May 2005
I. May 1, 2005. Gopalganj district town (southwest of the capital city of Dhaka). A group of Islamic fundamentalists destroyed the Hindu religious icons and looted goods other valuables from the Nichupara Sarbajanin Sitala Mandir (a local Hindu temple). Although the police arrested three people: Abu Saidh Khan, Nazmul Khan and Kamrunnahar Raoji in connection with the incident but were released when they were brought into the police station. The district administrator and police superintendent visited the area. In addition, two separate complaints were filed in the Gopalganj police station regarding the incident.
II. May 1, 2005. Rasunia village, Shiridiklam sub-district, Munshigunj district (proximately south of the capital city of Dhaka). A group of Islamic militants raided the home of a local Hindu villager named Shanti Dey. Dey’s wife Parul Rani Dey (age 30) was shot to death by the gang.
III. May 1, 2005. Ramdih village, Kuliachar sub-district, Kishoreganj district (northwest of the capital city of Dhaka). At least 300,000 Taka (approximately US $5,000) of valuables were looted when a group of Islamic zealots attacked the home of Justice Biplob Kumar Goswami, a local Hindu resident of the area.
IV. May 1, 2005. Saidpur village, Debi dar sub-district, Comilla district (in eastern Bangladesh bordering the Indian state of Tripura). Islamic reactionaries looted valuables in excess of 300,000 Taka (approximately US $5,000) from the homes of Dhirendra Paul and Gobinda Pal, both of whom Hindu residents of the area.
V. May 2, 2005. College student Jhuma Karmakar (age 19), the daughter of Dulal Karmakar, burnt herself alive in an apparent suicide. It is known that from the incident that Jhuma committed suicide after being sexually assaulted by a group of Islamic reactionaries on the road while she was returning from the college.
VI. May 3, 2005. Sonapara village, Nabingarh sub-district, Brahmanbaria district (in eastern Bangladesh bordering the Indian state of Tripura). Local Hindu residents: Dulal Das (age 25), Nepal Das (age 49) and Dhamur Chan Das (age 25) were seriously injured after being attacked by a group of local Islamic fundamentalists.
VII. May 3, 2005. Sylhet district (in northeastern Bangladesh bordering the Indian state of Assam). The municipal secretary of Derai in the Sylhet district, Abdul Alim Mollah abducted a Hindu woman named Deba Rani Sutradhar (age 16) who was lured by the promise of a job by the secretary. Although the police arrested Mollah, they were forced to release him due to political pressure. There is still no trace of the young girl.
VIII. May 3, 2005. Madhabdih municipality, Sadar sub-district, Narshingdi district (in eastern Bangladesh close to the Indian state of Tripura). A group of Islamic reactionaries raided the home of a Hindu resident named Krishna Debnath in the Anandi Mahalla area and looted many valuables. At least three people from Debnath’s family were seriously injured in the attack.
IX. May 3, 2005. Jhalakata Sadar sub-district, Barisal district (in southern Bangladesh near the Bay of Bengal). A group of Islamic fundamentalists attacked the homes of several Hindus in the Bilerbari and Baruibari areas. Many Hindus including Manindra Nath (age 50), Pushpa Rani (age 45), Sandhya Rani (age 35), Karuna (age 20), Abha Rani (age 25), Dulal Rani (age 40), Debi Rani (age 30), and Pijush Baral (27) were seriously injured in the attack. In all, a total of eight people including six women were seriously injured in the attack.
X. May 3, 2005. Kalibari Sonakata village, Sadar sub-district, Jamalpur district (in northern Bangladesh bordering the Indian state of Meghalaya). A teenage girl from a local Hindu family from was raped by an Islamic reactionary Md. Haniff, who is from the same village. The family could not file a complaint in the police station due to threats from Md. Haniff. The family was forced to leave the village as a result of the episode.
