Widespread attacks on Hindus in Bangladesh on polling day

Dhaka:  In the wake of widespread attacks on Hindus in the country, Bangladesh has decided to set up special tribunals to punish perpetrators of violence against the minority community. Culprits may be tried under the Terrorism Prevention Act - the Law Ministry has consulted the Supreme Court on the matter.

Not a single Hindu died on or around polling day, but houses were allegedly torched, vandalised and looted allegedly by activists of the Jamaat-e-Islami and opposition party Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) that boycotted the polls.

In one of the worst-affected Hindu villages - Malopara in the Abhaynagar area of Jessore district -houses were vandalised and looted on Sunday and many swam across a nearby river to save their lives during a vicious attack by Jamaat men, angry that the Hindus had dared to vote despite their warnings.

A young woman with a child in her arms said, "They came with stones and started throwing them at us. We hid in boats and went up and down the river all day and night."

Another woman said, "We can't stay in our houses at night. If there is some police, then we can risk it."

The police set up camp soon after and tried to restore some kind of normalcy.

"Jamaat-Shibir men won't dare create trouble in Jessore anymore. Not just in Malopara, anywhere. Even then people are traumatised, terrorised. That is true," said Joydeb Bhadra, Superintendent of Police, Jessore district.

But the situation remains tense in Jessore, Dinajpur and Thakurgaon districts. No minority life was lost - except one man who reportedly died of a heart attack when Jamaat activists set fire to his house in Joypurhat - but the Bangladesh government will have to work very hard to restore confidence in the Hindu community.

Courtesy:ndtv dot com

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Bangladesh Parties Join Hands to Protect Hindus

By IANS - DHAKA

Published: 10th January 2014 05:07 PM

Last Updated: 10th January 2014 05:07 PM

• Photos

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  Hindus in the district's Sundargang, Sadullyapur, Palashbari and Govindaganj areas are now reportedly living in fear | File/AP

Leaders of the ruling Awami League and the opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) have come together to protect the minority Hindu community in Gaibandha district.

Houses of Hindus were attacked, torched and ransacked in various places of the country after the Jan 5 general elections.

Several homes and business establishments of Hindus were targeted in Kuptala, bdnews24.com reported Friday.

The BNP and Awami League leaders of the area agreed to jointly provide security to the Hindu community, the report said.

Hindus in the district's Sundargang, Sadullyapur, Palashbari and Govindaganj areas are now reportedly living in fear.

The joint meeting of the Awami League and BNP was presided by a local leader, Mojibor Rahman.

"The leaders of the two parties have agreed to live peacefully, shunning all sorts of violence," bdnews24.com quoted Rahman as saying.

Awami League's Zeyad Ali said: "Leaders and activists of both parties have agreed to work together to maintain communal harmony."

Faizar Rahman, BNP chief of the area, said: "We want to assure the minorities that such incidents will not recur."

The National Human Rights Commission Wednesday said the Bangladesh government has failed to prevent attacks on Hindus after the elections

Courtesy:newindianexpress dot com

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Dhaka Failed to Prevent Attacks on Hindus: Rights Panel

By IANS - DHAKA

Published: 08th January 2014 11:49 PM

Last Updated: 08th January 2014 11:49 PM

The Bangladesh government failed to prevent attacks on the minority Hindu community after the Jan 5 parliamentary elections, the National Human Rights Commission said Wednesday.

"The minorities are being tortured across the country. The state and government are responsible for securing their lives and property," bdnews24.com quoted commission chairman Mizanur Rahman as saying.

"The government is yet to take any effective step," he said.

Houses of Hindus were attacked, torched and ransacked in various places, including Jessore and Dinajpur districts, after the elections, the commission said in a report.

Rahman asked the government to give exemplary punishment to those committing atrocities.

He said a presiding officer was killed in the presence of security personnel during the elections, and voters and minorities were being tortured.

Thousands of people now want to cross the border in search of safety, he stressed.

