandum said.
The Banga Sangha leaders blamed Awami League for running the country like other parties in the past; this party has no difference in repressing the minorities.
Critics say Awami League has always used the minority repression card against BNP and Jamaat but this memorandum showed the ruling party is the biggest repressive party although it claims it is secular and minority-friendly.
There is yet another dimension of the issue. Some Kolkata- based organizations are using the issue too much to take political advantage no matter it is BNP or Awami League in power.
They said migration is an emotional issue in the minority population and they are taking it up to join members of their greater families already living in India. Why only speaking about Hindu minority, said a political analysts pointing finger to massive migration of Muslim youths to Western countries, in addition to labour markets in many Gulf countries and other parts of the world.
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