Incidents against Minorities
Members of the minority communities face many forms of persecution from Islamic extremists in Bangladesh. Here we present a collection of the most recent incidents highlighting this awful persecution. The following incidents have been collected by local reporters in Bangladesh.

March 2004

I. March 1, 2004. Comilla district (bordering the Indian state of Tripura). Islamic fundamentalists looted 200,000 Taka (approximately US $3400) worth of property from a local minority Hindu business owner, Monoranjan Seal.

II. March 3, 2004. Khankhanapur Banjar in Rajbari sadar sub-division, Brahmanbaria district (bordering the Indian state of Tripura). Gold merchant Gouranga Karmakar was seriously injured in attack by Islamic extremists, who also stole 50,000 Taka (approximately US $850) from him.

III. March 4, 2004. Ganpur village, Niamatpur sub-district, Naogaon District (in northwestern Bangladesh bordering the Indian state of West Bengal). Islamic fundamentalists attacked the home of Deven and Biren Barman. The militants savaged the female members of the family, looted all the valuables, and then set fire to the home.

IV. March 6, 2004. Pathartila village, Goinghat sub-division, Sylhet district (in northeastern Bangladesh bordering the Indian state of Assam). Robilal Bhakta (age 28) was murdered by suspected Islamic fundamentalists.

V. March 10, 2004. Sahapara area, Swarupleati sub-division, Pirajpur district (in southern Bangladesh bordering the Bay of Bengal). Islamic fundamentalists destroyed two Hindu religious icons of Lord Narayana and of Lord Krishna.

VI. March 11, 2004. Kosupara, Thanchi sub-division, Bandarban district (part of the Chittagong Hill Tracts).Twenty two homes of members of the Buddhist community were set on fire by Islamic. Property estimated to be in excess of 1,000,000 Taka (approximately US $17,000) were destroyed during the attacks.

VII. March 11, 2004. Hatbaria Bhanga Bridge, Mahammadpur sub-district, Bagura district. Prabir Kuma Biswas (age 25) and his father Ajit Biswas (age 55) were seriously injured in an attack carried out by armed Islamic fundamentalists.

VIII. March 12, 2004. Kalkairi area, Gazipur (Joydevpur) district (northwest of Dhaka). Islamic fundamentalists seriously injured Md. Tushari (age 35), a reporter of Dainik Jugantar, in attack.

IX. March 17, 2004. Charasahebpur village, Kalkiti sub-district, Madaripur district (south of Dhaka). A group of Islamic zealots attacked the home of Kanchan Mridha. When other members of the Hindu minority community of the village attempted to stop them, the militants threw a bomb, injuring twelve Hindus in the process.


X. March 17, 2004. Lalnagar village, Rangunis sub-district, Chittagong district (in southeastern Bangladesh). Local villagers handed over Kamal-uddin (age 35), Md. Minar and Md Jahir to the police, since the Islamic extremists were involved in abducting four Hindu fishermen from the area.

XI. March 19, 2004. Saleshwar village, Lalpur sub-district, Natore District (in western Bangladesh, very close to the Indian state of West Bengal). Islamic extremists attacked 15 homes belonging to members of the local Hindu minority, and completely destroying them in the process. Local villagers finally forced the gang to flee. While the extremists were fleeing they said, “You Hindus, if you want to live, then go to India.”

XII. March 19, 2004. Ufulki village, Mirzapur sub-district, Tangail district (north-west of the capital city of Dhaka). Suspected Islamic fundamentalists attacked the home of Pradip Ghosh and stole valuables in excess of 100,000 Taka (approximately US $1700).

XIII. March 20, 2004. Bodorpara village, Rajair sub-district, Madaripur district (south of the capital city of Dhaka). Islamic fanatics destroyed the image of the Hindu Goddess Durga placed in the temple at the premises of Suren Roy, the secretary of Kusthia Zela Parishad.

XIV. March 22, 2004. Budhi village, Purbadhola, sub-district Netrakona district. Nantu Ghosh, a student of the local SSC, was abducted by Islamic fundamentalists. Later, local villagers rescued Nantu from them.

XV. March 22, 2004. Kamalapur village, Haimchar sub-district, Chandpur district (southeast of the capital city of Dhaka). Suspected Islamic fundamentalists poisoned fish worth 200,000 Taka (approximately $3400) in the pond of Ratan Chandra Das, a local teacher.

XVI. March 27, 2004. Sailkupa area, Jhenaidah district (in western Bnalgadesh bordering the Indian state of West Bengal). Bipul Kumar Biswass (age 32) was shot to death by a group of suspected Islamic militants.

XVII. March 27, 2004. Paschim Hingli village, Baraijahat municipality, Mirsarai sub-district, Chittagong district. Islamic extremists forcibly occupied 12 sataks of land belonging to Gopal Krishna Seal, a member of the local minority Hindu community. In addition, five Hindus were seriously injured in this incident.

(Undated Incidents)
The Saha family in the Deobogh Akhra area of Narayanganj town (due east of the capital city of Dhaka), refuse to file a case against suspected Islamic fundamentalists responsible for the murder of Samir Saha (age 30). The fundamentalists have threatened that they will completely uproot the Saha family, if they went to the local authorities.

Pirgacha loagar, Natore district (in western Bangladesh, very close to the Indian state of West Bengal). Islamic fundamentalists recently abducted a Hindu leather trader Subharam.

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Copyright © 2004, Nikhil Banga Nagarik Sangha