"The government is giving us hope but failing to prove its mettle. If the failure persists, secular Bangladesh will be in danger," Rahman said.

The human rights panel chief appealed to everyone to resist the communal violence.

Mired in controversy, the elections were held in just 147 out of 300 seats in 59 out of 64 districts of the country.

Some 21 parties, including former prime minister Khaleda Zia's Bangladesh Nationalist Party, boycotted the polls over Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's refusal to introduce a non-party interim government to oversee the elections.

Courtesy:newindianexpress dot com

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Bangladesh to Form Tribunals to Probe Attacks on Hindus

In the wake of widespread attacks on Hindus in the country, Bangladesh today decided to set up special tribunals under an anti-terror law to punish the perpetrators of violence aimed at the minority community.

"A process has been initiated to constitute tribunals to try them (culprits) under the Terrorism Prevention Act," Shafique Ahmed, prime minister's law affairs adviser, told PTI.

The Law Ministry took the initiative to constitute the tribunals in consultation with the Supreme Court.

Talking to PTI, Home Secretary C Q Moshtaque said several dozens of suspects behind the attacks carried out since the January 5 polls had been detained.

Paramilitary Border Guard Bangladesh troops were kept in place despite the end of their poll duties to prevent fresh attacks, he said.

"You have seen, we have withdrawn several deputy commissioners (district administrative heads) and police superintendents for their failure to tackle attackers," Moshtaque said.

Government-sponsored social committees were revived to protect religious minorities and district administrations were asked to reach out to the Hindus to give them moral support even in places where no violence was reported, he said.

Suspected opposition activists attacked Hindus at several places during and after the polls, accusing the minority community of backing the Awami League which swept the election following a boycott by the Bangladesh Nationalist Party.

The Hindu-Buddhist-Christian Unity Council reported that government actions and social protection initiatives worked well in the most troubled western Jessore district and several northwestern districts like Dinajpur. But it said it had received reports of fresh attacks from Chittagong and Nagerhat.

"They torched two temples at Nagerhat and vandalised three Hindu homes at Fatikchhari last night," Unity Council leader Kajol Debnath said.

The Council issued a charter of seven demands, asking the government to try killers in fast track courts, to rebuild damaged temples and homes and to compensate Hindus for their losses due to the violence.

The mass circulation Prothom Alo reported that one Hindu died in panic of a heart attack after some persons torched hay in his backyard in Joypurhat yesterday.

The report said a section of people were trying to settle personal disputes with Hindus or extort the minority community by taking advantage of the situation.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina earlier promised stern action against attackers. A number of professional and rights groups and youth organisations yesterday staged demonstrations and formed human chains to protest attacks on Hindus.
Courtesy:news dot outlookindia dot com

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BJP concerned over violence against Hindus in Bangladesh

The BJP on Wednesday expressed concern over the reports of violence against Hindus in the neighbouring Bangladesh.

Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Arun Jaitley in a statement issued in New Delhi said, “The post-election violence has started attacking the minority Hindu community. Houses have been burnt and individuals are being attacked. The already insecure Hindu minority is being threatened further. Media reports suggest that most of these attacks have taken place at the behest of the Jamat-e-Islami and even the BNP.”

Referring to the shrinking Hindu population in the adjoining nation and the similarity in the situation being faced by the community in Pakistan, Mr. Jaitley said: “It is noteworthy that the Hindu population, which was around 30 per cent at the time of Independence is currently between 10 to 12 per cent as per the recent estimates.”

He said a disturbed neighbourhood adversely affects India and in some cases the consequences spill into Indian boundaries. “One had hoped that elections in Bangladesh would enhance the democratic process there. As the nation which had supported Bangladesh at the time of their liberation struggle, India, which has thousands of kilometres of borders with Bangladesh, would like to see a peaceful poll accompanied by continuation or transfer of power. It has not happened. We hope that the political process in Bangladesh stabilises and important political parties are in a position to settle their domestic political issues,” Mr. Jaitley said.

