Around eleven o’clock at night, on 18 June, three policemen, the local watchman and a few armed men began search operations in Chandkaathi village in the Najirpur sub-district of Pirojpur and while they searched they asked the Hindus there to leave the country. Dulal Krishno Mandal and four or five other Hindus were taken to the local police station and had to face unspeakable torture because they were accused of being members of the Sorbohara Party. Later, they were released after eight or ten thousand takas changed hands. Many Hindus of that area left the country.
Unspeakable cruelty was unleashed on the minority Hindu community in twelve villages of the Gajirhat Union in the Dighalia sub-district of Khulna. After losing the election for chairman, Mollah Jamaluddin hired people to prevent the Hindus from farming. They cut off the ears of paddy from Hindu fields, stole cows and goats from Hindu houses and ravaged their shops.
On 10 December 1988, in Durgapur village of the Borishal district, Abdus Sobhan Bhuiyan and a Union Porishod (UP) member Ghulam Hussain arrived at the home of Rajendronath Das with a band of armed men because Das had gone to court about the inappropriate lease of a trust property and illegal occupation. Threatening murder, they looted all the precious gold ornaments and set the house on fire. They took away the image of Radha and Krishna that had been carved out of eight precious metals, after thoroughly thrashing those who had tried to stop them. Before leaving, they instructed Rajendronath Das and his family to leave the country.
Spurred on by a few fundamentalists, some policemen stormed into the home of the octogenarian Lokkhon Chondro Pal of Talbunia village in the Rampal sub-district of Bagerhat and severely battered his grandson Bikash Chondro Pal. They also beat Lokkhon Chondro’s eldest son, Pulin Behari Pal, and his second son, Robindronath Pal. Pulin’s wife tried to stand in the way of these activities of the policemen and so they thrashed her cruelly. The police then trussed up Pulin, Robindronath and Bikash and took them to the police station and had them arrested under false charges. Needless to say, they were not given bail. Some time before the Liberation, Abdul Hakim Mollah of Sholakura village had raped Lokkhon Chondro’s niece. He had also assaulted others in the family. Consequently, Hakim Mollah had been in prison for a long time. Once Hakim Mollah was out of jail, he ganged up with Siraj Mallik, Harun Mallik and Abdul Jobbaar Kazi of Talbunia village and avenged himself by punishing Lokkhon Chondro’s family thus. Many Hindus felt insecure after this incident and began preparing to leave the country.
All the Hindus in the Gopalganj district including those in Kotalipara and Maksudpur were regularly subject to theft, cheating, the ravaging and illegal occupation of their property, rape of their women, destruction of their temples, and to all this was added torture by the police. The pet gangsters of Montu Kazi, the chairman of the Kotalipara sub-district, attacked the village of Mandra Lakhirpar of the Kushla Union in broad daylight. They tortured Hindu women and girls. They frightened the Hindus of Madarbari, Lakhirpar, Ghaghor Bazar, Khejurbari and Kandi, and took money off them, robbed them of anything expensive they owned and made them sign documents. Many Hindus from these places left the country because they were frightened. Montu Kazi abducted Mrs Bhowmik of the Sonali Bank and then tortured her like a beast. Momota, Modhu and many others were enticed with promises of jobs, confined to the sub-district office and raped continuously.
In the dead of the night on 3 July 1988, the police entered the home of Anil Chondro of Goribpur village in the Chitolmari sub-district of Bagerhat. Anil Chondro was not at home. The police beat his wife and child severely. That night, the police also ransacked the house of Amulyo babu, the schoolmaster. On 4 July, the police attacked the house of Khitish Mandal in Surigati village. They didn’t find any men in the house but they carried out savage cruelties on Khitish Mandal’s wife and daughter. In the same village, the police attacked the home of Shyamol Biswas on 5 July. Shyamol babu was not present. The police raped his daughter and took away many valuable things from the house. After these incidents, a criminal forcefully moved into the home of Nirod Bihari Roy in Chitolmari village. The administration was informed but did nothing. In Kalasira village, a Hindu was evicted from his own home by UP member Monsoor Mallik. Mallik now lives in that house and the homeless Hindu wanders the streets.
