Bangladesh 2013: Hindu Buddhist
Temple Destruction; Village Torching; International War Crimes Tribunal;
Protecting Mass Murderers; Victimizing Oppressed Victims
Sachi G. Dastidar
November 30, 2013
Since
early 2013 an International War Crimes Tribunal started releasing their verdicts
after years-long trials of Islamists and pro-Pakistan mass murderers of Bangladeshis.
Overwhelming majority killed during the 1971 Bangladesh genocide by the army of
Islamic Republic of Pakistan and its Bengali Islamist allies was their indigenous
Hindu minority along with the nation's pro-independence intelligentsia and
pro-secular Muslims. In early 2013 the pro-secular and pro-independence
activists acted in revulsion when one of the mass murderers was given a life
sentence as opposed to the expected death sentence. The pro-secular groups held
mass demonstrations at Shahbag which came to be known worldwide as Shahbag
Movement.
Soon in
a strange move the pro-genocide, anti-secular, anti-Hindu intolerant activists,
led by Islamist Hefajat (Hefazat) supporters and their Jamat-e-Islami – who led
the killings in 1971 – and other Islamist supporters embarked on anti-Hindu
atrocities, torching and destroying Hindu mandirs (temples), destroying Hindu
deities (murtis), torching poor oppressed-caste Hindu villages, homes and
shops, destroying Buddhist viharas (temples) and homes. They also committed
atrocities against Hindu–Buddhist individuals, including mothers and daughters.
Situation was made worse for Hindus as the main opposition party, the Bangladesh
Nationalist Party or BNP lend tacit support of anti-Hindu pogroms by calling
numerous national general strikes as the verdicts were being announced and by
not condemning the anti-Hindu atrocities. BNP was in power in Bangladesh five
years ago in coalition with several Islamist, anti-minority and
anti-independence parties including Jamat-i-Islami, one of the leading parties
of anti-Hindu pogrom of 2013, also the leader of mass killings of Hindus and
secular Muslims during 1971 genocide. (Many of the convicted war criminals were
members of the former 2001-2006 BNP Government.) Even in 2001 when BNP came to
power they let loose an anti-Hindu pogrom, as they did before when they came to
power in 1991. There was no prosecution of arsonists, property confiscators, rapists
and thugs during their five years in power, or during their first term after
the 1992 pogrom. In the midst of these Bangladesh Awami League Government
published a routine list of successful Civil Service passing list of 5,812 individuals
of which “only 478 have Hindu names, or 8.22%, slightly less that the share of
Bangladeshi Hindu population,” who passed written and oral tests. Immediately on
November 18, 2013 one activist, Dr. F. M. Kamal, went on offensive by declaring
on a web list serve “Bangladesh captured
by Hindus: List of Hindus in the Awami Government” as it assumes that the
pro-independence Awami League Government has loosened what Bangladeshi Hindu,
Buddhist, Christians and tolerant Muslims have called apartheid-like ban on hiring
of qualified Hindus into country’s civil service, military, police, foreign
service and more, and enforced by pro-Islamist, anti-minority-Hindu regimes.
(There are numerous write ups on this issue. Please also check YouTube’s Indian Subcontinent Partition Documentation
or Ispad1947 channel where many of
the meritorious survivor Hindus, Buddhists, Christians talk about scoring high
on exams with anonymous roll numbers but denied hiring after results were
published with their given names identifying their faith.) Several secular
Muslims protested this blatant racism in the Internet. Dr. Kamal also published
all the names of Hindus in Bangladesh Civil Service, which in the future could
serve as a tool for further oppression. Not to be undone, the BNP supporters
took out full-page ads in New York Bengali papers “LARGE PROTEST DEMONSTRATION
against Oppression and Spreading of Indian Influence over Bangladesh; from 2 PM
to 4 PM on 25 December 2013, in front of New York and other Indian Consulates
in the U.S. and World over – by BNP” (Weekly Bangalee, November 24, 2013; 37).
Even the slightest accommodation of their own pre-Islamic indigenous Hindus, ancestral
faith of all Bengali Muslims, neighbors for hundreds of years in their own
villages, a minor concession by pro-secular Muslims must be condemned as will
the neighboring secular India where over 50 million persecuted Hindu refugees
and their descendants have found shelter; and now millions of Bangladeshis Muslims
have crossed the unmarked border to settle in eastern and northeastern states
of India causing social upheavals and political turmoil! India helped liberate
Bangladesh in 1971; with the help of Bangla Freedom Fighters. (One wonders if Christian Cherokee Americans or
Seminole Americans or Navajo Americans have ever complained that their
non-converted counterparts of Native American Religions have taken over their
nation with proclamation that America “captured by Indigenous Native
Religionists” and
publishes a “List of Nativists in the (American)
Government” for future action!)
Yet in
a baffling silence the pro-independence ruling Awami League Government not only
failed to arrest and prosecute any of the anti-Hindu arsonists, thugs and
rapists, but also failed to provide any compensation to the poor, hapless Hindus
who were made homeless, penniless, but arrested several young men – Muslim,
Hindu and Buddhist – for supposedly offending Islam (but no arrest was made for
offending Hinduism or Buddhism.) The government however took steps to repair
some Buddhist viharas (temples) that many thought “because of pressure from
Buddhist-majority countries.” There was neither any pressure from any
Hindu-majority nation against these atrocities nor by any Hindu-majority state
of India. The U.S., Canada, some European countries and the minority Hindu,
Buddhist, Christians themselves and their secular Muslim allies protested these
atrocities. Incidentally two states of India are run by colonizing (since 1947)
Bangladeshi Hindu refugee elites. Many other Bangladeshi Hindu refugees and
their descendants work as top policy makers in the federal government in Delhi
and in many other Indian states. Many of them hold important positions in the
private sector of India. These refugees – left, far left, center or right –
never fail to protest against real or imagined atrocities in the U.S., Europe,
Africa and in other parts of Asia including oppression by the U.S. in Palestine
and Afghanistan. Although in March 30, 2013 there has been demonstration in
favor of Bangladeshi intolerant Islamists in the heart of Hindu-majority
Calcutta’s Maidan park, a city where left rules and where millions uprooted
Hindu refugees live, yet in that so-called liberal city run by
liberal-communist Bangladeshi Hindu refugees there has neither been any
demonstration in support of secular Bangladesh, not for the courageous
journalists and activists who publish reports of atrocities on a daily basis in
Bangladeshi papers. (All the Indian papers whether of communal left, right or
center censor these reports.) In New York pious Muslims and Ispamic preachers held a spirited meeting where they openly declared "There is no room for non-believers in Bangladesh (The Weekly Bangladesh, May 2, 2013; last page and p 32.) In early 2013 one Bangla national daily Prothom
Alo reported (March 24, 2013) torching, desecration or destruction of “319
temples in the first 24 Days of March.” Another national daily Bhorer Kagoj
reported (March 28, 2013) “2500 Hindu Homes and Hindu-Buddhist temples were
torched, desecrated and damaged in 35 Districts of Bangladesh.”
