20th Century In Bangladesh

"The struggle this time is the struggle for our emancipation. The struggle this time is the struggle for independence. Joy Bangla!"

"One common but divisive question: Who declared Bangladesh's independence? Sheikh Mujibur Rahman or Ziaur Rahman? Actually but sadly, Bangladesh is polarized over the independence declaration, which is not an academic disagreement pondering over a past event—it's a politically explosive question that determines the winners and losers of Bangladesh politics even today... The Awami League and the Bangladesh Nationalist party (BNP), the two largest parties are locked in a jockeying for power over who declared the independence in March 1971—Awami League chief Sheikh Mujibur Rahman or Ziaur Rahman, a military officer at that time."

"I have mentioned earlier the reason for Delhi's headache regarding Bengali nationalism. They feared that with the establishment of a secular and independent Bangladesh, the wave of this nationalism would reach all Bengali-speaking regions of India, including the states of West Bengal and Tripura, and would also create cracks in the unity of the remaining undivided India...India prefers to have a weak Muslim state as its eastern neighbor—a state towards which the non-Muslim Bengalis of West Bengal or Tripura would feel no affinity or loyalty; rather, they would fear associating with Muslim nationality and Muslim majority, recalling the memories of Pakistani rule. Moreover, although this country would nominally be a Muslim state, it would be almost entirely surrounded by India and fragmented on the basis of religious national unity, making it easy to use this weak country to tilt the balance of power and influence in South Asian politics in India's favor. Additionally, India's big businesses would have the opportunity to establish a monopoly market there without hindrance. It turns out that, despite the differences and hostilities between Delhi and Islamabad regarding Bangladesh's independence, their attitudes towards a secular Bangladesh and secular Bengali nationalism are almost identical."

"I, Major Zia, on behalf of our Great Leader, the Supreme Commander of Bangladesh, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, do hereby proclaim the independence of Bangla Desh and (sic) that the government headed by Sheikh Mujibur Rahman has already been formed. It is further proclaimed that Sheikh Mujibur Rahman is the sole leader of the elected representatives of 75 million people of Bangla Desh and the government headed by him is the only legitimate government of the people of the independent sovereign state of Bangla Desh, which is legally and constitutionally formed and is worthy of being recognised by all the governments of the world. I, therefore, appeal on behalf of our Great Leader Sheikh Mujibur Rahman to the governments of all the democratic countries of the world, especially the Big Powers and the neighbouring countries, to recognise the legal government of Bangla Desh and take effective steps to stop immediately the awful genocide that has been carried on by the army of occupation from Pakistan. To dub us, the elected representatives of the majority of the people, as secessionists, is a cruel joke and should befool none. The guiding principle of the new state will be, first, neutrality; second, peace; third, friendship to all and enmity to none. May Allah help us. Joy Bangla!"

"This may be my last message. From today Bangladesh is independent. I call upon the people of Bangladesh wherever you are and with whatever you have, to resist the occupation army. Our fight will go on till the last soldier of the Pakistan Occupation Army is expelled from the soil of independent Bangladesh. Final victory is ours. Joy Bangla!"

"‘At Dhamrai, the Shoni temple, a part of the gymnasium complex, was plundered."

"In Bangladesh, an Islamic country with a Hindu minority, newspapers reported hundreds of demonstrators were injured when anti-Hindu gangs clashed with police in Dhaka, Chittagong and Barisal. Dainik Bangla, a government-owned daily newspaper, said police used steel- tipped batons to disperse 400 Moslems who tried to break into a Hindu temple in Barisal, 75 miles south of Dhaka. At least 50 people were injured. In Dhaka,the capital, riot police armed with tear gas guns and truncheons wounded about 100 people who tried to ″vandalize and loot Hindu-owned shops and temples,″ said Ittefaq, an independent Bengali-language daily. It said nine people were hospitalized. In Chittagong, the country’s second largest city, 500 Moslems attacked a Hindu village with knives and homemade bombs Thursday night, witnesses said."

