Bangladesh Hindu Buddha Christian Oikya Parishad leaders call on PM

Source: The New Nation

A delegation of Bangladesh Hindu Buddha Christian Oikya Parishad on Sunday called on Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at the latter's office here.

The delegation members apprised the Prime Minister of various problems of the parishad, said Prime Minister's Press Secretary Abul Kalam Azad after the meeting.

During the meeting, Sheikh Hasina gave them a patient hearing and assured them to look into the matters.

President of the Parishad Maj. Gen. (Retd) C R Dutta, Bir Uttam, led the delegation which was comprised of its General Secretary Rana Das Gupta, leaders of the parisad Adv Subrata Chowdhury, Shiril Sikder, Nirmal Chatterjee, Babul Devnath and Barrister Biplab Barua.

Among others, Secretary to the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) Molla Waheeduzzaman and Prime Minister's Press Secretary Abul Kalam Azad were present.

Later, another delegation of Bangladesh Buddha Christi Pracher Sangha, led by its President Sudhananda Mohathero, called on Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at her office.

During the meeting, they invited the Prime Minister to attend the Lord Buddha statue installation ceremony at Kamalapur Buddha Bihar in the capital on February 23 next.

Sheikh Hasina accepted the invitation to attend the function. Mentioned that Thailand is sending the statue of the Lord Buddha to the Buddhist community in Bangladesh.

General Secretary of the organization Dr Pranab Barua, among others, were in the delegation.

Secretary to the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) Molla Waheeduzzaman, Prime Minister's Press Secretary Abul Kalam Azad and PM's Private Secretary Nazrul Islam Khan were present.

BJP bats for Bangla Hindus

Source: The Telegraph

Guwahati, Oct. 30: The Assam BJP took up the cause of displaced Bangladeshi Hindus at a daylong meeting held here today. It requested the government not to brand them as illegal migrants.

Though the party is against influx from Bangladesh, it classifies migrant Hindus as refugees. State BJP president Ranjit Dutta said the BJP's stand is that any Hindu who crossedover to Assam from Bangladesh is a refugee as they are victims of religious and political persecution. “We will oppose any move to brand such displaced Hindus living in Assam as illegal migrants,” he said.

Several senior state BJP leaders, including Kabindra Purkayastha and Rajen Gohain attended the meeting.

The BJP’s selective stand on the issue could snowball into a crisis since All Assam Students Union, Asom Gana Parishad — with which the party had an election tie-up— and other like-minded organisations are demanding deportation of illegal migrants as per Assam Accord irrespective of their religion or the language they speak._The BJP leaders who spoke at meeting held at Bishnu Nirmala Trust Auditorium at Latasil recalled that soon after independence, the Union government has assured unconditional citizenship to Hindus, who migrated to India (from Pakistan, including present Bangladesh) after Partition.

BJP MP from Guwahati Bijoya Chakraborty said that Hindus who have migrated to Assam from Bangladesh due to persecution should be considered as refugees as their condition is no different from those who migrated to India from West Pakistan after partition.

Several senior state BJP leaders, including Kabindra Purkayastha, Rajen Gohain and Mission Ranjan Das, among others also attended the meeting.

BCL men vandalise Ramna temple, 3 held

Source: The Daily Star News

A group of Bangladesh Chhatra League activists vandalise two idols at Ramna Kali Mandir in the capital on Sunday over taking control of the shops. Photo: STAR Star Online Report

A group of Bangladesh Chhatra League activists vandalised two idols and several shops at Ramna Kali Mandir in the capital on Sunday over taking control of the shops.

Police arrested three activists of the BCL, the ruling party backed student organisation, from the spot and produced them before a Dhaka court.

Rezaul Karim, officer-in-charge of Shahbagh Police Station, said some 70 to 80 BCL activists of Utpal Shah group from Jagannath Hall, a Dhaka University dormitory specialised for the students from Hindu and Buddhist communities, vandalised two shops and the heads of two idols inside the temple around 12:30am.

Hearing the incidents, Shahbagh police rushed in and arrested Ananato Bhowmic, a first-year student of Sankskrita department, and Prakash, a master’s student of the same department, and Rimon Biswas, a second year student of Institute of Social Welfare and Research at the university.

Campus sources said activists of Utpal Shaha group vandalised the shops run by BCL central committee leader Hemonta Bepari and his friend Bipul for taking control of the shops there.