In a
ray of hope to our miseries US Congressional Sub Committee on Asia and the
Pacific arranged a hearing in the Congressional Rayburn Office Building on
November 20, 2013. But alas, there was hardly any discussion of killing,
cleansing or torching of Hindu temples or of their homes. (The US Ambassador to
Bangladesh Hon. Dan Mozena protested anti-Hindu acts through an embassy
statement on November 6, 2013.) There was no panelist who came from the
victimized Hindu or Buddhist community. Even the Human Rights Watch of New York
instead of supporting the International (War) Crimes trial – when the killers
targeted the entire Hindu minority and secular Muslim intellectuals for
extinction – criticized the present-day Bangladesh Government for trying the
mass murderers. Since 1971 genocide they haven’t said a word about the mass murderers
of Hindus and secular Muslims when the murderers still live openly in Bangladesh,
Pakistan and beyond. After the 1990, 1992 and 2001 anti-Hindu pogroms the Human
Rights Watch (Asia Watch) was hand delivered documents of atrocities to their
New York headquarters. (One of the two recently convicted killers of the 1971
genocide lives in New York City while the other live in London.) Seeing the pathetic
omission of Bangladeshi Hindu plight at the Congressional Hearing one American
observer Ms. Madeline Brooks wrote “Bangladesh: How Islamists Stole a
Congressional Hearing,” in
American
Thinker, November 27, 2013. A professor in Bangladesh chastised Brooks on
the Internet for writing such a piece in a land of hunky-dory Muslim-non-Muslim
communal harmony. On November 29, 2013 he was corrected by Syed Kamran Mirza. On
the same vein, the October 2013 issue of
Ispad
Partition Center Journal (New York) Bimal Pramanik, a Bangladesh Freedom Fighter,
reminded the readers of the rise of secularism in Muslim-majority Bangladesh
and then her turn towards oppressive polity in his article, “Liberation War and
Identify Crisis of Bangladeshi Muslims” (
www.ispad1947.org).
In the same issue Dr. Mohsin Siddique, a pro-secular activist, highlighted this
turn and its consequence in “From Partition to Bangladesh: on the Trajectory of
a Troubled Quest.” (While Mr. Ramen Nandi highlighted India’s failure, “Silence
of the Dead: Policy of Government of India for the Persecuted Hindus and Other
Minorities of Bangladesh.)
On
November 10, 2013 at an uplifting event in New York Bangladeshi Hindus,
Buddhists, Christians and their supporters from Bangladesh, America, India and Europe
pledged to protect the remainder of the Hindu and other minorities who still
live precariously at home in their ancestral lands. They also pledged to work
with all non-racist, tolerant, pro-secular forces to protect their family
members, their mandirs, churches, viharas and other institutions. They also
pledged to protect the majority community from the onslaught of intolerant extremism.
BELOW ARE A SAMPLE OF ATTACK ON HINDU-BUDDHIST MINOROTIES
(THIS DOES NOT INCLUDE REPORTS APPEARED IN NEWSPAPERS AND JOURNALS IN
DISTANT REGIONS;
AND DOESNOT INCLUDE ROUTINE ATTACKS ON FAMILIES,
HOMES AND INDIVUDUALS)
(I thank numerous individuals for sending me these reports.)
________________________________________________
From the report of Bangladesh Human Rights Watch
Mr. Rabindra Ghosh, Bangladesh, President
Bangladesh: Religious Minority again attacked on
28.11.2013 at Patgram within Lalmonirhat District:
Hindus came under attack
allegedly by activists of Jamaat-e-Islami and Islami Chhatra Shibir at Patgram
Upazila in Lalmonirhat for the second time in a month yesterday on 28.11.2013.
Police set free one Md. Nazrul Islam UP Member of the locality on protest.
The attackers beat up at least 12
women and children and torched and looted at least five shops and two houses at
Ghoshpara village of Jongra union on the third day of the opposition-sponsored
71-hour blockade.
The incident fuelled concerns over a
fresh spell of attacks on the Hindus as men of the village have fled in fear of
further attacks.
Earlier on October 28, Jamaat-Shibir
men along with BNP activists unleashed a terror on another Hindu majority area
at Shafinagar in Bawra union during hartal, torching at least 18
shops.Ghoshpara, situated nearly 87 km from the district headquarters, is only
three kilometers away from Shafinagar.
Opposition activists on November 4
also attacked another village at Satpatki Majhipara in Sadar upazila. They
vandalized and looted several houses after villagers had refused to pay them
toll.
About 200 to 250 Jamaat-Shibir activists and supporters led by Patgram upazila
unit Shibir president Rana Islam yesterday made a sudden attack on the shops
and houses from a procession, said police and witnesses.
Perpetrators vandalized and looted
three groceries owned by Sree Manik Chandra Ghosh, Sree Subhas Chandra Ghosh,
and Sree Jamini Ghosh, a fertiliser shop of Sree Khokan Chandra Ghosh, and a
pharmacy of Sree Koyel Chandra Ghosh. The attackers also vandalized two houses
belonging to Sree Koyel Chandra Ghosh and Sree Dhanjit Ghosh Tapos, president
of Bangladesh Chhatra League of Rangpur district unit.
Locals were confused about the reason behind the attack. Some said the
Jamaat-Shibir men were angry with Dhanjit and attacked his and other Hindu
houses.
A number of Hindu villagers however
alleged that ruling party men had instigated the attack.
Police arrested Nazrul Islam, member of local Union Parishad and former
president of Shibir of Patgram upazila.
Officer-in-charge of Patgram police
Sohrab Hossain said Rana was a listed criminal and was on the run.
Gopal Chandra Barman, general secretary of district Puja Udjapan Parishad, said
several male members of at least 23 Hindu families had left the village and
were in need of security.
Rabindra Ghosh, President of
Bangladesh Minority Watch, said after the two incidents, the Hindus of Patgram
were living in fear and a sense of insecurity. (The
Daily Star dated 29.11.2013)
As soon as BDMW got information from
our correspondent from Lalmonirhat I
contacted with Officer in charge of Patgram P.S. informed us that a case Number
28 dated 28.11.2013 under section 143/147/148/380/427/506/114 was registered
against 3 perpetrators known perpetrators and 100 unknown perpetrators. One
suspected accused Md.
Nazrul Islam, U.P. has been set on
free by police on threat.
As per report it is confirmed that
one of the perpetrators U.P. Member of the locality was arrested but police set
him free due to pressure from the local people.
Bangladesh Minority Watch is very
much concerned about repeated attack on Hindus at Lalmonirhat District, we also
demand immediate arrest of the perpetrators responsible for the attack on
Minority Hindus.
Through:
Adv. Rabindra Ghosh
Founder President-Bangladesh
Minority Watch (BDMW)
12- K.M. Das Lane, Tikatully, Wari
P.S. Dhaka, Bangladesh.
_________________________________________________
Daily Star Dhaka
Published: Thursday, November 28, 2013
Star Online Report
Activists of Jamaat-e-Islami and its student wing, Islami Chhatra
Shibir, vandalised and looted houses and shops of the Hindu community in
Patgram upazila of Lalmonirhat today, leaving at least 12 Hindus injured.
The Jamaat-Shibir men made the attack from a procession at 9:30am,
our Lalmonirhat correspondent reports quoting Sohrab Hossain, officer-in-charge
of Patgram Police Station.
The opposition men took out a procession in favour of the
countrywide 71-hour rail, roads and waterways blockade.
They marched to Ghoshpara village in the upazila and carried out
the attack without any provocation, according to OC Hossain.
The Jamaat-Shibir men vandalised two houses and looted five shops,
the OC added.
_____________________________________________________
Daily Star Report
Bangladesh:
US Congress warns against non-inclusive election
DHAKA – The US Congress has expressed deep concern over the
growing political violence in Bangladesh as two major political parties
remained adamant in their respective positions and feared that further
instability might lead to expansion of “extremist” groups threatening “regional
security”.
The observation was made at a hearing, titled “Bangladesh in Turmoil: A Nation
on the Brink” held at Rayburn House Office Building.
The US Congressional Sub Committee on Asia and the Pacific arranged it with US
Representative Steve Chabot, Chairman of the Sub Committee on Asia and the
Pacific, in the chair.
Ed Royce, Chairman of the Foreign Affairs’ Committee, Professor Ali Riaz, a
Bangladeshi born Professor and Chair, Department of Politics and Government,
Illinois State University and a public policy scholar at the Woodrow Wilson
Centre, Major General (retd.) ANM Munir Uz Zaman, President of the Bangladesh
Institute of Peace and Security Studies and John Sifton, Asia Advocacy
Director, Human Rights Watch participated in the hearing as witness speakers.