The position of the Hindu minorities in Pakistan “is a little worse” he said, adding in recent times thousands have had to migrate to India. “On my visits to places like Indore, Ajmer and other towns of Punjab, many of these groups have met me. Even in Delhi the Hindu migrants from Pakistan have been meeting political leaders and explaining to them the plight of the minorities in Pakistan,” he said urging the Centre to take note.

Courtesy:thehindu dot com

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Hindu temple in Bangladesh vandalised

AP Bangladeshi policemen sit in a vehicle as they leave to patrol the streets early in the morning in Dhaka on Wednesday. A Hindu temple was vandalised and set afire in central Bangladesh on Wednesday, as post poll attacks on the minority community continue unabated. 

 

A portion of the Kali Temple in Netrakona district was gutted when unidentified persons set fire to it early on Wednesday morning.

A Hindu temple was vandalised and set afire in central Bangladesh on Wednesday, as post poll attacks on the minority community continue unabated.

A portion of the Kali Temple in Netrakona district was gutted when unidentified persons set fire to it early this morning, a top police official said.

Locals managed to douse the fire after 45 minutes, The Daily Star newspaper reported quoting Delwar Hossain, the district’s additional superintendent of police.

The incident came a day after Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina promised to arrest all those involved in the recent attacks on the minority community.

Attacks were launched on houses and businesses of Hindus in several districts including Rajshahi, Dinajpur, Thakurgaon, Lalmonirhat and Jessore since Bangladesh went to polls on January 5.

Meanwhile, police arrested a Jamaat—e—Islami leader from northern Bogra district for his alleged involvement in sabotage in different areas.

Superintendent of police Mojammel Haque said they also arrested 11 Jamaat activists from the district on charges of anti—national activities. 

Courtesy:thehindu dot com

 

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Hindus Attacked in Bangladesh, Police Detain Jamaat Activists

Bangladesh police Tuesday detained two Jamaat-e-Islami activists for their suspected involvement in attacking Hindus and filed cases in this connection in Jessore and Dinajpur districts.

Emdad Hossain, officer-in-charge of Abhoynagar police station, said at least 250 people were involved in attacking the houses of the minority Hindu community in Maloparha and Chapatola villages in Jessore district Sunday, reported bdnews24.com.

Rioters vandalised and looted more than 50 Hindu houses in Maloparha.

A temporary police camp has been set up in the area, said Reshma Sharmin, assistant superintendent of police.

Police blamed the Jamaat and its students wing Islami Chhatra Shibir for the attacks.

Awami League leader Ranjit Roy, who was elected from Jessore-4 constituency, alleged that Jamaat activists had carried out the attacks.

Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) leaders alleged that police were blaming the 18-party opposition alliance in order to harass them.

Police also detained five people for attacking houses and shops of Hindus at Kornai village in Dinajpur district.

Police filed a case against 215 people in connection with the incident, said Altaf Hossain, officer-in-charge of Kotwali police station.

More than 100 houses and shops belonging to Hindu were vandalised and set on fire at Kornai village.

Meanwhile, the BNP-led 18-party opposition Tuesday extended its strike till 6 p.m. Wednesday demanding cancellation of the 10th parliamentary polls results and calling for fresh elections under a non-party caretaker government.

Earlier, the opposition had called for a 48-hour strike starting from Monday morning.

Source:newindianexpress dot com

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Hasina Slams Attacks on Hindus in Poll-Related Violence

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina today condemned attacks on Bangladesh's minority Hindu community in post-poll violence and promised stern action against the perpetrators.

"Everyone responsible for the attacks on the minority community will face stern punishment. I have never compromised with terrorism," Hasina told a meeting of her victorious Awami League-led alliance that swept Sunday's general election after a boycott by opposition parties.

She said the paramilitary Border Guard Bangladesh, anti-crime Rapid Action Battalion and police have launched a massive campaign to track down those responsible for attacks in the western and north-western areas.