An education official of Gopalganj, Johur sahib, promised Hindu women jobs and raped them. Two women of the Biswas family of the village of Demakoir were also raped in a similar way. This man also extorted money from Hindu teachers, both men and women, by threatening them with transfers.
The police and the young armed men of the locality together attacked Jogodish Halder’s home in Alti village of Gopalganj. The house was wrecked, members of the family beaten up and much was plundered. As they left, they threatened to kill everyone in the family. Later in the year, on 12 August, the police and armed local youth attacked a few more Hindu homes and smashed some temples. Ashutosh Roy, Sukumar Roy, Monoronjon Roy, Anjoli Roy, Suniti Roy and Bela Biswas were tortured. The attackers prophesied that there would be no more temples in Bangladesh.
The death of Khayer Mollah, chairman of the Ujani Union of the Maksudpur sub-district of Gopalganj, provided an occasion for the police and fundamentalists to persecute local Hindus. In Basudebpur, the police raped Shibu’s wife and in Mahatali village they raped Anjoli Biswas, who was not married. Twelve people of Shimulpur village were arrested and tortured and charged with being supporters of the Sorbohara Dal, but they were released after a large sum of money was paid.
On 20 June, the police suddenly attacked unsuspecting Hindus of Bastukathi village in the Sorupkathi sub-district of Pirojpur. They destroyed the crops of Hindus in fields on either side of the Bastukathi River. They caught hold of all the people who were at work in the fields and let them go only in exchange for large sums of money. On 11 June, in the same village, Minoti Rani, a worker of the sub-district health department, was on her way to Adamkathi with her brother and sister-in-law to meet her friend, Chhobi Rani. They were captured and kept in the temporary police camp and threatened with torture. They were released after the police got a thousand takas from them.
Shiuli, the fourteen-year-old daughter of Sudhanshu Kumar Halder of Purbojalabari village of Sorupkathi, was raped on the way to her uncle’s house by a man called Rustam Ali. She was found lying unconscious on the road. When Sudhanshu Halder asked prominent people in his locality for justice, they told him, ‘If you can’t put up with things like this you’d better leave the country.’
On 7 April 1979, in Buriganj Bazar in the Shibganj sub-district of Bogura, the people of the masjid committee attacked Dr Sochindro Kumar Saha’s house in connection with the construction of a mosque close by. They broke the doors and windows of the building, plundered it and finally set it on fire. They razed the adjacent temple to dust. They carried on with the destruction for nearly two hours and carried away belongings worth more than 1 million takas. During the attack, Dr Saha’s son managed to get away and inform the police station. A police officer along with a contingent of policemen reached the scene of action. The culprit, Altaf Hussain Mandal, and his henchmen attacked the police with sticks, iron rods, bricks and stones. Some police officers were injured too. Later, the officer in charge of the Shibganj sub-district registered a complaint against Altaf Hussain Mandal and sixty-five other people and initially they were arrested. However, the accused were let off after instructions came from a higher level. Dr Saha’s family then received death threats. All of this led to a great feeling of insecurity among the Hindus of the area. Many began to think about leaving.
On 3 and 4 May 1979, Hindus of Tikrapara village in the Alfadanga sub-district of Foridpur were tortured. The Hindus of the area feared for their lives, left their own homes and sought refuge elsewhere.
Horen Biswas had lived in Rahatpur village of the Raypur Union in the Mohammadpur sub-district of Magura for a very long time. His wife, young daughter and daughter-in-law were raped by an influential crook of the
same area, Nojir Mridha. A case was registered. However, Horen Biswas and his family and relatives had to leave the country because of continuous persecution by Nojir and his cohorts.
On 19 and 20 May, the police of Debogram village in the Kotalipara sub-district of Gopalganj arrested Anil Kumar Bagchi, Sushil Kumar Pande and Makhan Lal Ganguly on charges of being involved with the Bongobhumi movement. They were let go after large sums of money were paid as bribes.
A drunk Romesh Chondro Ojha of Mirakathi village, in the sub-district of Jhalkathi of Jhalkathi district, was forcibly made to change his religion. Romesh Chondro’s wife, Minoti Rani, and his older brother, Nirod Ojha, were also pressurized to convert. When Minoti Rani complained about this matter to the eminent people of the locality, they threatened her and told her that there would be beastly torture coming her way. Minoti Rani ran for her life and is still on the run.