XI. May 23, 2005. Usaher Hatra village, Mohanpur sub-district, Rajsahi district (in western Bangladesh bordering the Indian state of West Bengal). Islamic reactionaries attacked the family of a local Hindu named Mantu Sarkar. The attacked took place at six o’clock in the evening. During the attack, the gang sexually assaulted Sarkar’s daughter. After the attack, they closed the shops of ten supporters of the Sarkar family.
XII. May 24, 2005. Nayabazar, Halisahar sub-district, Chittagong district (in southeastern Bangladesh near the Bay of Bengal and the Indian state of Tripura). Suspected Islamic reactionaries killed a Hindu businessman named Anil Chowdhury Dhar.
XIII. May 24, 2005. Fajelkhar Hat area of Patia sub-district, Chittagong district (in southeastern Bangladesh near the Bay of Bengal and the Indian state of Tripura). Islamic fundamentalists attacked and savagely killed two young Hindu men named Rinku Acharya (age 25) and Rajib Acharya (age 25).
XIV. May 24, 2005. Dhanuakhali village, Shyamnagar sub-district, Satkhira district (in southwestern Bangladesh bordering the Indian state of West Bengal and near the Bay of Bengal). Islamic fundamentalists demanded a ransom of 500,000 Taka (approximately US $8,500) from a Hindu villager named Dinabandhu after kidnapping his son Victor Halder. The gang also threatened to butcher Victor if Dinabandhu failed to pay the ransom. Dinabandhu has filed a case against the group but the local police have not taken any step.
XV. May 29, 2005. Prajapara area, Pirganj sub-district. During a visit to the area, the local Member of Parliament and member of the ruling Bangladesh National Party Nur Mohammad came upon a brewing problem of local Islamic fundamentalists tried to built a wall in order to block the entrance of the local Hindu Kali temple. During his conversation with the group, a prominent Islamic fundamentalist physically assaulted a local Hindu leader. When the Hindu community heard about the assault they gathered in an angry crowd and surrounded the MP and the headmistress of the school for over three hours. They only got away when the police arrived on the scene.
Undated Incidents:
Puradanga village, Magura Union Parishad, Sadar police station, Panchgarh district. Recently a group of Muslim reactionaries named Md. Joshiruddin, Md. Razikul, Md. Habibur, Md. Ksuz Ali along with many others attacked the home of a Hindu resident named Paoshajju Barman. The police arrested the members of the gang as per the complaint filed by Paoshajju Barman. The fundamentalists again attacked the family while free on bail. This time they said if the Barman family does not leave Bangladesh and run away to India, then the family will be burnt alive.
Khulna district (in southwestern Bangladesh near the Indian state of West Bengal). Recently a group of Islamic fundamentalists strangled and killed Andrew Gonsalves the caretaker of a local NGO situated at No. 77 of Highway No.1 in the residential area of Sonadanga under Khulna city.
Dhaka district (capital city of Bangladesh). Satish Chandra Das (age 35) a Hindu and the customs member of Dhaka Zia International airport was strangled to death by his Muslim co-workers on the terrace of the customs house.
Recently, Islamic fundamentalists abducted a Hindu girl named Mithika Rani Mondal, a student of Kochuria Madhyamik Vidyalaya (a local grade school). The girl has not been found as of press time.
Recently, a group of Islamic reactionaries attacked the homes belonging to members of the local Hindu minority community named Anandapriya Barua, Amapriya Barua, Mridul Kanti Barua and Mrinal Kanti Barua. The gang also looted goods in excess of 200,000 Taka (approximately US $3333). While the group was leaving, they seriously injured Suman Barua (age 22) who tried to stop them. Currently Barua is undergoing medical treatment in the Chattagram Medical College hospital.
Recently a prominent local Islamic reactionary named Md. Aziz tried to forcibly occupy the residential land area owned by an lady from the local Christian tribal community named Suchitra Nakrek. When Suchitra and her three sisters tried to stop the group they were beaten-up and are seriously injured. The local police station refused to record their complaints.