Incidents-November 2004

November 2004

I. November 2, 2004. Sujalpur village, Birjung sub-district municipal area, Dinajpur district (in northwestern Bangladesh bordering the Indian state of West Bengal). A prominent Islamic fundamentalist group led by the notorious Islamic reactioanry Md Maju Mia assaulted Mrs. Kanon Bala Roy, a member of the minority Hindu community. The savages urinated on her face when she screamed for water. They also looted her home, including 300,000 Taka (approximately US $5,000), and occupied her home. The local police have so far remained mute spectators.

II. November 9, 2004. Taltali Bazar, Barguna district (in southern Bangladesh adjacent to the Bay of Bengal). Employees of the Janata Bastralaya, owned by an Islamic fundamentalist named Md. Lavlu Mia, looted clothing worth over 200,000 Taka (approximately US $3,500) from his neighboring cloth shop Sriguru Bastralaya, owned by Tapan Karmakar, a member of the minority Hindu community. The police have not taken any action so far.

III. November 19, 2004. Chirirband sub-district, Dinajpur district (in northwestern Bangladesh bordering the Indian state of West Bengal). Md. Faisal, a prominent Islamic reactionary and the commissioner of the Dinajpur municipality in the Chinibas Bhanga Bazar, along with his followers destroyed a local Hindu temple dedicated to the Hindu Goddess Durga. The fundamentalists also looted twelve shops owned by Hindus after occupying the land of the temple. Police arrested Md. Farukh Hossain, Md. Amjad Hossain, Md. Jainul Islam, Md. Ohid, and Md. Babul after being pointed out by members of the local Hindu minority community.

IV. November 19, 2004. Chalkria municipal area, Cox’s Bazar district (in southeastern Bangladesh adjacent to the Bay of Bengal). A group of Islamic fundamentalists destroyed four Hindu religious icons at the Hindu shrine of Nathpara British Kalibari. Ten Hindus as well as two Muslims were seriously injured when they came to protest. The police arrested one of the attackers, when Somaram Nath, a member of the minority Hindu community, filed a case against 26 people, but police released the attacker later. Local Islamic reactionaries issued threats that the case be withdrawn.

V. November 19, 2004. Namatari, Lalmanirhat municipal area, Lalmonirhat district (in northern Bangladesh bordering the Indian state of Assam). A group of Islamic fundamentalists attacked and looted the homes owned by members of the local Hindu minority community: Kandeswar, Kalipada, Jyotish and Jayanta, who also suffered serious injuries in the attack. The local Hindus did not file a case due in fear.

VI. November 20, 2004. Aptia village, Keraniganj sub-district, Dhaka district (capital city of Bangladesh). The followers of a local Islamic fundamentalist named Md. Goni Miya demanded zizyia tax (an extortion tax demanded by Islamic fundamentalists from non-Muslims) in the amount of 200,000 Taka (approximately US $3,500) from Swapan Mondal, a member of the minority Hindu community. When he refused to pay, he was attacked, and the attackers looted 30,000 Taka (approximately US $500) in cash including 10 Bhari gold and other valuables. Other members of the minority Hindu community, including Sindhu Mondal (age 20), Sujit Mondal (age 25), Ranajit Mondal (age 23), Bina Mondal (age 17), and Rina Mondal (age 20) were stabbed when they protested.

VII. November 21, 2004. Tarail sub-district, Kishoreganj district (northeast of the capital city of Dhaka). Islamic fundamentalists stole a very large statue of the Hindu Goddes Kali from the Dahiya Kali temple and threw it in the Narsunda River. Local Hindu devotees recovered the stature from the river in the presence of the local police.

VIII. November 23, 2004. Sathdohha Jeliapara, Magura district town (southwest of the capital city of Dhaka). Prasanta Biswas (age 35), a Hindu fisherman, was seriously injured by a group of Islamic fundamentalists led by a prominent Islamic reactionary named Md. Ohaid Mullik (age 28). The group has attacked this pre-dominantly Hindu area regularly and collected zizyia tax (an extortion tax demanded by Islamic fundamentalists from non-Muslims) from the poor Hindu fishermen.

IX. November 28, 2004. Kustia village, Saturia sub-district, Manikganj district (proximately west of the capital city of Dhaka). Islamic fundamentalists attacked the home of a local Hindu resident named Vishnu Sarkar and looted valuables worth 200,000 Taka (approximately US $3333). They also physically assaulted his wife, Kalpana Sarkar. The local police have arrested a noted Islamic reactionary named Akturujaman Rokon, along with two other young Muslim reactionaries.

Undated Incidents:

Majhipara village, Kurigram district (in northern Bangladesh bordering the Indian state of Assam). Recently approximately eighty-five Hindu families have started to go to India by after being threatened by local Islamic reactionaries: Tanzimul Hoque, Tazul Islam Sohban Ali and Haziruddin.

Kachubaria village, Lohagara sub-district, Narail district (southwest of the capital city of Dhaka). Thirty-one poor Hindu tribal families are facing the prospect of disenfranchisement. The Lohagara municipality issued a GDF card against them and the members of Bangladesh army excluded their names from the list.

Baukari Bazar, Jhalkati sub-district, Barishal district (in southern Bangladesh near the Bay of Bengal). Recently, Md. Abdul Khalek a notorious Islamic fanatic occupied six sataks of land of the Hindu Kalimatra Temple which was considered Debattar property with the help of fake documents.