Picture: The plights of Hindu minority women.

Report from SAMBAD, Dhaka, Karthik 15 (bengali calender), Tuesday, Oct 30, 2001:

20 October, 2001. A local hotel in the city. A press conference has been arranged by the Ghatak-Dalal-Nirmul Committee. Silence is prevailing among all the attendees. Purnima and her mother Basana Rani of Deula village of Ullapara, Sirajganj are also there, looking towards some undefined territory. Purnima is yet to be matured. Signs of lovely childhood still exits on her face. However, this innocent girl has been abducted and gang raped by barbaric BNP activists. They physically assaulted her mother while she tried to save her daughter. All became speechless on that day's press conference. "How shall I show my face to others", lamented Purnima covering her face from the journalist's camera. None was able to say anything but to shed tear. "Ma (Mother), we shall not worship Durga this year, we shall worship you instead" said engineer Sadhan Das giving his saved money for the Durga Puja to this girl. "The courage that you have shown should made all of us worship you" he added.

Rape, Torture and Minority Women: Only Purnima, Basanti of Satkhira or Lakshmi of Daganbhunga is not the only victim of such atrocities, numerous women of minority community have become victims. BNP, Jamayat-Shibir gang and Islamic fundamentalist groups have started such inhuman activities after the country's general poll. Support from the government and downright falsehood of the home minister to support the perpetrators are adding momentum to these outrages incidents. They are raping girls in front of the mother, burning the houses, looting the households. These perpetrators are intruding the minority properties in villages after villages and making them homeless. Shops, business places, livestock, everything is looted. They are forcibly taking signatures on legal documents of homesteads and killing anyone protesting their brutal acts. To fulfill their perverted sexual desire they are molesting women starting from minors to seniors. As if these homicidal animals are playing the final part of the defeated game of 1971 and destroying the harmony and creating a bloody clash thereby.

Few Snap Shots of Numerous Atrocities:

ONE: Nahata village of Sripur Upazilla in Magura District. Known terrorists attacked on ten minority families suddenly. They burnt houses, looted households and tortured the family members. Then they took away one college going and two school going girls and gang raped them in an adjacent house.

TWO: The wife, daughter and sister of Pabitra Kumar Mistri, living in Bazar-Char, an outskirt of Barishal town could not manage to escape from these fierce animals. Pabitra kumar trades on Hogla Pata. Fearing attacks from the BNP activists, he sent his daughter to a relative's house in the town. One day local terrorist Fazlu abducted Pabitra in a camp. Then they abducted his daughter, breaking the door of the house where she was in and raped his wife & daughter whole night in the same house. The brutality of Fazlu will defame the middle age barbarism.

THREE: A young school student of village East Jeluya, Ullapara, Sirajganj did not also manage to survive from the barbaric attackers. For supporting opposition party Awamy League, local BNP and Chhatradal activists abducted this young girl and took her to a shop in Hatkhola, East Deluya. There they gang raped the girl. Getting a wind of what is going on, nearby people rescued the girl but police did not arrest any perpetrators.

Mahbuba Mahmud Project Coordinator, Nari-Paksha

It is difficult to describe what kind of torture is going on the women of the minority community. It becomes painful to look at those innocent faces. Now they can not go to school. They are being abducted and raped. Looters are taking away everything including the last piece of plate to take a meal. It is shameful for me to think of such disgraceful acts in an independent state. .. ... Does not it imply that we are approaching towards a communal clash? Though these inhumanly tortured people know the names of the attackers they are not even telling the names, fearing future attacks. The local neighborhood is also not protesting against these atrocities. One is not extending his helping hand if a neighbor is attacked. Does it mean that the mutual relationship among us is over? We should realize that what is our root. First we are Bangladeshi, then Bangalee and then comes religious identity. However, the Hindu-Muslim division is getting priority during these days. .. ...

Elena Khan:

Not only religious minority, all attacks conducted on human being should be protested, especially when it is conducted on women. .. .. I can not help becoming anxious noticing the brutal tortures carried out on the religious minorities. No civilized person can tolerate such acts of brutality. All should protest against these perpetrators. The government should bring the alleged perpetrators to justice. The unbiased and proper exercise of justice is needed the most at this time. All around us should play our part to ensure the safety of the minorities to save our nation from more danger. Otherwise we shall have nothing left to feel proud of.

Khushi Kabir Director, Nijera Kori

No civilized man can tolerate such cruelty, horror and murder. It is worth noting that all attacks ultimately find its way on to the women and children. There was no exception this time. Only the sufferer will know how painful it is for a mother to see her girl being raped, for a brother tosee his sister being raped and for a husband to see his wife being raped. However, such outrageous acts are gaining momentum since the general poll. Still the minorities of villages are hiding away for safety of life living behind their personal belongings. If you go you can see how the young girls are passing painful time. Is it civilization? We want a quick improvement of the situation. Help from both the government and the inhabitants of the country and needed for this purpose. Why These Outrages? Where Is The Root? The votes of the minority voters play a significant role in the results of the poll. Though BNP has secured outright majority, they started the vicious speculation over the minorities for not voting their nominees. BNP thinks that all minority votes have gone to the rival Awami League. However, it was seen that these minorities voted for different parties in the past. But the BNP and Jamayat-Shibir gang is carrying out minority persecution to force them to leave the country.

Related Ministry and the Falsehood of Home Minister

When the whole country is terrified by the outrageous activities of BNP and radical Jamayat activists, exactly at that time the downright falsehood of the home minister has shocked the thoughtful people of the country. He denied such atrocities, claimed that he had visited the hard hit areas actually not going there and said that these all are exaggerated and malicious propaganda of the opposition party. However, he should have played a vital role at that moment. The educated and intellectual people of Bangladesh have described this remark of home minister as a stigma on the country's history.

Protest, Condemnation and Effort: The atrocities brought forward by the BNP and its allies is more severe than that of 1971. The independence and humanity is defamed. Protest and condemnation from different cultural organizations, political parties and intellectuals of the country are appearing every day in the newspapers. Few benevolent people are coming forward with personal help and providing shelter to homeless people. Only the government, ministry and its administration is keeping silence, providing no help!

Security, Anxiety and a Letter

Dear Sanchita,

Take my caress. The situation here is very bad after the election. Only your father and I stay at home. All nearby houses are being ransacked and looted. You wanted to come in the month of Kartik, but do not come. I'll inform you later if situation improves. Only then think of coming here. How are you doing there? If you come then they will put pressure on us to give money to them as Chanda.

Your Mother

Recently a daily published this letter of a mother written to her daughter. This letter represents the reality of all the molested women and the anxiety of all the mothers.

Final Word Stop the barbaric game of torture and atrocities. This is the only prayer of all socialized people of the country.