In Jobai village in the Kochua sub-district of Gopalganj, a sacked policeman called Sultan raped Sudhir Baidya’s wife. She was so ashamed that she went into hiding, and Sudhir Baidya received threats to his life. In the same village, some people slaughtered a cow belonging to Upendro Malo and ate it. Upendro was abused and humiliated when he appealed to the administration for help.
Kartik Ray of Boultoli village of Boultoli Union of Gopalganj lost his life to the Muslims of his neighbourhood when he tried to protect the paddy that was growing in his fields. His wife, Renuka, was forced to say that his brutal murder was a natural death.
Premanondo Sheel belonged to Dokkhin Chandpur in the Laksam sub-district of Comilla. On 4 December 1988, at about eight o’clock in the evening, Abdur Rahim had Premanondo’s daughter, Monju Rani, who was studying in Class IX, abducted by his students. A case was registered the next morning at the Laksam police station. Even now, there is no news of Monju Rani. The supporters of the abductors continue to threaten Premanondo Sheel and his family, and the police play the role of silent spectators. The Hindu parents of this area are afraid to send their daughters to school.
On 25 April, the police arrested sixteen Hindus while they were singing kirtans in Gutia village in the Ujirpur sub-district of Borishal. They were daily-wage labourers in betel-leaf plantations.
After the National Religion Bill was passed, many Hindus of Siddhirpasha village in the Abhoynagar sub-district of Joshor sold their land worth 20,000 takas a bigha for seven or eight thousand and left for India because of rumours that Hindus would no longer be able to sell their properties. Madhob Nandi, a local, tried explaining to many of the fleeing Hindus that they should not heed such rumours. A few days later, Madhob Nandi’s home was attacked in the dead of night by a dozen men carrying knives, lances and other such instruments. They raped Madhob Nandi’s daughter and also his daughter-in-law, who was seven months pregnant.
Deben Biswas was killed by a bullet on 15 May in the Khoksha sub-district of Kushtia. A case was registered but no one has yet been arrested.
On 12 and 16 August 1988, the police accompanied by some armed young men attacked the village of Goribpur in the Chitolmari sub-district of Bagerhat. They broke the idols in the temples and raped women. Twenty or maybe twenty-one people were severely beaten up and then let go in exchange for money. Narayan Bairagi, Sushanto Dhali, Anukul Barei, Ronjon Dhali and Jogodish Bairagi were imprisoned for a long stretch. A similar attack was carried out in Chorbaliari village and fifteen or sixteen people were held and then let go in exchange for money. In the villages of Hijla and Borbaria too, eight or nine people were held and tortured and then let go in exchange for money.
In Parkumira village in the Tala sub-district of Satkhira, Chhonda, the adolescent daughter of Robindronath Ghosh, a student of Class III, was raped by a schoolteacher. The incident took place on 16 May 1979. Chhonda was sleeping in the veranda with the others in her family. In the dark night, her teacher, Nochhimuddin, along with some other men, took Chhonda away by force. They took her to a garden nearby and raped her. A bleeding, unconscious Chhonda was found the next day and taken to Satkhira hospital. A case was lodged at Tala police station but no one was arrested.
In Gohala village in Muksudpur sub-district of Gopalganj, Ujjola Rani was raped by five men who had usurped her father’s property. Ujjola Rani’s guardians went to inform the Muksudpur police but they did not register the complaint.
In Jhalkathi, Nolchhiti, Sorupkathi, Banaripara, Agoiljhora, Ujirpur, Najirpur and Gournodi of Borishal district, people from the minority community were tortured on the pretext that members of the Sorbohara Party were being arrested. They were arrested and then let go in exchange for a bribe. Many Hindus of those areas were on the run because they feared police violence. Kashinath Halder of the sub-district of Agoiljhora was a victim of police violence and is almost dead.
In Nowtana village of Digha Union in the Najirpur sub-district of Pirojpur, Keshob Sadhu had heart failure because he saw his only son being severely beaten up on a false charge of being associated with the Sorbohara Party.