Responding to a question on political situation, Professor Ali Riaz said, “I’m
not very much optimistic about an inclusive election at this point unless
something dramatic happens.”
On a recent meeting between Bangladesh Nationalist Party [BNP] Chairperson
Begum Khaleda Zia and country’s president Mohammad Abdul Hamid, he said the
President has a very limited constitutional power. “In that case how much he
will be able to intervene in this kind of situation is not very clear.”
Ali Riaz, however, said, “There’s no doubt in my mind that he has moral power.
The President does carry some order.”
He said the most likely scenario is that a non-inclusive election Bangladesh is
going to experience. “I wish I’m wrong. But as of today that what it looks
like.”
The analyst also mentioned two options — at least some sort of accommodation of
opposition’s demand, including a cabinet not-headed by the incumbent Prime
Minister would be an option or deferral of election.
Ali Riaz said the present political crisis in Bangladesh can be turned into an
opportunity to build a stable democratic prosperous country.
“It’s time for Bangladeshi political leaders to take the right decisions to
hold an inclusive election, agree on post election tolerant behavior, rein in
extremism, commit to address the issues of war crimes judiciously, and commit
to regional peace, and it’s time for the international community to help them
in this regard,” he said.
He also mentioned that economic and social achievements of recent decades show
that the citizens are capable of taking steps in the right direction.
“The upcoming election is important at both domestic and regional levels with
significance for the US,” Riaz added.
He said Bangladeshi politics is once again at the crossroads and the
constitution requires an election to be held by 24 January 2014. “But there is
no agreement between the opposition and the ruling parties as to who will
oversee the election.”
Major general [RTD] Munir Uz Zaman said “in total the formation of so-called
interim government has shown that she (PM Sheikh Hasina) does not really care
about what sort of accommodation is needed to solve the problem”.
He said Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will try and push towards a one-party
election with disastrous consequences for the country and if she does that the
country will move in the path of instability because the post election
violation is going to be even higher than pre-election violence.
“If she finds it absolutely difficult to push towards a one-party election
which of course is her desire then she’ll probably urge the President to
declare the state of emergency by which she can stall the election and buy time
for ourselves…perhaps then she’ll come back to election after a year or a year
and a half.”
He said if the level of violence goes so high the military reluctantly is
softened to the process to restore some bit of stability in the country and
provide security to citizens. “That’s the third option I see.”
Major General [RTD] Munir said increased instability in Bangladesh means a
hampering of the commercial functions, investment, trade, services and, above
all, massive disturbances in normal life and subsistence activities of millions
of poor and middle class of this overpopulated nation of 160 million. “Death,
injury and destruction follow in big numbers in such situations in Bangladesh.
A destabilized Muslim majority nation is a breeding ground of fundamentalism,
militancy and even terrorism.”
He said Bangladesh is no different. In a worst case scenario, some spillover
effect cannot be ruled out to neighboring provinces of bordering nations.
John Sifton said, “I think at some point the Prime Minister will have to come
to the reality…she may not realise it today but she eventually will have to
realize.”
In his opening remark, Chabot said the country is at political turmoil and it
is uncertain whether or not the BNP boycott the election. “I (during his visit
in Bangladesh) stressed the need for curtailing the growing violence, which can
only bring about further instability possibly leading to expansion of
extremists groups,” he said.
“During those meetings (with Hasina-Khaleda), I expressed my views that the
national election should be free, fair, transparent and without violence. Both
the leaders were adamant in their positions. Sheikh Hasina insisted that the
provision is well in place to conduct a fair election. Khaleda Zia maintained
that a fair election could not be held without caretaker government.”
He, however, highly appreciate Bangladesh’s development saying ‘Bangladesh
story has been an impressive one.’
In the hearing, Ed Royce expressed his concern over the attacks on minorities
saying the government is not doing enough to protect minorities.
In reply, Ali Riaz said, “I completely agree with you Congressmen…These’re the
issues that we need to address and we urge the international community to work
closely so that such attacks don’t repeat.”
Though it was supposed to start at 2pm (Washington time) it started at 2:55 pm
and Chabot in his opening remark sought apology for the delay.
______________________________________________________
In Bengali Daily
Hindu Homes in Barisal Torched
November 15 2013
Prothom Alo
________________________________________________
Unites States Embassy in Dhaka, Bangladesh Statement
November 6, 2013
STATEMENT FROM THE U.S. EMBASSY DHAKA
DHAKA, NOVEMBER 6 -- We are deeply concerned
by recent attacks on Hindus in Pabna district and in Lalmonirhat. We call on
all those involved in these incidents to desist from abusing the rights of
minorities, and ask all parties to ensure they are stopped immediately and the
perpetrators are held accountable. We ask the Government of Bangladesh to act
authoritatively against those who incited and committed this violence and
protect the rights of minorities.
We are also remain deeply concerned by the deaths, injuries,
and ongoing violence associated with hartals. While engaging in peaceful
protest is a fundamental democratic right, we firmly believe violence is never
the answer. We call on all parties to ensure that their protests are peaceful
and we look to the Government of Bangladesh to ensure the safety of all its
citizens and encourage all Bangladeshis to peacefully express their views.
=================
ঢাকাস্থ যুক্তরাষ্ট্র দূতাবাসের বববৃবত
ঢাকা, ৬ই নসেম্বর -- লালমবনরহাট ও পাবনা জেলায় হন্দুসদর ওপর োম্প্রবতক
হামলায় আমরা গেীরোসব উবিগ্ন। এই সকল স স ল ক ক ক ক ই সকল ই ল এ ক য় এ ক ই য় য় এই স
স য় সক য় এ এ EMBASSY OF THE UNITED
STATES OF AMERICA
PUBLIC AFFAIRS SECTION
TEL: 880-2-8855500-22 FAX:
880-2-9881677, 9885688 E-MAIL: DhakaPA@state.gov WEBSITE: http://dhaka.usembassy.gov
য় ক এ স ল ক ক ল স ক ল ক স স , এ ল স ক ক ক স লক ক ক
ল স ক স স ক ক সকল ল য় ক স ল ই ল স ক ক সকল ক ক ক এ ক ক সকল ল ই
===========
_____________________________________________________________
In Bengali Daily
Pabna Saithia Dozens of Hindu Homes and 2 Temples
destroyed
Daily Prothom Alo
Nov 3 2013
_______________________________________________________________________________
Islamists attack Puja Celebration in Chuadanga
Daily Star
October 11 2013
http://www.thedailystar.net/beta2/news/shibir-men-attack-puja-mandap/
_________________________________________________________________________________
Hindu Deities
Destroyed in Natore, Bogra, Munshiganj in Bangladesh
October 4 13
Daily Star
__________________________________________________________________________________
The Daily Star, Dhaka,
Bangladesh
Wednesday, October 2,
2013
Hindus in Raozan
retreat into their shell; 10 vehicles torched, 5 others vandalised in Ctg and
Dhaka
________________________________________________________________________________
In Bengali/Bangla
2013
August 22
Thakurgaon (North Bengal) Bangladesh Hindu Temple Destruction
Bhorer Kagoj (Daily)
http://www.bhorerkagoj.net/new/blog/2013/08/22/133613.php
___________________________________________________
In Bangla Daily
Kishorganj Temple Destruction
Bhorer Kagoj
October
1, 2013
h
ttp://www.bhorerkagoj.net/new/blog/2013/10/01/140670.php
_______________________________________________________
In Bengali/Bangla
Ramu, Cox's Bazar District in Southeast Bangladesh Buddhist Temple Destruction
Amader Somoy
September 29, 2013
________________________________________________________
Daily Star, Dhaka
Published: Sunday, September 29, 2013
Uttam
stays missing one year after attacks on Buddhists, none sees tears of his
family
Muhammad Ali Zinnat with Shamim Ashraf
A Buddha
idol in the remains of a Ramu temple burned down in a communal violence last
year. Photo: File
Remember the Buddhist youth Uttam Barua, the deed writer whose
Facebook profile image had been doctored to make a fake post that provoked an
unprecedented attack on the Buddhist community of Ramu exactly a year ago?