"The homes of at least twenty-five families were incinerated by two to three hundred commianal thugs. At Lakshmi Bazaar, the walls of the Bir Bhadra temple were broken down and everything inside was destroyed."

"Dhakeshwari mandir, Siddheswari Kali mandir, Ramakrishna Mission, Mahaprakash Math, Narinda Gouriya Math, Bholagiri Ashram have all been stoned, looted and plundered. ‘Swamibagh Ashram has also been looted. Twenty-five homes near Shoni’s gym have been burnt down. The Shoni mandir and the Durga mandir have both been destroyed and burnt. Narinda’s Rishipara and the Dayagunj Jelepara have not been spared either. Farmgate, Paltan, the Nawabpur Maran Chand sweetshop and the Deshbandhu sweetshop at Tikatuli have also been demolished and set ablaze. The temple at Thathari Bazaar has also been torched."

"Fourteen hundred maunds of betel nuts belonging to Nantu Haldar were burnt to ashes at Das’ Haat Bazaar, The police, magistrate and DC were mute spectators to the destruction of temples at Bhola city."

"Ten temples at Khulna were razed to the ground. Four or five temples along with houses were looted and plundered at Raduli in Paikpara and at Shobonadas and Baka villages. Two temples were destroyed in the Talimpur area under Rupsa police station. The Hindu homes adjacent to it were also looted."

"The independent Ittefaq newspaper said a Moslem businessman who was shot during the anti-Hindu rampage in Dhaka died in a hospital late Wednesday night. There was no immediate indication who shot him. The newspaper said about 100 people were injured in Dhaka, most of them from stabbings. Twenty-six were hospitalized. Ittefaq also reported anti-Hindu trouble in Jessore, Narail, Gaibandha, Mymensingh, Sunamganj and Sylhet in northern and western Bangladesh. It gave no details except that gangs attempted to break into temples. Bangladeshi newspapers tend to be cautious in reporting sensitive issues such as religious strife. In Chittagong, the trouble erupted Tuesday evening, several hours after Hindu fundamentalists in India stormed into a 16th century mosque they want to replace with a temple in the Hindu holy town of Ayodhya. At least 11 Chittagong temples were vandalized. About 30 percent of the 2 million people in Chittagong, the nation’s second-largest city after Dhaka, are Hindus."

"The main temple inside the Madhav Gouriya monastery was destroyed."

"The monastery at Naya Bazaar was demolished, 50 too was the temple at Bongraam with crowbars,"

"Lajja was published in February 1993 in Bangladesh and sold over 60,000 copies before it was banned by the government five months later—their excuse was that it was disturbing the communal peace. In September that year a fatwa was issued against me by a fundamentalist organization and a reward was offered for my death, There have been marches on the streets of Dhaka by communalists clamouring for my life. But none of these things have shaken my determination to continue the battle against religious persecution, genocide and communalism."

"Reporters in Bangladesh said Moslems set fire to more than 25 Hindu-owned shops and smashed idols at three temples in the town of Narsinghdi, 25 miles northeast of Dhaka. No injuries were reported. ″This step is a willful desecration of an Islamic holy place and arouses the deepest resentment among Moslems all over the world,″ Ms. Bhutto said. She said it was Pakistan’s policy not to interfere in other countries’ internal affairs but added the temple was a matter ″of deepest concern for Moslems both inside and outside India.″"

"‘A hundred-strong communal crowd attacked the Mirzapur Jagannath Ashram (a place for meditation and study) in Hathazari subdistrict of Mirzapur at about 11 in the night. All the idols were destroyed and all the ornaments of Lord Jagannath were looted. The next morning the crowd set fire to the corrugated tin roof. The police who had been alerted to a second attack retreated in the face of the violent crowd. When a fresh complaint was lodged with the police they drew attention to their limitations and took no further action. That evening about forty to forty-five armed people attacked the unarmed villagers. They fled. The gang forcibly entered homes and temples in the area, destroyed idols and decamped with valuables."

