Violent attacks on religious minorities in recent days have evoked popular protests at home and aboard, and the minority community thinks it is an attempt to force them leave country like in 1971. They fear the extent of dreadfulness of attacks on the minorities might exceed what they had seen during 2001 and appealed to the international community apart from the political parties to look into the matter seriously.
“It’s an attempt to stamp out the existence of the minority community from here, force us leave country and loot minorities’ assets like in 1971. It’s an act of the defeated force of the Liberation War,” Advocate Rana Dasgupta told UNB on Saturday.
Rana Dasgupta, also general secretary of Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Oikya Parishad (BHBCOP), fears that the attacks might continue until the next national election is over.
“We fear they (attackers) might launch massive attacks on us exceeding the extent of dreadfulness of 2001,” he said.
Responding to a question, Rana Dasgupta said they are holding protest rallies across the country peacefully and democratically.
“We’ll hold a big rally in Engineers’ Institution on April 19. We’ll again call upon the international community to look into the matter,” he said.
The Parishad leaders have already requested the government and all democratic parties to take up a coordinated initiative to stop attack on the minorities and take stern actions against the attackers.
Industries Minister Dilip Barua said there are four reasons behind the attacks on minorities. “First of all, they (Jamaat-Shibir) want to take control over the assets of minorities pushing them out of the country and secondly they want to give a wrong message to the international community that minorities aren’t safe in Bangladesh.”
Barua said a religious harmony is prevailing in the country, which was absent during the BNP-Jamaat alliance government. “They want to destroy the religious harmony.”
He also said the entire nation is united against Jamaat-Shibir and they are trying to create divisions in the national unity. “The 14-party government is determined to ensure religious harmony and complete the trial of war criminals.”
Explaining the recent attacks, Rana Dasgupta said they had seen hartal in ‘90, ‘91, ‘92 and 2001. “But what we’ve seen following Sayeed’s verdict is simply horrible. They’ve targeted the minorities like 1971.”
He said some 1000-2000 people came under attacks in different ways and some 100 temples, mostly of Hindus, were attacked after the verdict. “They’re dreaming of the 1971 dream again.”
Meanwhile, Green Club of Bangladesh (GCB) and Media Forum for Human Rights and Environmental Development have put forward a six-point demand to the government that includes formation of special tribunals to try those involved in the attacks.
GCB general secretary Asish Kumar Dey placed the demands urging the government to complete the trial within 90 days and give proper compensation to the affected families of those killed and injured in the attacks.
Renouncing the word ‘minority’, renowned artist Ferdousi Priyobhashini on Friday, said, “If we all are united, we won’t be called minority.”
She further said, “Those who are carrying out the communal attacks indeed belong to the minority group. We can defeat them if we can be united.”
Priyobhashini observed that women and men are human beings and therefore, they must enjoy every basic right as a human being.
The opposition BNP has already blamed the government for the attacks on minorities and urged the government to book the attackers.
Home Minister Dr Mohiuddin Khan Alamgir, however, claimed that the allegation is totally baseless.
Earlier, in March 13, violent attacks on religious minorities in Bangladesh in recent days have evoked popular protest in Delhi with residents of Jamia Nagar expressing strong condemnation and the protesters raising slogans against the government of Bangladesh.
The Assam unit of BJP has recently demanded that the Centre ask the Bangladesh government to stop attacks on Hindus by Jamaat-e-Islami activists after a special court in the country convicted leaders of the fundamentalist group of 1971 war crimes.
The saffron party’s demand came on a day when BJP activists’ attempt to cross the India-Bangladesh international border was foiled by the state police and Border Security Force (BSF) at Akhaura in Tripura.
BJP also planned the march from Akhaura to Dhaka by crossing the international border in protest against the attacks on Hindu minority in Bangladesh.
Source: News from Bangladesh
The remnants of the Rajakars and adherents of the Pakistan ideology of ‘Land of the Pure’ are aiming for total cleansing or annihilation of Bangladesh minorities a la Pakistan. Pakistan now is practically completely Sunnatized – swept, cleaned and wiped out of unbelievers. In 1971 these Rajakars in East Pakistan went from door to door looking for Hindus, destroyed their homes, stopped them in the streets, checked their genitals, before killing them. Renowned philanthropists like Jogesh Ghosh, RP Shaha, Notun Kundu were killed and thrown into dustbins or the streets. There is a tragedy in every Hindu home in Bangladesh. Though the Hindus remain the most patriotic Bangladeshis, not much has changed for them post Liberation. Their Puja pandals are destroyed with alarming regularity. Not even one Bengali Hindu was a Rajakar, the collaborators who did not hesitate to act as procurers and send the women of their own people to be raped, by the Pak army.
Hindus were in the forefront of spread of education in E Bengal and a great number of schools and colleges in Bangladesh were built by them. Today, the Jamatis, the Rajakars, the Al Badrs are back with renewed pious zeal and loaded with petrodollars to complete the job left unfinished by Pakistan, as the world sits there and watch.
Ashamed that such atrocities can go unattended by these barbaric groups jamaat / shibir tactics for there own gain to power. Scums of this world. Every man and his religion has his right to live in that country without fear of his life and religion, these so called Muslim groups give islam a bad name they are evil people who should be punished severely . They are dragging the country backwards.
I condemn in the strongest terms the attacks on the lives, properties and dignity of the Hindu community in Bangladesh. Similarly, unprovoked attacks on other minorities (religious, ethnic, racial, etc) are totally unacceptable and must be condemned by all persons with minimum respect for humanity and justice. The government should carry out a judicial investigation into the recent attacks on minorities and punish the perpetrators without any political agenda. Simply blaming the Jamat-Shibir elements for these crimes is not enough.
It is high time that we condemn these barbaric activities and atrocities, take strong steps against it, stand by to help the victims and prospective victims and unite together to form a sovereign and secular state, where every individual irrespective of his religion caste or social status is given equal respect. I am ashamed that these acts are taking place in Bangladesh and that some people no longer have the sense of brotherhood with their countrymen. The time has come to rise above ourselves.