Islamist fanatics vandalised and torched Buddhist temples and houses in Ramu
and Ukhia of Cox’s Bazar in a wave of attacks, using the fake Facebook post
that demeaned the holy Quran.
Uttam, 28, has been untraced since the day. Even his family does not know of
his whereabouts.
Their crumbling thatched hut at Haitupi village in Ramu is proof that good days
have come to an end for the family.
Uttam’s mother, his wife Rita Barua, four-year-old son Aditya and physically
challenged sister Jinia huddle together in the dilapidated house, weary of the
wait for his comeback.
His father Sudeepta Barua now works at a shop in Chittagong to sustain the
family. He sends home half of his Tk 4,000 monthly salary.
Uttam
Barua
He too
does not visit the family in Ramu or disclose where he works in Chittagong,
fearing further trouble descending on the family.
An investigation by The Daily Star exposed the forged Facebook profile that was
used to instigate the hate attacks, as well as the inaction of the local
administration and intelligence and law enforcement agencies.
The government has rebuilt and renovated several of the 19 temples and 65
houses vandalised and burnt down during the mayhem, but could do little to
allay the fears of the Buddhist community.
“If it returns my son, the government may hang me. But please give my son
back,” said a weeping Madhu Barua, the 55-year-old mother when this
correspondent visited their cottage.
With a face as gloomy as it can be, Rita, 26, tried to calm her mother-in-law,
but in vain.
“I have not heard his voice even once since the attack. We do not know whether
he is dead or alive.” Now she breaks down in tears.
After the rampage began on the evening of September 29, the fanatics vandalised
the house of Uttam and beat his wife up.
In a worse turn of events, his mother and aunt Aadi Barua were arrested the
next day following a case filed by the police. The two were later released on a
High Court order.
Of the 19 cases filed in connection with the attacks, the law enforcers have
already submitted charge-sheets in seven cases and are going to do so in six
more cases in the first week of October.
But many local politicians, who led the procession of fanatics before the
vandalism, are at large, a sight that still makes the Buddhists panicky.
On August 12, Uttam’s wife wrote to the prime minister seeking her intervention
in finding her husband, but to no avail.
The family has received no government assistance so far, said Rita, adding that
she had tried but failed to meet the PM when the latter visited Ramu to
inaugurate the renovated temples on September 3.
Many would say a few words of sympathy, but no one, including the leaders of
the community, dared to speak for the family out of fear that they might come
under attack again.
“We are facing various kinds of dangers. Why invite some more?” said Tarun
Barua, a leader of the community.
Its abject poverty did not allow the family to send Uttam’s son to school this
year.
“Haunted by the attack, Aditya, the son, becomes hysterical every day when
darkness falls. He screams, asking us to close the door and window,” said Rita.
The child forgets the family can no longer afford to fix the door or the window
vandalised by the fanatics.
____________________________________________________________________________
Daily Star, Dhaka
Published: Sunday, September 29, 2013
Star Online Report
Unidentified miscreants vandalised five idols of Hindu goddesses
and gods at a temple in Sirajdikhan upazila of Munshiganj in the wee hours of
Sunday.
The criminals vandalised three statues of Durga and one statue of
Ganesha and Kartik each at Durga Temple sometime after 11:00pm Saturday,
reports our Munshiganj correspondent quoting Keshab Thakur, president of the
temple.
The same temple had come under attack before the last year’s Durga
Puja, the biggest religious festival of the Hindus, he added.
The criminals are yet to be identified, he added.
The statues were being painted ahead of the Durga Puja this year,
the president added.
The
criminals might have used long sticks to damage the statues as the temple is
surrounded by iron grill, said Abul Bashar, officer-in-charge of Sirajdikhan
Police Station.
____________________________________________________________________________
In Bengali/Bangla
2013
August 7
Bhorer Kagoj (Daily)
__________________________________________________________________________________
Daily Star, Dhaka
Published: Friday, July 19, 2013
Observes
London seminar
Star Report
Members
of British and European parliaments at a seminar in London expressed grievances
saying that ruling Awami League and main opposition BNP had failed to protect
the minority communities of the country.
UK House of Lords organised the seminar “Bangladesh Democracy and Human Rights”
on Wednesday where two high-profile delegations from the AL and BNP took part,
reports our London correspondent Ansar Ahmed Ullah.
In response to allegations raised by the members of House of Lords, House of
Commons and European Parliament, both the AL and BNP delegations disowned their
failure to protect the religious minorities.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s adviser HT Imam and BNP acting secretary general
Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir led their sides.
Lord Avebury, vice chair of the Parliamentary Human Rights Group and chairman
of International Bangladesh Foundation, chaired the seminar while Anne Main MP,
chairman of All Party Parliamentary Group on Bangladesh and president of
Conservative Friends of Bangladesh, co-chaired it.
In the opening speech, Lord Avebury expressed deep concern at the rise of
extremism and minority persecution in Bangladesh in the recent times. He
suggested the ruling and opposition parties work towards preventing the repeat
of 2001 attack on minority communities.
Pointing to the gruesome attack on religious minorities following International
Crimes Tribunal verdict against Jamaat leader Delawar Hossain Sayedee on
February 28, British and European parliamentarians said to protest was one’s
democratic right but resorting to violence in the name of protest cannot be
justified.
Defending the government actions to prevent attacks on minorities, AL
delegation told the seminar that it was BNP that had unleashed the “reign of
terror,” in association with Jamaat-e-Islam and Hefajat-e Islam.
“Hefajat wants to cleanse Bangladesh of faith minorities and to keep women
homebound,” said HT Imam.
On the caretaker government issue, the AL delegation said the Supreme Court had
decaled the system unconstitutional. Therefore, the election in Bangladesh
would be held as it is held in other democratic countries.
Tarana Halim, a member of the AL delegation, sharply criticised BNP for
supporting Hefajat. She said Hefajat was a threat to women’s empowerment in
Bangladesh.
The opposition camp rejected AL allegations and assured members of British and
European parliaments that the BNP did not represent Jamaat or Hefajat.
On caretaker government issue, the BNP delegation said they wanted to take part
in the next election under a non-party neutral regime. “That is why we are
staging anti-government agitation to realise the demand,” Fakhrul said.
Lord Carlile QC, Lord Jenning, Baroness Pola Uddin, Rushanara Ali MP, Charles
Tannock MP and Jeremy Corbyn MP, among others, spoke in the seminar.
They said both the parties had to agree to an election process if they wished
that the European Parliament would be willing to send a delegation to monitor
the election.
Asked about the verdicts against former Jamaat chief Ghulam Azam and its top
leader Ali Ahsan Mohammad Mojaheed, Fakhrul said BNP was not against the
trials, but it wanted that international standard was followed.
_____________________________________________________________________________
In Bengali/Bangla
Bhola (Island) Lalmohon Temple Desecrated
Bhorer Kagoj
June
17, 2013
_________________________________________________________________________________
http://www.thedailystar.net/beta2/news/hindu-temple-vandalised-in-bhola/
Daily Star
Saturday, June 01, 2013
Hindu temple vandalised in Bhola
Three arrested
Our Correspondent, Bhola
The vandalised Krishna Sarkar’s Aangeena Temple in Annada Prasad village of Lalmohan in Bhola yesterday. Hard to believe the temple got vandalised over a trivial matter. Photo: Star
Criminals vandalised eight idols of Hindu gods and goddesses at a temple in Annada Prasad village at Lalmohan upazila of Bhola yesterday.