"Fundamentalists attacked the Jagannath Ashram of Sitakunda on 31 October. Shri Shri Kali mandir of Battala, built around 200 years ago, turned into a prize target. The head of the idol was broken and its silver crown and gold ornaments were stolen. Hindus were in the majority at the Charsarat village. On 1 November, around two to three hundred people arrived and literally looted the entire village: Whatever they could not carry away, they consigned to the flames leaving behind ashes and mute, half-burnt trees. Finally, before the marauders left they warned the villagers to leave by the 10th, failing which they would face even more calamitous attacks. Goats and cattle were killed and the granary was completely burnt. About 4,000 Hindus suffered enormous losses. More than seventy-five per cent of the houses were burnt to the ground, numerous goats and cattle killed and many women raped. The estimated loss ‘was over twenty-five million takas. Approximately 200 people armed with lathis and iron rods attacked the Satbaria village temple and destroyed all the idols inside. The people in the adjacent villages came to know of the destruction and fled. Many of them took shelter in the neighbouring jungles. The invaders looted every house. The community Durgabari of Satbaria was razed to the ground. The temple and the residences of Khajuria village met with identical fate. The peasants lost everything. The raiders set Sailen Kumar's wife afire and the poor woman was critically injured. A few devotees were at prayer in the Shiva temple. When they were discovered by the hooligans they were taunted and abused; the idols in the temple were destroyed and as the mobs left they urinated on them for good measure."

"There is no state today, certainly not in India, to protect Hindu interest in the international arena, to raise voice for the Hindus .... In December 1992, no less than 600 Hindu temples were destroyed in Bangladesh, thousands of Hindu homes were burnt down, hundreds of Hindu women were paraded naked on the streets of Bhola town, a number of Hindus were killed, Hindu shops were looted, Hindu deities were desecrated, Hindu girls were dishonoured. But the Government of India remained silent. In Pakistan, 300 temples were destroyed. In Lahore a Minister of Pakistan personally supervised the pulling down of a temple with the help of bulldozers, and several Hindus were murdered. But the Government of India remained silent. No matter how much tyranny, how much injustice is heaped on Hindus anywhere in the world, the State of India is not bothered - this is the essence of Secularism in India."

"The jewellery of temples was openly looted. A Hindu washermens’ colony was burnt to cinders."

"Bhola district had a majority of Hindu population. Till 1992, practically no Hindu family had migrated to India. The Hindu were prosperous paddy farmers who had learnt to have a good crop from the marshy farmland. Nearly 50,000 Hindu families were the victims of genocide in this district The Muslim mobs, mostly composed of Jammat-e-Islam goondas and members of the Awami League Party violently looted, damaged and set fire to the houses and commercial centers and temples in the entire district towns and villages Practically everything was either looted or destroyed. The condition of women and children was pitiable as they was no Shelter, no food and no clothes for days. Three hundred young girls, many minor among them, were raped, even gang raped, in front of their parents and families. In one village alone more then 200 women were abducted and have never been recovered. The onslaught in the Bhola district had been prepared far in advance as the land and properties of the Hindus were coveted by Muslims. Political parties were waiting for an opportune time and pretext. After this holocaust nearly 65 percent of the Hindu families in Bhola district migrated to India."

