October 2002
I. October 1, 2002. Tribal area of Dhanura village, Gurudashpur sub-district, Natore district (in western Bangladesh near the Indian state of West Bengal). Radical Muslim fundamentalists destroyed and looted the homes owned by members of the tribal Hindu community. Two tribal boys and three tribal girls were seriously injured in the attack.
II. October 10, 2002. Bajitpur village, Manirampur sub-district, Jessore district (in southwestern Bangladesh bordering the Indian state of West Bengal). At eight o’clock at night, two Hindu villagers, Bilash Chandra Biswas (age 65) and Piyush Kanti Biswas (age 18) were murdered by Islamic reactionaries. The main suspect, a noted Islamic fundamentalist, Insan Ali, has been arrested by the police.
III. October 14, 2002. Ballavpur village, Comilla district (in eastern Bangladesh bordering the Indian state of Tripura). A group of Islamic fundamentalists demanded a large amount of zizyia tax (an extortion tax imposed by Muslim fundamentalists on non-Muslims) from a Hindu villager named Ajit Kumar Ghosh. Ajit’s son Ashish Kumar Ghosh, daughter Smritirani Ghosh and Itirani Ghosh were injured seriously in connection with the extortion. More than 500,000 Taka (approximately US $ 10,000) worth of valuables has also been taken away by the group.
IV. October 14, 2002. Chandna crossing, Gazipur city (proximately northwest of the capital city of Dhaka). A meeting was arranged by a group of Muslim fundamentalists who declared Kadiyani Muslims as non-Muslims. The Kadiyanis were called as Kafirs (non-believers) by the group. The local Kadiyani Muslim is currently living in a state of anxiety. There are about 611,000 Kadiyani Muslims living in Bangladesh.
V. October 14, 2002. Kurarpara village, Niamatpur sub-district, Chapainababganj district. The homes and land of a Christian tribal villager named Dula Toppar were illegally seized by a right wing Muslim leader named Mohammed Malek.
VI. October 14, 2002. Tangail district district (proximately north of the capital city of Dhaka). At midnight, the home of Biman behari Dutta, a local Hindu journalist, was destroyed by a local group of Muslim fundamentalists led by Shyamsuddin Farid and his followers, who are also activists of the opposition Awami League party.
VII. October 15, 2002. Gonergaon village, Kotiadi sub-district, Kishoreganj district (northwest of the capital city of Dhaka). A seventh grade student named Namita Rani Suttradhar (age 13), a member of the minority Hindu community and the daughter of Gopal Chandra Suttradhar, was brutally raped by an Islamic extremist. Namita’s father filed a case against the culprit in a local court. Currently a group of Muslim fundamentalists are continuously threatening the Suttradhar family to drop the case.
VIII. October 16, 2002. Dimla sub-district, Nilphamari district (in northern Bangladesh bordering the Indian state of West Bengal and Assam). Golapi Rani Roy (age 10), a member of the minority Hindu community and a fourth grade student, has been kidnapped by a right wing Islamic fundamentalist group led by two notorious Islamic reactionaries named Lebu Mian and Nazrul.
IX. October 18, 2002. Joymonirkhol village, Mongla sub-district, Bagerhat district (in southwestern Bangladesh near the Bay of Bengal). A Hindu housewife Shiulibala (age 26) was kidnapped by a right wing Muslim reactionary group, who gang-raped and then brutally killed her. Her body was torn to pieces and thrown into a local river.
X. October 22, 2004. Kalapahar area, Laxmipur sub-district, Khagrachari district (in southeastern Bangladesh near the Indian state of Tripura). Islamic fundamentalists brutally murdered two members of the Buddhist Chakma community, Monu Kumar Chakma (age 40) and his son Krishna Kumar Chakma (age 20).
XI. October 26, 2002. Dhaka Dhanmandi Government Laboratory (in the capital city of Dhaka). A Hindu teacher named Swapan Kumar Goswami was killed by two Islamic fundamentalists named Sabbir Rahman and Tanvir Samir, who used their father’s gun. The incident took place at eleven o’clock in the morning in front of several people. So far, the police have only cancelled the license of the pistol.
XII. October 28, 2002. Pekua police station, Cox’s Bazar district (in southeastern Bangladesh near the Bay of Bengal and Myanmar). A Hindu constable Kalachand Tripura (age 48) was savagely beaten up by a reactionary Muslim army officer. From October 23 he was unconscious and on October 28, at eleven o’clock, he died at the Chittagong army hospital.
Undated Incidents:
Habrang area, Chakria sub-district, Cox Bazar district (in southeastern Bangladesh near the Bay of Bengal and Myanmar). Over 350 buddhist inhabitants of the Rakhailpara area are facing serious threats from Muslim reactionaries in connection with the payment of the Zizyia tax (an extortion tax imposed by Muslim fundamentalists on non-Muslims). The main occupation of these Buddhists is weaving. On October12, some right wing Muslim fundamentalists looted 217,000 Taka (approximately US $4,000) from them. A local teacher, Ang Keching, filed a complaint at the Rakhain police station.
Premanagar village, Barhalta sub-district, Netrakona district (in northern Bangladesh bordering the Indian state of Meghalaya). Soumya Rani Sanyal, the daughter of a Hindu villager Debesh Sanyal was kidnapped by a Muslim reactionary named Mohammed Ripon Miya. Debesh Sanyal filed the case in a local court. In retaliation for the filing of the case, the properties of Debesh have been illegally captured by Islamic fundamentalists, and the police are reluctant to arrest those responsible.
Laxmipara village, Kalapara sub-district, Patuakhali district (in southern Bangladesh near the Bay of Bengal). The Rakhain community, who are also members of the Buddhist community, were the victims of Islamic fundamentalism. A group of Islamic fundamentalists have stolen a valuable statue of Lord Buddha from a Buddha Vihara which costs more than 10 million Taka (approximately US $200,000). In total eight statues were looted. The priest of the Buddha Vihara filed a case against the Islamic zealots responsible for the incident.