Police arrested Jasim, Mobarak and Riaz of the village for their alleged involvement in the incident, said Khondokar Mijanur Rahman, officer-in-charge of Lalmohan Police Station.
Locals said the incident of vandalism at Krishna Sarkar’s Aangeena Temple happened following a row over a cow’s ruining vegetables.
In the morning, Oli Bepari’s cow entered the garden of Niranjan Das, brother of Kiran Chandra Das, and started flattening the okra plants.
Niranjan’s wife Jharna Rani Das, 30, rushed to the field and drove away the cow, which angered Oli. A furious Oli then beat up his neighbour Jharna.
When Kiran, priest of the temple, protested the incident of beating, Oli led a gang of miscreants, including his sons Riaz, Siraj, Mosarraf and Mobarak, for vandalising the idols at 2:00pm, witnesses said.
The criminals also attacked Kiran and his family members with sticks, leaving Birangini Baishnab, 75, and Babita Rani, 30, injured.
Birangini, Babita and Jharna were admitted to Lalmohan Upazila Health Complex.
Joyhind Chandra Chandra, president of Lalmohan Puja Udjapan Parisad, alleged that a dispute over a piece of land might have triggered the incident of vandalism of idols.
Filing of a case was under process, OC Mijanur Rahman said.
___________________________________________________________________________________
Daily Star
Friday, May 31, 2013
Editorial
Outrage
against a Hindu temple
Govt should act decisively
ELEMENTS out to destroy
communal harmony have again attacked a 150-year-old Himdu temple at Hossainpur
upazila in Kishoreganj damaging idols of deities in it. This is the latest act
of vandalism in series of assaults on places of worship of the Hindus and other
minority communities since February this year.
Distressingly,
miscreants behind the outrage are yet to be identified, far less nabbed and
brought to justice.
The incident falls into
a pattern. The evil quarters behind such despoiling of Hindu temples are trying
to terrorise and create a sense of insecurity among Hindus and other minority
religious groups.
After each such act of
outrage, committees were formed by the administration to home in on and arrest
the miscreants. But precious little could be done so far to stop these acts of
barbarity against minority communities from happening. It is a very sad
commentary on an administration that prides itself in being avowedly secular.
Notably, it is not just
a matter of constitutional duty for the government to protect all its citizens
including the minority groups. In fact, to be called a civilised society, we
can ill-afford to abdicate this sacred responsibility.
The government cannot
any more just watch, while the scandalous attacks against religious minorities
continue. For effectively addressing the issue, the government needs to
expeditiously implement last month’s High Court Order to form a high-powered
body to conduct investigations into these incidents and prepare a comprehensive
report within the time line indicated.
_________________________________________________________________________________
Daily Star
Hindu
temple vandalised in Kishoreganj
Our Correspondent, Kishoreganj
Century old idols of a
Krishna temple at Kuleshwari Bari in Hossainpur of Kishoreganj lay in ruins
after criminals attacked the temple Tuesday night. Photo: Banglar Chokh
Fanatics vandalised nine
idols at 150-year-old Kuleswari temple at Hossainpur upazila of Kishoreganj
early yesterday.
Ranjit, a caretaker of the temple, said “I found the idols broken when I went
to the temple around 5:00 am, and saw the fragmented idols strewn all over the
place.”
Locals said the Hindus have been offering prayers at the temple for around 150
years, but no incident of vandalism had occurred inside the temple in the past.
Prodip Kumar, chief of the temple committee, blamed some unidentified criminals
for vandalising the idols.
Md Siddikur Rahman, deputy commissioner of Kishoreganj, and Md Anwar Hossain
Khan, superintendent of police of the district, visited the spot.
They assured the local Hindus that the hunt was on to nab the fanatics.
Criminals have vandalised and torched more than 28 temples, 175 houses and
dozens of shops of Hindus across the country since Jamaat-e-Islami leader
Delawar Hossain Sayedee was sentenced to death in a war crimes case on February
28.
_________________________________________________________________________________
In Bangla/Bengali
Singra (Nator, North Bengal)
Lakhsmi Mandir of Adibashis (tribals) desecrated
Bhorer Kagoj
May 15, 2013
_________________________________________________________________________________
In Bangla/Bengali
HariSabha Mandir (temple) torched in Ramganj
Bhorer
Kagoj
May 13, 2013
__________________________________________________________________________________
The Daily Star, Dhaka, Bangladesh
SUNDAY, APRIL 21, 2013
EDITORIAL: Attack on temples continues
WE are outraged by a group of criminals torching a 200-year-old Hindu temple at Rajoir upazila in Madaripur. This adds to a long list of places of worship coming under assault since the pronouncement of capital sentence to Saydee on February 28. As many as 94 Hindu temples have been attacked in March alone.
Attack on temples is the worst of crimes that anyone can commit because it is a direct assault on the values of a pluralistic society whose inner strength lies in communal harmony, coexistence and peaceful pursuit of one’s religion. Respect for other faiths, their places of worship and symbols is anchored in our cultural heritage and therefore is a prized object for us. The wave of violence on Hindu community has come about on a scale that is unprecedented and therefore so worrying.
It is undoubtedly the state’s responsibility to protect minorities, their places of worship and ways of life. But that this government did not foresee it coming and has been somewhat caught unawares is indefensible. Also incomprehensible is the local administrations’ failure to throw security rings around potentially vulnerable minority community pockets in the country. The government has ‘failed to discharge its constitutional obligation to protect the minority’.
The High Court rule on April 4 directing the government to form a high powered committee to investigate recent incidents of violence and attack on religious minorities and submit a comprehensive report in three months should be acted upon in all seriousness. A part of the ruling, however, related to government having been directed to submit a report in two weeks on the initiatives taken after the attacks. Has it been complied with?
In specific terms, the incidents are a collective shame, and with the government failing to protect them, it is highly imperative for the people to come forward and stand by the minorities at their hour of need.
While it falls on the government to protect minorities, the majority community is obligated to keep tab on the local situations and foil any attempt by fanatical elements and other vested quarters who are always up to angling in troubled waters. To this end, the clarion call by the rights activists and the political leaders for building impregnable national unity to prevent recurrence of communal violence acquires a resounding relevance.
_________________________________________________________________________________
In Bangla/Bengali
Kali Temple (of Black Mother Goddess) Attacked in Rajoir, Madaripur District
Bhorer Kagoj
Apr 21 2013
__________________________________________________________________________________________
In Bengali/Bangla
Hindu Temple Attacked in Feni and ChapaiNababGanj (Bangladesh)
Bhorer Kagoj
Apr 11 2013
_______________________________________________________________________________
New York Times April 6, 2013
Hard-Line Muslim Rally Demands Anti-Blasphemy Laws in Bangladesh
A.M. Ahad/Associated Press
Amid heightened security in Dhaka, Bangladesh, on Saturday, advocates demanded that the authorities enact a blasphemy law to punish those who insult Islam.
By
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published: April 6, 2013
DHAKA, Bangladesh — Hundreds of thousands of members of a hard-line Muslim group rallied here in Bangladesh’s capital on Saturday to demand that the authorities enact anti-blasphemy laws to punish people who insult Islam.
Separately, members of the group, Hifazat-e-Islam, clashed with the police and pro-government activists in a district outside of the capital, leaving a ruling party supporter dead.
The giant rally in Dhaka took place amid heightened security in the capital and elsewhere in the country after Hifazat-e-Islam members singled out bloggers who they said were atheists.
The bloggers, who deny they are atheists, are seeking capital punishment for those found guilty of war crimes during the nation’s 1971 war of independence against Pakistan. They also want a ban on
Jamaat-e-Islami, the country’s largest Islamic party, for campaigning against Bangladesh’s independence more than four decades ago. The party is an important partner of the main opposition
Bangladesh Nationalist Party, which is led by former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia.
