Minorities leaving country fearing post-poll repression. The Daily Star Published: Wednesday, October 9, 2013 Dialogue told Staff Correspondent The country is witnessing a steady outflow of ethnic and religious minorities ahead of the forthcoming parliamentary election over fears that the post-2001 polls minority repression might repeat, speakers said at a dialogue yesterday. They are still haunted by the memories of the attacks on minorities following BNP-Jamaat alliance’s victory in the 2001 election, said writer-columnist Shahriar Kabir. The then government simply denied occurrence of any such incidents, never mind punishing the perpetrators, he told the programme, “National election and things to do for ensuring security of indigenous and minority communities” at the capital’s Cirdap, organised by Research and Development Collective. Shahriar said many minority people were migrating out of the country fearing recurrences. He said the only incident against which a case had been filed was the gang rape of a 15-year-old Hindu girl in Sirajganj in 2001 but it was only one among hundreds of such incidents. “Though the present government has prepared a probe report on those atrocities, no action has been taken so far against the perpetrators,” said Mesbah Kamal, a history professor at Dhaka University. Moreover, minorities have been scared by the countrywide violence by Jamaat-e-Islami activists centring the ongoing war crimes trial, said Shahriar, also a war crimes researcher. After a Dhaka court sentenced its leader Delawar Hossain Sayedee to death, the party activists attacked many Hindus in Begumganj upazila in Noakhali this March, saying, “You gave deposition against our leader. That’s why he would face death,” he said, quoting the victims who were threatened. “Around six months ago, there happened a mass exodus of Santal community people and Hindus from Rajshahi. Some were obstructed by the border force of India,” said Prof Ajoy Roy of DU. Referring to Monday’s bomb blast at a madrasa run by a Hefajat-e Islam leader in Chittagong city, Mesbah Kamal said, “Such an explosion at the time when Hindu people are preparing to celebrate Durga Puja sounds ominous.” “The king of Saudi Arabia has allocated the Muslim Brotherhood of Egypt and Jamaat-e-Islami 50 billion pounds to strengthen their global network with a focus on South Asia,” said Shahriar Kabir. State Minister for Cultural Affairs Promod Mankin, lawmaker Rubi Rahman, columnist Syed Abul Moksud, Law Commission member Prof Shah Alam, and lawmaker Fazle Hossain Badsha, among others, also spoke. thedailystar.net/beta2/news/minorities-leaving-country-fearing-post-poll-repression/
Posted on: Wed, 09 Oct 2013 15:14:48 +0000
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