In Chormodhua village of Chormodhua Union in the Raipur sub-district of Norsinghdi , seventy-odd people led by Shahabuddin and Alauddin attacked the Hindu community in Sutrodhorpara, and looted and plundered their houses. Consequently, about a hundred and fifty people belonging to twenty families fled the village and became refugees.
On 16 May, in Jahangirpur village in the Modon sub-district of Netrokona, a fundamentalist group attacked the house of Binoy Baishya, a minority leader. They locked up people from Binoy babu’s family for thirty-six hours and ravaged everything. When the police station was informed, the police came and arrested Binoy babu’s sons! Of course, they were released later.
On 10 December, in Durgapur village of Chandpur Union of Bakerganj, about a hundred people led by the UP member Ghulam Hussain Pintu attacked the house of Rajendro Chondro Das. They ransacked the place, assaulted everyone in the house and finally set fire to it. When Rajendro Chondro made a complaint at the local police station, the attackers set fire to the house once again and threatened to kill the family. A case was registered in the sub-district but the police remained silent.
Some people forcibly occupied and are enjoying the property of Dinesh Chondro Das in Mirwarishpur village in the Begunganj sub-district of Noakhali.
Suronjon could not sleep. He had worked for two years with Ekata magazine. This was 1988–89. As a reporter, he went to all parts of the country. His bag was full of news of such kinds of torture. Some stories would be published, some did not get to print.
‘Suronjon, you must understand,’ said his editor, ‘that this is oppression of the powerless by the powerful. The tyranny of the rich on the poor. If you are rich, it doesn’t matter whether you are Hindu or Muslim, that is how a capitalist society works. Take a look, poverty-stricken Muslims are in a similar situation. The rich, be they Hindu or Muslim, are subjugating the poor.’
Part Three
One
Winter seemed to lack bite. Suronjon pushed aside his quilt. Daylight had broken quite a while ago. However, he did not feel like getting out of bed. He had roamed around the city all night. He had not felt like visiting anyone or talking to anybody. He had walked alone. He’d thought of his parents at home and worried about all that was going on, but he hadn’t felt like going home. He felt scared every time he saw Kironmoyee’s pale, frightened face. And Sudhamoy’s expressionless stare. Suronjon wanted to sit somewhere and get drunk. He wanted to drink and forget Maya’s enchanting eyes, which had been so full of a blue fearful stare when they had turned on him and called out, ‘Dada, Dada.’
The girl had grown up so fast! Just the other day, she was a slip of a girl, holding her older brother’s hand and walking to the river. A dark, pretty little thing.
‘Buy me new clothes,’ she said every year as the Puja drew close.
‘Forget about the Puja,’ Suronjon scolded. ‘People will make clay images and dance vulgarly. You want new clothes for that? Disgusting! You nee
d to grow up.’
‘Dada, I want to go and see the Puja,’ Maya would plead. ‘You’ll take me there, won’t you?’
‘Grow up! Become a person, a human being,’ Suronjon would snap at her. ‘Don’t become a Hindu.’
‘Aren’t Hindus human?’ Maya would ask, giggling.
In 1971 Maya was called Forida. Sometimes, quite inadvertently, Suronjon would slip to calling her Forida. That would make Maya pout with anger. Suronjon would buy her chocolates from the shop at the corner to mollify her. She would delight in the chocolates. Her plump cheeks would be stuffed with chocolate and her enchanting eyes would smile with happiness.
As a little girl, she would emulate her Muslim friends and ask for coloured balloons during Id. She’d want to burst crackers and light fireworks.
‘They’re going to cook pulao and different meat dishes at Nadira’s today,’ she’d say, as she followed her mother around, clinging to the end of her sari. ‘I want to eat pulao as well.’
Kironmoyee would cook pulao.
Maya had left in the morning, the day before yesterday. They had no news of her. Their parents were not worried about her because they thought she would at least stay alive in the home of Muslims. Young she might be but she was already tutoring two students. She studied in Eden College and barely took any money from her parents for her education. It was Suronjon who was always asking his parents for money. He had been unable to get a job although he had a master’s degree in physics.
Lajja Page 6