Top Jamaat-e-Islami leaders are accused of crimes against humanity during the 1971 war, and two senior party leaders were convicted this year by a special tribunal. Bangladesh says as many as three million people were killed and 200,000 women were raped by Pakistani troops and collaborators during the war.
While Hifazat-e-Islam said its rally was nonpolitical and not aligned with the opposition, Ms. Zia’s party backed the demonstration. The group listed 13 demands, including reinstating “absolute trust and faith in the Almighty Allah” in the nation’s Constitution, which is largely secular, and passing a law providing for capital punishment for maligning Allah, Islam and its Prophet Muhammad.
The group’s other demands includes banning “all foreign culture, including free mixing of men and women.”
Saturday’s rally came amid months of violence stemming from a bitter political rivalry between Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s government and the opposition led by Ms. Zia. Ms. Hasina initiated the war crimes trials in 2010. Ten of the defendants convicted or on trial are from Jamaat-e-Islami, while two others belong to Ms. Zia’s party.
In February, the tribunal sentenced a senior Jamaat-e-Islami party leader to death, but the decision incited violent clashes between opposition activists and the police that left more than 70 people dead.
___________________________________________________________________
n Bangla/Bengali
(Black Mother Goddess) Kali Deities in Netrokona Temple destroyed
Bhorer
Kagoj
Apr 5 2013
________________________________________________________________________________
Daily Star Dhaka
Monday, April 01,
2013
Hindu temple
vandalised
Our Correspondent, Bogra
Religious fanatics
vandalised at least seven statues at a Hindu temple in Sonatala upazila of the
district early yesterday.
Local lawmaker and Awami League ex-organising secretary Md Abdul Mannan and the
upazila chairman visited the temple in the morning.
They assured the temple committee that it will be given financial compensation.
The statues at Sri Sri Gobinda Temple in Gar Chaitanyapur area came under
attack in the wee hours yesterday, said Officer-in-Charge (Investigation) Md
Mojaffar Hossain of Sonatala Police Station.
The OC said police are yet to identify the attackers.
Religious bigots have vandalised and torched more than 27 temples, 175 houses
and dozens of shops of minorities across the country since Jamaat leader
Delawarossain Sayedee was sentenced to death in a war crimes case on February
28
_____________________________________________________________________________
In Bengali
US Ambassador Hon. Mazina in Dhakeswari (Hindu) Temple
Bhorer
Kagoj
Apr 4 2013
____________________________________________________________________________
Daily Star Dhaka
Friday, April 05, 2013
Govt asked to probe attacks on Hindus
Staff Correspondent
The High Court yesterday directed the government to investigate the recent communal violence and attacks on the religious minorities through forming a high-powered committee and submit a report in three months.
In response to a writ petition, the court ordered the government to identify the vulnerable areas for communal violence and provide sufficient protection to the minorities living in those places.
It also asked the government to submit a report in two weeks on the initiatives taken following the attacks.
The court issued a rule upon the authorities to explain in three weeks why their “failure” to discharge constitutional duties to protect the minorities should not be declared illegal.
The writ petition was filed by six rights organisations, including Ain O Salish Kendra, and Bangladesh Legal Aid and Services Trust, and an individual.
They said in the petition a total of 94 violent attacks on minorities, mainly on the Hindus, took place in last one month, after the International Crimes Tribunals delivered verdicts of war crimes cases in February.
In total, 187 houses, 162 business institutions and 89 temples have been attacked and looted and 133 idols vandalised, the petitioners said quoting newspaper reports.
Dr Kamal Hossain moved the petition which also said cases were filed in respect of only 33 violent incidents.
__________________________________________________________________________________
In Bengali/Bangla
2013
Hindus Protest Hindu Oppression in Bangladesh
Prothom Alo
April 5, 2013
http://www.prothom-alo.com/detail/date/2013-04-05/news/342538
_________________________________________________________________________________
In Bengali/Bangla
2500 Hindu Homes; Hindu Temples; Buddhist Homes and Temples torched in 35 Districts in Bangladesh
Bhorer Kagoj
Mar 28 2013
________________________________________________________________________________________
In Bengali
In 24 Days 319 temples Desecrated in 32 Districts in Bangladesh
Prothom Alo
March 24 2013
_______________________________________________________________________________________
In Bengali
Hindu Temple Torched in Gazipur (central Bangladesh)
Bhorer Kagoj
March 23 2013
http://www.thedailystar.net/beta2/news/temples-in-2-dists-attacked/
Daily Star, Dhaka
Thursday, March 21,
2013
Attack
on Hindus
Temples in 2 dists
attacked
Star Report
This Hindu temple at a
village in Gabtoli upazila of Bogra district was vandalised in the early hours
of yesterday. PHOTO: FOCUS BANGLA
Religious bigots
vandalised five more Hindu temples and torched idols in Bogra and Bagerhat
early yesterday.
In Bogra, they damaged at least eight idols in four temples at Sonaray and
Rameshwarpur unions of Gabtoli upazila.
In the morning, locals found the idols in the temples vandalised.
Shishir Karmakar of Rameshwarpur said local Hindus were worried about the
attacks.
The Hindus did not disclose the names of the attackers for lack of security, AH
Azam Khan, president of Gabtoli upazila unit Awami League, told The Daily Star.
Bogra deputy commissioner, police super, local AL leaders and minority
community leaders visited the affected temples.
Two cases were filed with Gabtoli Police Station in this connection.
Incensed at the attacks on temples, locals in Sonaray and Rameshwarpur unions
brought out protest processions.
Contacted, Gabtoli Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Monira Sultana said financial
support would be provided to the authorities of the affected temples to repair
the damaged temples.
A correspondent from Bagerhat adds: Religious fanatics damaged and torched
several idols of Dakkhin Para Sarbojonin Durga Mandir in Uttar Gopalpur village
under Kachua upazila early yesterday.
Quoting witnesses, president of the temple committee Pulin Bihari Paik said a
gang of fanatics entered the temple around 4:00am; damaged several idols and
set the temple afire.
Seeing the flames at the temple, locals rushed to the scene and doused the
fire.
Neither the temple committee nor police could identify the attackers.
Kachua UNO Md Ashraful Islam visited the temple in the morning.
Meanwhile, around 120 people were sued in Khulna city on Tuesday night on
charges of vandalising and torching temples, shops and houses of Hindus in
Banikpara Pabla area under Daulatpur Police Station, reports our Khulna
correspondent.
Police also picked up five people in this connection from different parts of
the city around midnight Tuesday.
The detainees are Shahidul, 23, Limon, 18, Halim, 22, Shahabuddin, 40, and
Shamim, 25.
Tilok Goswami, general secretary of Banikpara Pabla Sarbojonin Kalibari Mandir
committee, filed the case, said Daulatpur police.
Earlier, police had arrested Humayun Kabir, 26, and Arman, 28, in connection
with the arson attacks. The two were sent to jail through a local court.
On Monday night, religious bigots ransacked and torched Banikpara Pabla
Sarbojonin Kalibari Mandir, Gachtala Temple and over 50 houses and shops of
Hindus in the city.
Over 31 temples, hundreds of houses and shops of Hindu minorities have been
ransacked, torched and looted across the country since the International Crimes
Tribunal-1 on February 28 sentenced Jamaat leader Delawar Hossain Sayedee to
death for committing crimes against humanity during the Liberation War in 1971.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
In Bengali
Hindu Temples Damaged in Bogura, Bagerhat, Khulna
and Deities Destroyed
Bhorer Kagoj (Daily)
Mar 21 2013
_________________________________________________________________________________
In Bengali
Hindu Temple Deities Destroyed in SriPur and Netrokona
Bhorer Kagoj
Mar 20 2013
_______________________________________________________________________________
Statues of 5 Hindu Deities destroyed in Nator
Daily Star
March 13 2013
________________________________________________________________________________
In Bengali
U.S. Congressman Crowley Opposes Violence against Bangla Minorities
Bhorer Kagoj
March 12
2013
________________________________________________________________________________
Daily Star, Dhaka
Tuesday, March 12,
2013
23 Shiva idols
vandalised in Jhenidah
Star Online Report
Criminals vandalise 23
idols of Hindu god Shiva at a temple in Kaliganj upazila of Jhenidah early
Tuesday. Photo: STAR
Miscreants vandalised 23
idols of Hindu god Shiva at a temple in Kaliganj upazila of Jhenidah early
Tuesday, creating panic among the people of local Hindu community.
