Communal attacks: ‘No steps taken against perpetrators’

No government so far has taken effective legal and administrative steps against those who perpetrated communal violence, minority community leaders claimed today.
"Rather, such violence in many cases was carried out for political purpose under patronisation of the state," said Advocate Rana Dasgupta, general secretary of Hindu-Buddhist-Christian Oikya Parishad.
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"The state and politics are protecting oppressors instead of the oppressed," he alleged while addressing a press conference at Dhaka Reporters' Unity in Dhaka.
A national steering committee of over a dozen of minority communities' organisations arranged the press conference.
They came up with the statement following recent attack on Hindus at Bramhanbaria's Nasirnagar and attack on Santals in Gobindaganj upazila of Gaibandha.
"We see that blame game of political parties over communal violence issue encourages religious bigots," said Dasgupta, also the coordinator of the national steering committee.
"We want to clearly say that we don't want to see any more swindling or cheating, rather we want to see visible and active role of the state in protecting racial and religious minorities," he said while reading out a written statement.
A culture of denying of planned attacks on minorities by the government and the state has been developed. Even, the state machineries and politicians could not come out of a strategy that describes attacks on minorities “scattered” and “trivial”, he said.
"Such outlook of the government in no way can support its stance against militancy and communalism, rather it question (government's stance," said the statement.
Cordiality and sincerity of politicians and state machineries will be clear only when they will come up with a comprehensive political policy to end communal violence, it said.
The national election is around two years ahead. Past experience says elections bring woe and miseries to minorities. So, all the political parties under the banner of a national consensus would have to give assurance that elections would not come as a “curse” to minorities, the statement said.
The steering committee sought for inclusion of at least one minority community member in the Election Commission (EC) that will be reconstituted in the next February.
It urged political parties to ensure rational and proportional representation of minorities in the upcoming district council elections.
Minorities also came up with several demands that include formulation of a separate law to try criminals who instigate and attack minorities by spreading hatred through social media.
The government should establish Minority Ministry and National Minority Commission.
They also urged the political parties to come up with such initiatives so that anyone, who is involved with such attacks, cannot get party support in any election.
We also demand implementation of recommendations of the judicial probe report submitted by Muhammad Shahabuddin commission that investigated violence against minorities after 2001 general elections.
Bangladesh Adivasi Forum General Secretary Sanjeeb Drong, Bangladesh Buddhist Federation General Secretary Ashoke Barua, among others, also spoke at the function.