Hasina accused main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and its ally, fundamentalist Jamaat-e-Islami, of intimidating Hindus on the grounds that they are perceived as traditional supporters of her Awami League.

"The attack on the minority community indicates that the character of BNP and Jamaat-e-Islami remains unchanged," she said.

Her comments came amid fresh reports of intimidation of Hindus in northwestern Panchagarh, where miscreants vandalised some shops owned by Hindus and torched a house.

The worst attacks were reported from western Jessore on election day, when suspected opposition activists vandalised 130 Hindu homes and torched another 10 in Malopara village as the minority community went to cast votes in defiance of the boycott called by the opposition.

Police said 70 to 80 men attacked Malopara but security forces immediately rushed to the scene. The activists threatened Hindus with dire consequences for voting, sparking panic and prompting the army's intervention.

Bangladesh Hindu-Buddhist-Christian Unity Council member Kajal Debnath said in northwestern Dinajpur that 153 Hindu families had their shops and homes vandalised.

According to media reports, Hindus were also attacked in Lalmonirhat, Gaibandha and Thakurgaon in the same region.

"We demand army action to protect our community in troubled areas alongside the other law enforcement agencies, but interventions of all political parties and intellectuals is the most crucial necessity at the moment for their protection," Debnath said.

Courtesy:news dot outlookindia dot com

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​B’desh Hindu leaders demand more protection for minorities

Dhaka: Human rights groups and Hindu leaders in Bangladesh today demanded more security for religious minorities amid reports that members of the community were attacked in several parts of the country during elections.

Activists of main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and its key-ally fundamentalist Jamaat-e-Islami attacked Hindu households in western Jessore and northwestern Dinajpur, local media reports said.
The Daily Star and several other newspapers said the activists vandalised 130 Hindu houses and torched another 10 in Malopara village as they went to cast votes defying the opposition call for the boycott.
Police, however, said 70 to 80 men attacked the  village but joint forces comprising police and paramilitary Border Guard Bangladesh chased them away.
The activists threatened the Hindus of dire consequence for voting, sparking panic and prompting the army “striking forces” intervention.

“We were on election duty. In spite of that we rushed here to protect the villagers,” Maj Rahman last night said, adding that a temporary police camp was installed at the area.

“Some 400 Hindus were forced to flee their homes and take refuge on the other side of the local Bhairab river fearing fresh attacks,” Bangladesh Hindu-Bouddho-Cristian Oikya Parishad vice president Kajal Debnath told PTI.
Other reports said Hindus came under attack also at Pornia area in northwestern Dinajpur overnight where the opposition activists severely assaulted 10 elderly people of the community and vandalised over 10 houses for defying their calls for election boycott.
But army intervened, forcing the activists to flee.

“We demand intensified protection…we don’t want to be traded off politically or used for anybody’s political purpose,” Debnath told PTI in an apparent reference to a perception that the Hindus were traditionally supporters of Awami League, which pursue a policy of secularism.

He added: “Keep me (Hindus) beyond (political) focus, I don’t want to be a victim.”
According to media reports, only a small number of Hindus cast their votes in north-western Lalmonirhat and southwestern Satkhira either fearing attacks by opposition activists.
They said most of the Hindu villagers were annoyed with the government for not taking adequate steps for their protection during earlier such attacks in recent months when the opposition spearheaded anti-government campaigns.
The five persons, missing since January three, were suspected to have been killed due to a land dispute and buried in a freshly dug pit.
courtesy:freepressjournal dot in

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Construction of Hindu crematorium in Buntong to start next month

Current site: The Hindu burial ground at the Indian Settlement in Jalan Madras currently has a small building to burn the dead. The state government plans to replace this with the RM1.3mil public crematorium, which only needs a space of about 0.1 ha land for its construction. — filepic