Some unidentified people
broke into the temple at Angita cremation ground and vandalised the idols,
reports our Jhenidah correspondent.
Local Awami League
lawmaker Abdul Mannan, Deputy Commissioner Khaja Hannan, Superintendent of
Police in Jhenidah Altaf Hossain, Kaliganj Upazila Chairman Anwarul Azim Anar,
Vice-Chairman Tithi Rani Biswas and Officer-in-Charge of Kaliganj Police
Station Liakot Hossain visited the spot.
Joygopal Chakrabarti,
the priest of the temple, and its caretaker Sabita Chakrabarti said the temple
was built 250 years back where around 10,000 people of adjoining villages offer
their prayers.
They never witnessed
such inhuman activities in their 30 years of career, they added.
Badal Tagore, president
of the temple, demanded exemplary punishment to those involved with the
vandalism.
Some people who do not
believe in the country’s liberation might have damaged the idols, said Anwarul
Azim Anar, chairman of Kaliganj upazila.
The local administration
will take stern action against the criminals after investigation, he added.
Liakat Hossain,
officer-in-charge of Kaliganj Police Station confirmed the vandalism and said
he will take steps in this regard.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
Broken Goddess and War Crimes Trial in Bangladesh
Sri Lanka
Guardian
March 13 2013
ttp://www.thedailystar.net/beta2/news/safety-is-all-they-want/
Safety is all they
want
HR boss shocked to see extent of Jamaat terror in Banshkhali
Arun Bikash Dey, Chittagong
National Human Rights
Commission Chairman Mizanur Rahman yesterday visits the destroyed homes of the
Hindus in Banshkhali upazila of Chittagong. The minorities in the upazila came
under attack during the recent Jamaat-Shibir violence. Photo: Anurup Kanti Das
National Human Rights
Commission Chairman Mizanur Rahman yesterday said no words can describe the
brutality of the February 28 attack on the Banshkhali Hindu community.
“We are shocked to see the mayhem in Banshkhali,” he said at a press conference
at Chittagong Press Club yesterday afternoon.
“They burnt down government offices, vehicles, important documents, textbooks
including books of Islamic studies and many other public and private
properties,” Mizanur Rahman said.
Visiting Banshkhali upazila in Chittagong yesterday morning, he met the victims
of the violence unleashed by Jamaat-e-Islami over the death sentence to Delawar
Hossain Sayedee in a war crimes case.
“The commission finds no language to describe this brutality,” the NHRC boss
said. “It is very pathetic to share the feelings after what I have seen in
Banshkhali. It seems the heart of Bangladesh is bleeding.”
Calling upon the government to compensate the victims, he said NHRC would
submit a report on Banshkhali mayhem.
Mizanur Rahman also said, “The religious fundamentalists want to divide us and
it is high time the politicians resisted them and showed patriotism and stood
by the people.”
It is the responsibility of the state to bring back safety and peace among the
people, he said, adding that any sort of slackness is unacceptable in this
regard.
Nirupa Dewan, member of NHRC, and Shamim Ahmed, director of NHRC, were present,
among others, at the press conference.
Earlier, Mizanur Rahman visited Banshkhali Upazila Parishad, courts of senior
judicial magistrate and senior assistant judge, and Upazila Krishi Office,
office of Upazila fisheries officer, office of upazila nirbahi officer (UNO)
and some other places where vandalism and arson were carried out.
Aminul Islam, senior judicial magistrate of Banshkhali, showed the NHRC chief
the gutted record room and the custody of the court.
Suchana Acharjee, one of the victims, described to the commission the brutality
of the attacks.
“They came and beat up the men, women and children indiscriminately and torched
our houses with gunpowder and shouted ‘if you vote for Awami League, you would
be beaten and your houses would be torched that way’,” Suchana said as she was
in tears.
“We are still reeling from the shock and apprehending further attacks,” she
added.
This correspondent also visited the upazila and talked to a number of victims.
Rajan Das, owner of Saikat Pharmacy in the municipality of Banshkhali, is one
of them.
The shop was burned to ashes along with 28 others hours after Sayedee was
convicted by the International Crimes Tribunal-1.
After repeated attempts to choke back emotion, Rajan could share his harrowing
experience during the NHRC chief’s visit to the area yesterday morning.
Only the shops of Hindus came under attack, he said. “They looted our shops,
ransacked those and finally set those on fire.”
Asked if they had got compensation, he said, “We don’t want compensation. We
just want our safety.”
The wreckage of a burnt
vehicle. Photo: Anurup Kanti Das
Jhantu Kumar Das,
organising secretary of Banshkhali unit of the Hindu, Buddha and Christian
Oikya Parishad, said the local BNP lawmaker had not visited them even nine days
after the mayhem.
“They have vandalised and torched the temples, houses and shops of the Hindus
and the administration has completely failed to give us safety. Despite their
massive failure, the upazila nirbahi officer and the officer-in-charge of the
police station are still in office.”
He alleged the police and a number of ruling Awami League leaders were cashing
in on the situation by harassing innocent people instead of netting the
culprits.
“Five cases were filed accusing more than 12,000 people in this connection, but
only 14 were arrested and four of them have already been released,” he alleged.
“We called the UNO and the OC in the morning requesting additional forces to
ensure our safety. But they did not listen to us. The UNO said nothing would
happen.”
Contacted, UNO Sabbir Iqbal said the Jamaat-Shibir men launched synchronised
attacks on Satkania, Lohagara and Banshkhali. “It was a hartal day. So, we did
not get support from other police stations.”
OC Abdus Sabur said they had tried their best to bring the situation under
control with the limited forces they had.
Addressing the press, Mizanur Rahman said if any political party tried to
damage public properties resorting to militancy, it could be banned with an
executive order.
“What they have done here can be termed a fight against the state,” he said.
“By attacking important structures of the state, they attacked its sovereignty
of the state.”
The government should not tolerate such activities, added the NHRC chief.
_________________________________________________________________________________
In Bengali
Court
Orders arrest of anti-Hindu Terrorists in Bankshali, chittagong
Prothom
Alo
March 10 2013
http://www.prothom-alo.com/detail/date/2013-03-10/news/335475
________________________________________________________________________________________
Canada Concerned about Violence and attack on Minorities in
Bangladesh
Daily Star
March 9 2013
__________________________________________________
In Bengali Daily
Hindu
Temple attached in Ronglur and Pratima destroyed in Sirajdikhan
Bhorer
Kagoj
March 9 2013
__________________________________________________________________________________
Daily Star, Dhaka
March 8, 2013
Temples still under
attack
HC asks govt to arrest culprits
Star Report
Fanatics destroyed an
idol of goddess Kali before setting a Hindu temple on fire at Hatibandha
upazila of Lalmonirhat in the early hours yesterday.
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 the Hindus
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.
HC DIRECTIVE
The High Court yesterday ordered the government to arrest culprits, who
vandalised and 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 at Goalimandra
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 the
minority 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.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
Hindu Temples Still Under Attack Hatibandha
Daily Star
March 8 2013
______________________________________________________________________
In Bengali Daily
Rongpur
Hindu Temple and Library Torched
Prothom
Alo
March 8 2013
http://www.thedailystar.net/beta2/news/banglastan/
Daily Star, Dhaka
Thursday, March 07,
2013
Banglastan!