"They walked away from the damage together. Suranjan asked, ‘Which other places have they torched?” “Chittagong’s temples at Tulsidhaam, Panchanandhaam and Kaibolyadhaam were broken to pieces. All the temples in Malipara, Samshan mandir, Korbanigunj, Kalibari, Chatteswari, Bishnu mandir, Hajari lane and Fakirpara were set ablaze. Ironically, there were processions at the same time pleading for communal harmony’ Suranjan sighed deeply. Kaiser pushed back his untidy hair and said, ‘It wasn’t only temples yesterday. They had even set fire to the fishermen’s colony in Majhirghat. Atleast fifty homes were totally destroyed’ ‘What else?’ Suranjan asked, suddenly indifferent to everything. “They raided the Madhav mandir and Durga mandir in Jaidebpur. At Sherpur, the Annapurna mandir at the Krishi Centre and the Kali mandir at the Sherighat Ashram were completely destroyed. In Faridpur, the temples in the Ramakrishna Mission were looted. The guru and his students were seriously injured.’ “And? Suranjan continued to be unconcerned. “At Narshindi, the temples and houses at Chalakchor and Monohordir were destroyed. In Narayangunj, the temple at the Morapara Bazaar in the Rupgunj station was demolished. At Comilla, the old Abhaya Ashram was burnt. At Noakhali also all Kinds of atrocities were perpetrated.” “Like what?’ “The Adhor Chand Ashramat the Sudharam police station and seven Hindu homes have been destroyed. All the Hindu homes in Gangapur were first looted and then set ablaze. The Sivakali temple at Shonapur and the gymnasium at Binodpur were destroyed. The Kali mandir at Choumuhini, Durgabari mandir at Durgapur and the temples at Qutabpur and Gopalpur were razed to the ground. Dr P. K. Singha’s medicine factory, Akhanda Ashram, and the temples in the Choyani area were all demolished. InChoumuhuni, Babupur, Tetuia, Mehdipur, Rajgunj Bazaar, Tongirpar, Kazirhaat, Rasulpur, Jameendarhaat and Porabari ten temples and eighteen Hindu homes were looted and set on fire. A shop, a car and even alady were setalight. Of the seventeen homes in Bhabordi, thirteen were torched and all of them looted and the ladies were tortured. Biplab Bhowmick was stabbed. Yesterday all the houses and temples in Birahimpur were damaged. The Jagannath mandir, three shops in the Charhazaari village, as well as clubs were looted and plundered. Two houses in the Charparbaati village, one house in Daasherhaat, two temples at Charkukri and Muchhapur and the Jaikali temple were burned. All the people living in Sirajpur were beaten up and all the homes were at first looted and later set ablaze’"

"At Manikgunj, they destroyed the Lakshmi temple, the community Shiv temple, the goldsmith lanes of Dashara and Kalikhala and the big beverage and cigarette godowns of Gadadhar Pal ‘Three truckloads of people raided the police stations at Twara, Baniajuri, Pukuria, Uthli, Mahadebpur, Joka and Shivalaya. ‘Three kilometres from the city, Hindu homes were looted and burnt in the Betila village. ‘The century old Naat mandir of Betila was attacked."

"The Kali temple of Pirozepur, the Debarchana committee Kali mandir, the Manasha mandir, the Sheetala mandir, the Shiv mandir, the Narayan mandir, the Pirozepur Madanmohon Bigraha mandir, the Kali temple of Roykathi, the Krishnanagar Rai Rasaraj Seva Ashram, the Dumurtala Shreeguru Sangha ashram and mandir, the Kali temple at Suresh Saha’s home in Dukheri Dumuriala, the Manasha mandir at Naren Saha’s house in Dumurtala, the Manasha mandir at the ancestral home of Ramesh Saha, the community Kali mandir at Dumurtala, the temples at the homes of Sucharan Mondal, Gouranga Haldar, Harendra Nath Saha, Narendra Nath Saha, the Kali temple beside the Dumurtala high school, the Ranipur Panch Devi mandir, the community mandir of Hularhaat and Kartick Das’ furniture shop, the Kali mandir, the Kalakhali Sanatan Ashram, the Jujkhola Gour Govinda Seva Ashram, the Harisabha Sanatan Dharma mandir, the Kali mandir at the home of Ranjit Seal, the Jujkhola community Puja centre, the community Durga mandir near the Gabtola school, the temple in Bipin Haldar’s house at Krishnanagar, the community Kali mandir at Namazpur, the temple and math at Kalikathi Biswas’ home, the Lairi Kali mandir, the community temple of Inderhaat under Swarupkathi police station, the Durga mandir at Kanai Biswas’ homein Inderhaat, Nakul Saha’s cinema hall, the Durga mandir at Amal Guha’s home, the temple at Hemanta Seal’s house and the Kali mandir at Jadav Das’ house at Mathbaria police station were all set ablaze, The Shiv mandir at Mistripara in Syedpur was also destroyed. The community temple at Rathdanga village of Narail district, the Ghona community mandir, the Kudulia community crematorium, Nikhil Chandra Dey’s family mandir, Kalipada Hazra’s family temple, Shivprosad Pal’s family temple, the family temple at Dulal Chandra Chakraborty’s home in Badon village, Krishna Chandra Laskar’s family temple, the Taltala village community temple, the family temples of Baidyanath Saha, Sukumar Biswas and Pagla Biswas at Pankabila village, the community temple at Pankabila village, the Narayan Jiu mandir at Purbapara Daulatpur under Lohagara police station were all ransacked and demolished."