THE construction work of a RM1.3mil Hindu crematorium in Buntong is expected to start next month.
Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abdul Kadir’s special officer C. Sivarraajh said the tender had been awarded to a reliable contractor.
He said plans had also been submitted to the Ipoh City Council.
Sivarraajh said Devastana Paripalana Sabha, the association overseeing the project, held a meeting with the state’s Economic Planning Unit (Upen) last week.
Sivarraajh, who is the MIC Youth chief, said if all goes well, work would start by January or latest February.
“There has been a slight delay of the project because the equipment is being imported from China.
“The funds, paperwork and other necessary works have all been finalised, and I will personally monitor the progress, since I stood as a candidate in Buntong at the last General Election,” Sivarraajh said last Wednesday.
It is learned that the crematorium would be sited near the Buntong Hindu cemetery.
Buntong assemblyman A. Sivasubramaniam had said in August that the state government had in 2012, allocated RM1.3mil to the association to build the crematorium but work had yet to begin.
He had claimed that the association had received warnings for misappropriation of funds and should not be given the responsibility for a public project.
He added that the Public Works Department should handle the project instead.

Courtesy:thestar. dot com

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Jamaat-Shibir men defy joint patrol, chase Hindus

Panic haunts around 600 families belonging to the Hindu community at eight villages of Bawra and Jongra unions in Patgram upazila under the district as Jamaat-e-Islami and its student wing Islami Chhatra Shibir launched several attacks on the minority community during the last two months.
Lastly on Sunday midnight, Parapukur Mandir, a heritage temple at Shafinagar village of Bawra union was attacked and six idols of gods and goddesses were vandalised there, during the countrywide hartal called by Jamaat.
Joint forces started patrolling the areas on Monday night but the minority people are too panicked to lead a normal life as Jamaat-Shibir activists continued threatening them to withdraw the cases filed for attack on the minority people.
Seeing a few Hindus walking along Baura-Shafinagar road in Patgram upazila yesterday, Jamaat-Shibir men chased them.
“Shafinagar is our native village, Bangladesh is our motherland, we were born here and we want to die here. But our peaceful living is threatened due to repeated attacks by Jamaat-Shibir men,” said Harendra Nath Roy, caretaker of Parapukur Mandir.
“Due to frequent attacks and threats by Jamaat-Shibir men many Hindus are still out of their homes. Around one hundred Hindu families in the village are virtually barred from moving freely in the local bazaar for weeks,” said Sunil Chandra Sen, 48, a leader of the local Hindu community.
Jamaat-Shibir and BNP men attacked Hindus in the area and vandalised, looted and torched 18 shops on October 27, during the countrywide 60-hour hartal enforced by BNP-led 18-party alliance, locals said.
On October 29, a case was lodged with Patgram police station accusing 111 Jamaat-Shibir and BNP men in connection with the incident.
Local Hindus blamed Bawra Union Parishad (UP) chairman Habibul Haque Basuniya and UP member Habibur Rahman Manik for ‘instigating’ the Jamaat-Shibir and BNP men to attack on the minority people.
Denying the allegation, Habibul Haque Basuniya said he formed a peace committee comprising 25 members from both the Muslim and the Hindu communities in the village to restore peaceful environment yesterday noon.
Around 60 Hindu families at Ghoshpara village of Jongra union in Patgram upazila are also passing their days amid panic as Jamaat-Shibir men vandalised and looted five shops and two houses of Hindus there on November 28, during the BNP-led opposition called three-day countrywide blockade.
A case was lodged with Patgram police station accusing 40 people including three identified Jamaat and Shibir leaders for the incident.
“Many people in the village, including myself, are still staying away from homes as Jamaat-Shibir men continued threatening us,” said Dhanjit Chandra Ghosh, a local.