Staff Correspondent
“In this subcontinent,
if we [Bangladesh] and Pakistan unite, we won’t have to care about Malaun
[Hindu], atheist and Nasara [Christian],” says a Facebook post of Basher Kella
posted on Sunday.
“We will name this Islamic country as Islamic Republic of Banglastan or join
with Pakistan where only Muslims will live,” it adds.
The administration of Basher Kella, which is run by Jamaat-Shibir activists,
also asks the followers of the page to hit the like button should they like the
idea.
Through various posts, the page has been instigating communal violence in the
wake of continued attacks on the minority communities over the past one week.
Homes and temples of Hindus and Buddhists were vandalised, burned and looted by
Muslim fanatics in parts of the country since February 28, the day Jamaat
leader Sayedee was given the death sentence for war crimes.
The Facebook page is also continuing a smear campaign, blaming Chhatra League
and Jubo League activists for the attacks on the minorities, claiming
Jamaat-Shibir men innocent.
Moreover, Jamaat-e-Islami and its student wing Islami Chhatra Shibir yesterday
published advertisements in some newspapers, including Amar Desh, Sangram and
Naya Diganta, asking the government to find those behind the attacks.
Observers say Jamaat-Shibir bloggers are now coming up with stories of dginn (a
type of spirit) and feresta (angel), thinking it would work like the propaganda
of Sayedee’s face being seen on the moon did.
In some posts the Basher Kella administration is trying to build confidence,
saying many dginns and Ffrestas are taking part in Jamaat-Shibir processions.
“So nobody can defeat us.”
Last night, one Facebook user named Bangladesh Islami Chhatri Sangstha of
Jamirtoli, Laxmipur, claimed to have seen a Jamaat-Shibir rally where many such
spiritual creatures participated.
“In the Shibir procession, I saw faces of some participants were glowing and
they were not walking, they were flying. I immediately realised that they were
not human beings, they were dginns and ferestas,” the post says.
Currently, as the page shows, over 100,000 users are following and visiting
Basher Kella, which the Jamaat-Shibir describes as its alternative media to
give directions to activists.
On February 28, for example, the page instructed the Jamaat-Shibir men as to
how they can go about the next day’s countrywide violence.
Among the 10-point suggestion were uprooting rail lines, snapping road
communications between Dhaka and other district by barricading, setting fore to
homes of all lawmakers and ministers, spreading smear campaign against police
and attacking law enforcers and journalists.
The page also praises BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia for not meeting Indian
President Pranab Mukherjee during his visit.
Khaleda’s not meeting Pranab has boosted Jamaat-Shibir’s confidence a 100
times, it added.
“If she [Khaleda] continues this way, the government will fall by this month,”
says a letter, addressing Khaleda, uploaded on the page early Tuesday.
In another letter, the BNP chief was asked to send her party leaders to go
underground to avoid arrests.
Some posts ask followers to boycott Prothom Alo, the largest circulated Bangla
daily, and private television channel Ekattor as they are “agents of Malaun”
(Hindu).
_______________________________________________________________________
Daily Star, Dhaka
March 7, 2013
Temple vandalised,
torched in Lalmonirhat
Star Online Report
Miscreants vandalised
idols and torched a Hindu temple in Hatibandha upazila in Lalmonirhat Thursday
morning.
Sree Sree Kali Mandir is
in Bejgram village which is about 2 kilometres off the Indian border, our
Lalmonirhat correspondent reports.
According to members of
the Hindu community, witnesses and police, some unidentified people demolished
an idol of Hindu Goddess Kali and set fire to the temple when the villagers
were sleeping sometimes early Thursday.
Sensing the fire around
4:30am, the locals rushed there and managed to douse the fire after an hour.
The temple was built 15
years ago.
Dilip Kumar Singh,
general secretary of Hatibandha Upazila Puja Udjapon Parishad, alleged that
anti-liberation elements might be behind torching of the temple as most of the
Hindu people of the village joined a rally in Hatibandha upazila town on
Wednesday protest attacks on minority people and their place of worships.
A case was lodged with
Hatibandha Police Station in this connection.
Upendro Nath Singh,
president of the temple committee, the attack sent panic to about 120 Hindu
families of the village.
The miscreants might
attack them anytime, they fear.
They contacted the
upazila administration to seek security.
Tapos Kumar Sarker,
officer-in-charge of Hatibandha Police Staiton, said police were trying to
arrest the miscreants.
Police would take
necessary steps to ensure security to the Hindu people, the OC said.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Daily Star, Dhaka
March 7, 2013
Protect Hindus, AI
urges Bangladesh
Star Online Report
This March 5 photo shows
vandalised idols in a Hindu temple in Singra upazila of Natore.
In the wake of a wave of
violent attacks against the country’s minority Hindu community, Amnesty
International has made an urgent call to the government to provide them with
better protection.
Over the past week,
individuals taking part in strikes called for by Islamic parties have
vandalised more than 40 Hindu temples across Bangladesh. Scores of shops and
houses belonging to the Hindu community have also been burned down, leaving
hundreds of people homeless, said a press release of the international rights
watchdog.
“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 International’s Bangladesh Researcher.
“All political parties
in Bangladesh should condemn strongly any violence against the Hindu community,
and to instruct all their members and supporters not to take part in such
attacks.”
Survivors told Amnesty
International that the attackers were taking part in rallies organised by the
opposition Jamaat-e-Islami and its student wing Islami Chhatra Shibir.
Jamaat has publicly
denied any involvement in violence against the Hindu community.
The latest attack took
place on Wednesday in Daudkandi in southeastern district of Comilla, where a
Hindu temple was vandalised and burnt down.
One survivor told
Amnesty International that on February 28, his family’s village of Rajganj
Bazar in the southeastern Noakhali district was set on fire by people taking
part in a Jamaat-organised strike.
“They moved into our
properties and set fire to 30 of our houses. Seventy-six families were living
in these houses. They also set fire to our temples – all are now vanished,” the
survivor said, who asked to remain anonymous out of concerns for his safety.
He said the authorities
have provided temporary accommodation to the affected families, who had lost
almost all their belongings to theft or destruction in the violence.
Another survivor said
that on March 2, a group of about 100 young men holding banners in support of
Jamaat looted and damaged four shops in Satkania near Chittagong and vandalised
a Hindu temple in the village.
Bangladesh’s Hindu
minority makes up only eight percent of the population, and has historically
been at risk of violence from the Muslim population—including during the
independence war in 1971, and after elections in 2001.
“Given the obvious risks
the Hindu minority faces in Bangladesh, these attacks were sadly predictable.
We urge the authorities to take note of the violence and act to prevent further
attacks,” said Faiz.
Tensions have been
running high in Bangladesh in recent weeks as JI and its student wing have
called strikes and mass protests against the ICT, which has found some of its
senior members guilty for crimes committed during the 1971 war.
Protesters have also
been involved in violent clashes with police, who have used tear gas, rubber
bullets or live ammunition against them. At least 60 people have been killed,
mostly by police fire, but among the dead are also several policemen.
“While there are
credible reports that police firing may have followed violent attacks against
them by protesters, police use of excessive force cannot be discounted”, Faiz
said.
_______________________________________________________
In Bangla Daily
Hindu Temples and Homes torched and destroyed by Islamists
in Banskhali, Noapara & BrahmanPara in 3 districts of Bangladesh
Prothom Alo
March
1 2013
_____________________________________________________________________________
Daily Star, Dhaka
Thursday,
February 28, 2013
Jamaat, Shibir torch Hindu temple, houses in
Noakhali
Star Online Report
Hours
after Jamaat top leader Delawar Hossain Sayedee was sentenced to death, Jamaat
and Shibir activists set fire to a temple and houses of Hindu community at
different parts of Noakhali on Thursday
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