"On the night of 8 December, three temples in the Dighlia and Senhati areas were burnt down. A group of processionists raided thirteen homes in Sahadevpur village, Feni. Twenty people were injured in the Jaipur village of Chagalnaiya At Langalboa village, Gobinda Prosad Roy's home was raided by two hundred people at the instigation of Moazzem Hussain. A person by the name of Kamal Biswas was seriously injured; it was possible he would succumb to his injuries. These tales of the continuing carnage in Bangladesh were being furnished by Birupaksha, Nayan and Debabrata. They satin front of Suranjan and chattered on but Suranjan gave no sign that he heard them. He was lying down with his eyes closed. He thought savagely—none of you know that it was not only at Bhola, Chittagong, Pirozepur, Sythet and Comilla that Hindu homes were looted; there was also a home at Tikatuli which was looted and from where a beautiful girl named Maya was stolen! Women after all were like commodities, and therefore stolen just like gold and silver."

"Gangs of Moslems, many armed with knives and clubs, attacked Hindu temples, smashed idols and set fire to hundreds of homes in response to clashes in India, witnesses said today. Angry mobs took to the streets late Tuesday on hearing news of an attempt by fundamentalist Hindus in India to take over a mosque and replace it with a temple at the holy town of Ayodhya. More than 150 people have been killed in India in fighting related to the dispute. The worst violence flared at Kaiballadham, site of the Chittagong’s largest temple. Witnesses said 2,000 people with knives and iron rods rampaged through a residential district around the temple at midnight and burned at least 300 houses. One group destroyed about 50 mud-and-straw houses inhabited by low-caste Hindus, mainly fishermen. Another group attacked a garage owned by a Hindu and damaged five vehicles."

"A mob had set fire to the Dhakeshwari temple. The police had. not made the slightest attempt to stop them. The main temple where prayers were offered was burnt to ashes and the dance hall of the temple had been damaged as well."

"The Shiva temple, the guest rooms and the ancestral home of Shridham Ghosh were all razed to the ground. The main temple of the Gouriya monastery, the temple for devotional dance as well as its guest rooms were demolished. Valuables inside the temple were looted."

"The Jaikali temple was smashed to smithereens."

"‘A room situated on the boundary wall of the Brahmo Samaj was blown up. Inside the Ram-Sita temple an exquisitely carved throne was totally destroyed. Needless to say, the temple's sanctum sanctorum itself was badly damaged."

"Ruminating in this fashion, he lit a cigarette. His attention was drawn to a thin book lying on top of the table. He had never seen the book before. It was about the communal conflict of 1990 and he opened itand was soon engrossed in it. On 30 October 1990, at 1 a.m,, the residents of Panchanandhaam Ashram woke up to the sound of a slogan-shouting procession. The processionists broke open the front gate and breached the boundary wall, abused the ashramites, poured kerosene on a temporary shed and started a fire. One by one, all the idols were broken, including the top of the shrine over the sadhubaba’s grave, and all the religious books were burnt. The Sanskrit Language Institute was housed on the same plot as the Ashram. The crowd ransacked the book shelves, burnt the valuable books and looted whatever money they could find. On the same day, around midnight, approximately 2,500 armed people attacked the Sadarghat Kalibari with bricks, entered the main temple and broke and destroyed the idols. All the shops and hamlets alongside the Chatteswari Mayer mandir were looted and destroyed. The cremation area of Golpahar was consigned to the flames and the Kali idol (Swasan Kali) was destroyed. A news broadcast by the Voice of America on 30 October night resulted in an assault on Kaibolya Ashram, Every idol and every room in the ashram was torched; the inmates of the ashram fled to the hills. Those who failed to leave were beaten with iron rods or brutalized in other ways. The temple was damaged badly. Something similar occurred at the Haragouri temple; the idols were smashed, all the valuables looted and the religious scriptures burnt to ashes. The area around the temple was left in a shambles and the entire population of the place was rendered homeless. An armed gang attacked the Krishnagopalji temple on Chatteswari Road in the evening. Their total booty was two kilos of silver, 250 grams of gold and other precious items including the idol. The precious sculpture of the cow at the gate and the surrounding pine trees were not spared either. ias colony of Bahaddarhaat was turned into a ghost town—all Hindu houses were looted, the people of the area irrespective of sex and age were brutalized."