Courtesy :The daily star dot net

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Amnesty fears attacks on Hindus in Bangladesh after execution

Execution of a top leader of the fundamentalist Jamaat-e-Islami for war crimes in Bangladesh could lead to reprisal attacks on minority communities, especially Hindus, a leading human rights watchdog has warned.
Bangladesh executed Jamaat leader Abdul Quader Mollah, infamous as the "Butcher of Mirpur", for 1971 war crimes last night, making him the first politician to be hanged for such crimes. "At this volatile time many people including minority Hindus are at risk of reprisal attacks....they are at particular risk of violence now the execution has been carried out," said Abbas Faiz, Amnesty International's Bangladesh Researcher.
"Authorities must ensure that anyone at risk, especially Hindus are given the protection they need at this tense time. Whole villages were burned down in the violence against Hindus this year and no one has been brought to justice," he said in a statement.
"It is also crucial that all politicians in Bangladesh make it crystal clear to their supporters to refrain from human rights abuses, and that attacks on Hindu communities are unacceptable," said Faiz.
Jamaat cadres have targeted Hindus over the International Crimes Tribunal trials of the party's leaders relating to the 1971 liberation war. Many of the prosecution witnesses have been Hindus.

Courtesy:dnaindia dot com

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The Frightened Tale of Kauar Char

“I was entering my kitchen at around 10:00 AM. It was November 14 when suddenly around two thousand people broke into our yard, and later on our entire village carrying lethal weapons. Setting acts of arson. They plundered some gold ornaments, a TV, a refrigerator and a wardrobe out of my home. Within minutes my sweet home turned into ashes before my very eyes,” said Champa Rani Halder (age: 34).
It was Champa Rani and some fellow women of her village Kauar Char who were narrating their witness account. The horrendous tale of their plight to us on November 22 morning when a small team of us, a handful of former members of Dhaka University film society, visited the affected area. We caught up with them just after a communal harmony meeting (Sampriti Samabesh) was over in the panic stricken village. District Commissioner (DC) of Barisal, local Union Parisad Chairman from the present ruling party, Thana Nirbahi Officer (TNO), locally Elected MP from Awami League, members of Maha Nagar Puja Committee and members of Anubhab Samabay Samity (a Hindu community based Cooperative Society) were present in the meeting in presence of the villagers from both the villages: Kauar Char and the nearby village from where the attack came.
The unpleasant incident occurred at Kauar Char is known to all. A young man named Parvez Gazi was murdered on November 14, 2013. It was in the evening when he came to the neighbouring village of Kauar Char. The murder took place in the heat of the moment. Till now Parvez Gazi’s murder is shrouded in mystery. But the problem is the two alleged “killers” who were basically outsiders and had fled the scene while many innocent men, absent on the spot on the day, were arrested with their families harassed
Now who are the real perpetrators behind the fabrication of an ill motivated rumor that ignited mob sentiments to attack their neighbouring village? Some locals have testified on condition of anonymity that the local Union Parisad Chairman of Awami League may be one of the initiators as he could not secure a handsome number of votes from this Hindu village in last general elections. The students of Broja Mohan College of Barisal who pioneered the mob attack are proven cadres of Bangladesh Chattra League (BCL). The deceased Parvez Gazi’s elder brother is a leader of BCL Barisal. One police officer, on the condition of anonymity, informed that the onus of this arson attack and plundering of the Hindu village basically happened due to the callousness and negligence of the concerned administration.
We grieve and mourn the untimely death of Parvez Gazi and demand stern punishment of the killers. But what can justify plundering 16 families of a minority village?
The writer is Communication, Website and List-Serve Manager of Gender and Water Alliance (GWA).
Email: audity.falguni@gmail.com
Courtesy: the daily star dot com

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Criminals smash tombs, Plough land to occupy Hindu Cemetery

A portion of the cemetery, meant for cremation and in some cases burial, of the Hindus in Saidpur municipality under Nilphamari district gets ploughed by land grabbers who also demolished three tombs of the Hindus in the cemetery during the last few days. PHOTO: STAR

