By Ramesh Kallidai
“According to statistics, there are regular cases of molestation, extortion, murder and rape,” claimed Raju Patel, an organiser of the protest. “On top of this, there is a growing militant atmosphere in Bangladesh with groups like Jamat-ul-Mujahideen taking a pro-Bin-Laden stance.”
“But why did you choose Downing Street for the demonstration?” I asked.
“We are hoping that the British Government, which took an interest in the human rights abuse inflicted on white farmers in Zimbabwe, will also speak to the Bangladeshi government about minority human rights abuse in that country,” he asserted.
“But have you explored other methods of approaching the British government?” I enquired. “How about conducting a dialogue with the British and Bangladeshi governments?”
“Oh yes, we have,” he replied. “We even had a meeting in the House of Commons where many MPs like Peter Luff spoke about the issue. But demonstrations are another way of our voice being heard.”
The Press Minister of the Bangladesh High Commission, Fazal Kamal, clarified that this problem had been tackled and closed by the Bangladeshi government.
“There was a problem during the time of a transition government, but we have taken actions to prevent it happening again. Even Amnesty International has documented how the Government has stepped up its efforts to deal with this problem. It is now a closed chapter,” he explained.
Recently, Time Magazine had reported on 16 June that Islamic extremists in Bangladesh may be trying to make a radioactive "dirty" bomb. On May 30, Bangladeshi police arrested four suspected members of a militant Islamic group, Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen, and seized a football-size package. Subsequent tests at the Bangladesh Atomic Energy Commission in Dhaka confirmed the 225-gram ball was uranium oxide—enough to make a nuclear weapon. 23 pages of documents describing how to make bombs were also seized.
Kamal expressed dismay about the manner in which the story had been reported. He explained that a country like Bangladesh was more concerned about the economic development of its people than making nuclear bombs.
Raju Patel pointed out that the Hindu population in Bangladesh had been steadily declining as a result of human rights abuse. It declined from 30% in 1947 to 15% in 1971 and presently stood at 10%. The Calcutta newspaper, Telegraph, had reported that many Hindu families were ‘disappearing’ from Bangladesh and arriving on the side of the Indian border in sustained numbers.
Kamal questioned the motivations of those organising the protest.
“Every three or four months some group organises a protest on this issue, but how many of them have really been to Bangladesh and seen the situation for themselves?” he questioned. “Many of my best friends in Bangladesh are Hindus and we have very cordial relations. If something is not an issue in Bangladesh and if it is brought up again and again, then it amounts to instigation.”
Patel however insisted that Bangladesh had introduced a legal loophole called the Vested Property Act, which allowed politicians to seize the assets of Hindus and re-allocate it to people of their choice. “40% of Hindus in Bangladesh have had their houses confiscated by this illegal act,” he explained.
Vorer Kagoj a Bengali newspaper reported how BNP leader Tariq Ukil forcibly occupied the house of a freedom fighter and martyr, Dr. Jyotirmoy Guhathakurata through forged documents.
Kamal clarified that most disputes that were reported were related to property disputes and were not communal in nature. “There have been many instances of clashes between one Muslim family and another,” he explained. “They are not usually communally motivated. In fact, last year more than 400 foreign journalists visited Bangladesh, and not one of them reported that this conflict was communal. And our government has taken adequate steps to tackle these issues”
Amnesty International confirmed that following widespread attacks on Hindus in 2001, “the government took action to protect Hindus during their festivities in October.”
The Bangladeshi government has also stepped up its efforts to identify terrorist groups, following a series of bomb-blasts at Myemensingh in October 2002. The country faces domestic flak in relation to growing terrorist incidents, and international attention on alleged growth of a hardline form of Islam.
The government is however eager to portray the country as a moderate Islamic state, driven by the need to attract major foreign investment, a key to the eradication of poverty.
In the meantime, a group of 400 people will be adding one more voice of protest outside Downing Street on Sunday. Wonder who will sit up and take notice.