"The ancient Shamp mandir was partially damaged."

"Large-scale looting and arson took place in many areas of Chittagong, including the Dasbhuja Durgabari at College Road, the Baradeshwari Kali mandir of Korbanigunj, the Paramahangsa Mahatma Narsingha mandir at Chakbazaar, the Barsa Kalibari and Durga Kalibari at Uttar Chandgai, the Sidheshwari Kali mandir at Sadarghat, the Dewaneshwari Kali mandir of Dewanhaat, the Uttar Patenga Samshan Kalibari of Katghar, the Magadeshwari idol was broken and Rakhsha Kali mandir of Purva Motherbari, the Milan Parishad mandir of Mogultuli, the Durga mandir, the Shivbari and Hari mandir of ‘Tigerpass, the Sadarghat’s Raj Rajeshwari Thakurbari, the Kali mandir and Durgabari of Jalalabad, the Napitpara Swasan mandir of Kul Gaon, the Karunamoyee Kali mandir of Katalgunj, the Jaikali mandir of Chandgaon’s Nathpara, the Dayamoyee Kalibari and Magadeshwari Kali. mandir of Nazirpara, the Kalibari of Paschim Baklia, the Brahmamoyee Kalibari of Katalgunj, the Bara Bazaar Shreekrishna mandir of Paschim Baklia, the Shiv mandirs of Himangshu Das, Satindra Das, Rammohan Das and Chandicharan Das, the Krishna mandir of Monomohan Das, the Tulsidhaam mandir of Nandankanan, the Dakshin Halishahar mandir of Port Area, the Golpahar Mahasamshan and Kalibari of Panchlaish, the Jelepara Kali mandir at Aman Ali Road and the Anandamoyee Kali mandir at Medical College Road."

"‘The image of the goddess Kali in Rai Bazaar was damaged ‘beyond recognition."

"In order to maintain peace and harmony, all the parties in Dhaka were spontaneously organizing processions. But all this was a facade. Behind the front, it was a different story. In Golokpur, thirty Hindu women were raped. Chanchali, Sandhya, Moni . . . Nikunja Dutta had died. Bhagavati, an old lady, had been so terrified that she had died of a heart attack. In Golokpur incidents of daylight rape were reported. Even women who had taken refuge in Muslim homes were being raped."

"Armed gangs destroyed the idols at Dhairahaat Hari mandir at Chandnaish subdivision. They did the same with Jagannath’s chariot. The Matri mandir and the Radhagobinda mandir at Pathandandi village of Borokal union were destroyed. At 12 midnight, 400 men from Boalkhali destroyed all the family temples at Kodurkhil union, and demolished the homes of Himangshu Choudhury, Paresh Biswas, Bhupal Choudhury, Phanindra Choudhury and Anukul Choudhury. The ancient Rishidhaam Ashram of Banskholi subdistrict was destroyed. All the rooms were burnt down and the books were reduced to ashes."

"‘The Bottholi temple in Thathari Bazaar was destroyed."

