Minorities resent ‘Jamaat attacks’

The Hindu Buddha Christian Oikya Parishad formed a human chain in Chittagong Saturday to protest what they called ‘heinous attacks’ by Jamaat-e-Islami and Islami Chhatra Shibir on the country’s minority communities in the wake of the death verdict for Jamaat leader Delwar Hossain Sayedee.

Members of the Hindu community and their temples in south Chittagong, Noakhali and Bagerhaat were attacked during the violence Thursday and Friday.

“A particular section of people has been creating anarchy across the country ever since Jamaat leader Sayedee was sentenced to death Thursday,” Rana Dasgupta, the general secretary of the council, told a press conference ahead of the human chain programme staged in front of the port city’s Press Club Saturday.

“This state of lawlessness is affecting the religious minorities the way it happened in 1971”

“These attacks are definitely by the Jamaat-Shibir activists since Sayedee is a Jamaat leader,” Dasgupta, who is also a prosecutor of the International Crimes Tribunal, said.

More than 1,000 homes and nearly 100 places of worship were attacked over the past two days. Many died succumbing to their injuries.

“Given the recent spate of violence, we fear that the days before the 2014 elections would be a terrifying one for the racial and religious minorities in the country,” he said.

On Thursday’s atrocities in Banshkhali, he said Aminur Rahman Chowdhury, accused in a case of torching 11 members of a Hindu family to death in 2003, had been directly involved in the violence there.

He said two councillors, one of whom is a Jamaat chief of the Banshkhali municipality and another named Abu, had been involved in the atrocities there.

Rana Dasgupta said Chairman Rezaul Karim was involved in the Satkania incidents.

He expressed concern that no one has been arrested so far over the attacks on minorities.

A charter of six demands was disclosed at the press briefing that included taking measures against those responsible, listing the victims and initiating measures for their rehabilitation and state action for renovation of the vandalised temples.

A procession will be taken out and a rally staged Wednesday at 4pm to press for these demands.