Influential land grabbers smashed three memorial tombs to illegally occupy land of the only cemetery of Hindu community in Saidpur municipality under the district.
The 1.29-acre land comprising plot No 21 at Kundol mouja under Saidpur municipality is a khas land, which is recorded as cemetery of the Hindu community, according to official document of upazila land office.
Visiting the sight on Tuesday morning, it was found that some people were ploughing about 30 decimals of the occupied land of the cemetery in its east to cultivate potato there.
“Since my childhood, I saw bringing of dead Hindus to the cemetery for funeral. But local influential people including Abdus Sattar and Shahjahan engaged day labourers on December 4 to smash and remove old memorial tombs and occupy cemetery land,” said octogenarian Md Amin, a resident of the area.
Nawsad Parvez, owner of Northern Cold Storage beside the cemetery, said,
“Hindus use it for burning dead bodies and spread the ashes in the Khorkhoria River flowing beside. They also buried some dead bodies in the cemetery and built tombs in their memory.”
At the north side of the cemetery, Hindus built a spacious room for keeping dead bodies safely in case of natural calamity. Priests recite holy verses there during the funeral.
During Tuesday’s visit, it was found that iron grills of windows and the door made of heavy iron bars of the room were stolen.
A vested quarter committed the crime to grab the cemetery land, said a few locals.
When contacted, Abdus Sattar, one of the alleged grabbers, said the land which was claimed by Hindus as cemetery land was their paternal property and they inherited it lawfully.
Another alleged grabber Shahjahan Ali said the Hindus’ claim was not right, as they had measured the land with genuine surveyor following land map. He however remained silent when this correspondent asked why they never forbade Hindus in the past to bury dead bodies and make tombs there.
Amit Kumar Roy, general secretary of Saidpur unit of Hindu Kalyan Society (welfare association), said, “Occupation of the cemetery land has hurt the sentiment of local Hindus. We lodged a written complaint to Saidpur UNO regarding the matter on December 8 and also recorded a general diary in local police station. If the local administration fails to ensure justice we will launch an agitation programme.”
Saidpur UNO Shafiqul Islam said, “I along with the officer in charge of Saidpur police station visited the spot on Tuesday afternoon and found the allegation to be true. I directed assistant commissioner (Land) to mark the cemetery area without delay. We have also identified the grabbers and legal action will be taken against them.”

Courtesy: thedailystar dot net

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Khokon raped Hindu woman in Faridpur

Witness tells war crimes tribunal

Staff Correspondent

A prosecution witness yesterday told the International Crimes Tribunal-1 how fugitive BNP leader and war crimes accused MA Zahid Hossain Khokon raped a Hindu housewife at Chandhaat village in Faridpur on May 27, 1971.
Khokon forced the woman into one Surendranath Dutta’s house, said sexagenarian Rabindranath Dutta who witnessed the incident from a nearby bamboo bush.
When Khokon and his associates left the village, Rabindranath went to Surendaranath’s house where the victim was crying for help.
“I handed her a piece of cloth through the window,” recalled the 10th prosecution witness. “I saw bite marks on her face and blood rolling down her leg.”
Rabindranath said he heard from neighbours that another girl who took shelter at the village was also raped on that day by Khokon and his associates.
The witness said Khokon and his men also looted and burnt several houses, including his, in that village the same day.
The 11th prosecution witness, Jogonnath Dutta, corroborated all the incidents, saying Khokon and his associates looted 42 bhoris (about 490 grammes) of gold and 328 bhoris of silver, a radio and two watches from his aunt Suchitra Dutta’s house.
Both the witnesses were later cross-examined by defence counsel Abdus Shukur Khan.
When the counsel suggested that the witnesses testified against Khokon as he was involved in BNP’s politics, the two replied in the negative.
Earlier, Shukur submitted a list of 30 defence witnesses for Khokon and some documents relating to his income tax, mayorship and the photocopy of his national identity card.
MOBARAK’s CASE
Yesterday, the war crimes proceedings against former Awami League leader Mobarak Hossain were adjourned until tomorrow after the defence sought two days’ time as the senior defence counsel could not attend the tribunal due to the blockade.
 

Courtesy: thedailystar dot net

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