Minorities face attempted murder in Bangladesh

By Jahangir Alam Akash, Another gross incident of minority repression has happened in Natore, Bangladesh. With the help of the local administration, some politically powerful people were involved in this violation against three religious minority families. Minorities gain no security from the so-called "minority friendly" government regime. The criminals were trying to murder some religious minorities.

According to the Daily Sangbad, in the middle of the night of Nov. 1, 2009, in the village of Tazpur in the Singra subdistrict of Natore, the perpetrators locked the doors of the houses of the minorities from the outside, then set fire to the houses using petrol. One minority man, Rash Bihari, had to be taken to the Rajshahi Medical College Hospital, since he was seriously burned. The houses of Ratan Ghosh, Nripen Ghosh and Batbihari Ghosh were totally burned.

Sources said that some local influential people have been trying to seize 200 bigha (approx. 66 acres) of "Debottor" land - land dedicated to and belonging to a Hindu deity - for a long time. A group of terrorists led by Union Parishad members Hasib and Sazedur Rahman Khan attacked minorities in the Tazpur village on Oct. 24. They ransacked the houses of 12 religious minority families and looted money and other property. At least 23 people, including women and children, were seriously injured in the attack. The attackers also raped a minority woman. Subsequently, a case was filed against the attackers by Sreebash Halder. A total of 33 people were accused in connection with this case.

Then, on Nov. 1, the accused were released on bail from the court. That same night, they again attacked the minority families in the Tazpur village. Another case was filed by Nogendranath Ghosh with the Singra police station against the attackers, but the attackers have yet to be arrested. Religious minorities live in fear after being attacked again and again. These incidents are reminiscent of the Bashkhali incidents of Chittagong that happened during the rule of the BNP-Jamaat government.

The present government should prove itself a real friend for the religious minorities of Bangladesh by protecting them and make an example of all the perpetrators of crime against minorities by punishing them.