"The Bengali-language newspaper, the Sangbad, said about 500 Moslems hurled stones at Hindu-owned shops on Friday in Khulna, 85 miles southwest of Dhaka. It said at least 50 people were injured. The protestors from a fundamentalist group called Council of Priests also attacked the offices of the secular Awami League Party after a rally in the town park, the independent daily said. Bangladesh, Saudi Arabia, Iran and Pakistan protested to India after a Hindu group laid the foundation stone Nov. 9 for the temple of god Ram at Ayodhya. The group has agreed to postpone the construction until next year. On Nov. 11, Moslem mobs angry over the planned temple damaged three Hindu temples and burned at least 25 Hindu shops in Narsinghdi in eastern Bangladesh."

"Other areas that were destroyed and plundered included the Bura Kalibari of Nalua of Satkania, the community Kalibari and Durga mandir of Jagoria, the Chandimandap Magadeshwari temple of Dakshin Kanchara, the Madhyabari Kalibari of Dakshin Charti, the community Kalibari of Madhyanalua, the temple at Charti, the Rup Kalibari and Dhara mandir of Barnakpara of Dakshin Charti, the Jalakumari temple of Paschim Matiadanga, the Krishnahari temple of Badona Deputyhaat, the Durnigar Mahabodi Bihar of Bajalia, the famous Milan mandir and Krishnamandir of Boalkhali of Kodurkhil, the Jagadananda Mission of Aburdandi, the ‘community Magadeshwari mandir of Paschim Shakhpura, the Mohinibabur Ashram of central Shakhpura, the Kali mandir of Dhorla Kalaiahaat, the community Jagadhatri mandir of Kodurkhil, the Rishigraam Adhipati of Kok Dandiya, the Bigraha mandir, the Magadeshwari Dhanpota and Sebakhola of Kodurkhil’s Saswat Choudhury, the community Kalibari of Potiya, the Hari mandir and Jagannathbari of Dwijendra Das of Nolua in Satkania, the community Kalibari in Satkania’s Dakshin Charti Dakhshinpara and the Dakshin Brahmandanga’s community Kalibari."

"Tapas Pal, who had been patiently waiting for his turn, now said, ‘I have just got news from Cox's Bazaar, that the temple at Sebakhola has been destroyed. There was another at Chitamandir which has suffered the same fate. The Central Kali mandir at the Jalalabad Idgaon Bazaar, the Durga mandir at Hindupara, the Manasha mandir and Hari mandir at Machuapara as well as the Club House at Machuapara have been burnt to cinders by the Jamaatis. The Durga mandir at Islamabad, the Boalkhali Durga mandir, the Adaitya Chintahari math, the chief priest's home at the math, and at least five more temples have been set ablaze. The Hari mandir at Boalkhali has been looted. Eight temples at Choufaldandi as well as six homes and two shops were destroyed. Ina Hindu locality hundred and sixty-five homes were completely demolished. In the shopping centre, five Hindu shops were looted and Hindus are being beaten up and tortured at sight. They are setting fire to the granaries in a number of Hindu homes. The Bhairavbari temple at Ukhia has been completely destroyed as well. The Teknaf Kalibari, along with the purohit’s home, has been burnt down. The mandir at Sarbang has also been demolished. At Maheshkhali, three temples and eleven Hindu homes were set on fire. Four schools for Gita recitals have been burnt down. At the Kalarama Market, the Kali mandir and Hari mandir have both been set on fire, The Kali mandir at Qutabdia Borghop Bazaar, and five others have also been set on fire. Four craftsmens’ shops have been destroyed at the market. At the Ali Akbar Dale, fifty fishermen’s homes were looted and burnt to the ground. At Qutabdia, three children sustained burns. At Ramur Idgah, the community Kali mandir and the Jelepara Hari mandir were destroyed and later burnt down. Many homes at Fatehkhanrkhul were set on fire... .’ Suranjan cut in abruptly and said, ‘Oh for God’s sake, stop. Instead, why don’t you sing a song?’ “Sing!,’ Everyone was taken aback. How could anyone sing in these circumstances? Today was not a normal day. Houses, temples and shops were being burnt in the city, and Suranjan was asking for a song!"

"It is disgraceful that the Hindus in my country were hunted by the Muslims after the destruction of the Babri Masjid. All of us who love Bangladesh should feel ashamed that such a terrible thing ‘could happen in our beautiful country. The riots that took place in 1992 in Bangladesh are the responsibility of us all, and we are all to blame."

"Jeevan Saha’s home at Garpara was torched; three cowsheds ‘were burnt to ashes; hundreds of mounds of paddy were lost in the flames. Hindu shops at Terosree Bazaar under Ghior police station, and Hindu houses at Gangdubi, Baniajuri and Senpara were burnt down. At Senpara, a Hindu woman was raped as well."

"Muslims attacked and burnt down Hindu temples and shops across Bangladesh and disrupted an India-Bangladesh cricket match following the destruction of the Babri Masjid in India by Hindu fundamentalists. About 5,000 young men with rods and bamboo sticks tried to storm Dhaka National Stadium, but they were beaten back by police firing tear gas and rubber bullets. At least 10 people have died, many Hindu women have been raped, and hundreds of Hindu homes and temples have been destroyed."

"Taslima Nasrin, a physician, poet, novelist, and journalist, is an outspoken feminist from Bangladesh and the author of many books. Lajia (Shame) is a documentary novel about the plight of a Hindu family in Benes persecuted by Muslim fundamentalists during an outbreak of anti-~ in 1992. On December 6, 1992, Hind extremists demolished the Babri Masjid, a 16th-century mosque in Ayodha, India. The incident set off weeks of mob violence in India during which more than 1,200 people were killed. In Bangladesh, Muslims terrorized Hindus and ransacked and burned Hindu temples, shops, and homes in retaliation. Hindus are a minority in Bangladesh, which has an Islamic constitution. The novel traces the events of 13 days in the life of a fictional family, the Duttas—Sudhamoy Dutta, a physician, his wife Kironmoyee and their grown children Suranjan and Maya—in the aftermath of the razing of the Babri mosque. It also reflects Hindu complaints of persistent violation of their rights. Many Hindu friends of the Dutta family crossed the border into India to settle with relatives, particularly after a 1990 wave of anti:"

"Bangladesh had attracted the attention of international media and human rights NGOs due to the Chittagong Hill Tracts conflict..."

"The Chittagong Hill Tracts Conflict in Bangladesh is a good example of the type of conflict that tends to go unmediated."

"The most significant separatist movement of ethnic groups [in Bangladesh] has been that of the Chittagong Hill Tracts which signed a peace accord ."

"“Girls abducted from Mirpur side are sold in Jhelum city at Rs. 10 or 20 each. The local police refuses to interfere on the ground that the girls were not removed from the Punjab and also they express their helplessness because of the attitude of the armed Pathans possessing these girls. I am bringing this to the notice of the West Punjab Government but I am afraid nothing would come out of it and in our helplessness all these girls shall have to stand hardships for all their lives and suffer misery.” According to the information received most of the girls abducted from Jammu and Kashmir States and some of the girls abducted from Gujranwala, Jhelum, Mianwali, Jhang and Dera Ghazi Khan districts are taken to the North-west Frontier Province and from there to the tribal territory. At Mansera and some other places (North-West Frontier) there are regular camps where Hindu girls are being sold."

"“On 4-10-47, a small caravan of about fifteen non-Muslims tried to cross the bridge Ravi from Pakistan to this side. They were entrapped by the Muslim Military picket on the other side of the bridge. That caravan included four women. The male members of the caravan were murdered during the night. Our Military picket on this side of the bridge heard shrieks and cries of the victims. The Gurkha Jamadar in charge of the picket saw the women with Military (Muslim). They kept those women in their tents during the night and the military picket on our side heard their shrieks too during the night as if they were being raped. Later on those women never crossed the bridge on this side."

"A British Officer of the M. E. O. of West Punjab reported (September, 1947) that at a place near Sheikhupura he was called to rescue a Hindu girl, who had been carried away by Muslim National Guards. He found the girl in a hut with 4 of her captors, who had raped and cut off her breasts and were now frying them. He shot the lot."