The police officer said Utpal group launched the attack following a conflict between him and Pankaj over getting posts in the temple maintaining committee, setting up the shops there and spreading unilateral hegemony in the temple area ahead of Kali Puja.

Ensure Dalit's rights in constitution: Demand speakers

Source: The Daily Star News

Speakers at a press conference yesterday demanded inclusion of a special provision in the constitution to ensure social security, citizen's rights and human dignity of the Dalit community.

They said Dalits are considered as the isolated community in the country and are victims of immense discrimination due to the absence of such a provision.

The provision is needed to ensure an end to all sorts of prejudice, they added.

The press conference was jointly organised by the Bangladesh Dalit and Excluded Rights Movement (BDERM) and Nagorik Uddyog at the Dhaka Reporters Unity (DRU).

Addressing the press conference, Justice Gholam Rabbani stressed the need for inclusion of a special rule in the code of procedure to punish people behaving in a discriminatory manner with Dalit communities.

Rabbani suggested introduction of the rule with the provision of awarding 6 months to 3 years imprisonment to anyone putting impediments to Dalits from receiving education, treatment and other fundamental rights.

Reading out a written statement, BDERM President Mukul Sikder categorically demanded an end to social discrimination on grounds of caste and professions.

BDERM General Secretary Bodhanaki Shalomon said the Dalits are falling far behind in development because of social discrimination and deprivation.

Inclusion of the special provision and formulation of a necessary law is very essential to protect the just rights of Dalits, he added.

Their other demands include a constitutional declaration terming social discrimination against Dalits as a crime and to ensure equal opportunity for them in different government, non-government and autonomous institutions.

Nagorik Uddyog Chief Executive Jakir Hossain and Dalit Nari Forum President Moni Rani Das were present at the press conference.

Hindu priest killed in clash

Source: The Daily Star News

A Hindu priest was killed during a clash between the management committee of Shonai Kali Temple and its rival group at Nashibganj Bazar in Pirganj upazila on Thursday evening.

The deceased was identified as Shashi Mohan Barman, 70, priest of the temple.

Officer-in-Charge Abdul Hamid of Pirgonj Police Station said Shubhendranath Barman, vice-president of the temple management committee and son of the priest, went to Nashibgonj Bazar to collect contributions for upcoming Kali Puja.

A rival group of the committee led by Shontosh and his three accomplices came to the bazar and engaged in an altercation with Shubhendranath.

Shashi arrived at the spot just as the two groups started fighting and at one stage he was hit with a stick, leaving him dead on the spot.

On information, police recovered the body from the spot and sent it to the district sadar hospital yesterday for autopsy.

Shubhendranath filed a murder case with the police station yesterday accusing four people including Shontosh.

Bike-riding stalker kills a mother

Source: The daily star

The mother (middle) of these four daughters paid dearly with her life for protesting stalking. Photo: Rezaul Karim

Daily Star Correspondent, Faridpur

A motorbike-riding stalker ran over and killed a mother for protesting his harassing her two daughters in Madhukhali upazila here on Tuesday.

Deceased Chanpa Rani Bhowmik, 45, an employee of Faridpur Sugar Mill and wife of Swapan Biswas, was run over by Rony Saha, son of Ratan Saha of the upazila, police and relatives of the victim said.

Chanpa's killing came just three days after the sad demise of a Natore college teacher, Mizanur Rashid, who was similarly killed by stalkers riding on a bike on October 12.

Soma, one of her daughters, said Rony, aged about 21, ran her mother down near their house around 4:45pm when she came up to the road to see off some guests.

She succumbed to her injuries at Faridpur Medical College Hospital around 6:00pm.

The death of Chanpa Rani once again exposes the vulnerability of those protesting harassment of women.

Arun Kumar Bhowmik, Chanpa's brother, filed a murder case with Madhukhali Police Station in this connection yesterday. The case statement said Rony had been stalking and harassing his twin nieces -- Hira and Mukta -- for the last one year.

Faridpur Superintendent of Police Awlad Ali Fakir said the case was recorded as a murder case, since Rony ran over Chanpa.

Police, however, have yet to arrest the culprit, as he has gone into hiding. His stepmother told The Daily Star that he has not returned home since the incident.

Rony's father Ratan Saha, a liquor trader at west Garakhola in Modhukhali, is also hiding, locals said.

Faridpur Sugar Mill High School headmaster Shahid Hasan Md Atikul Haque said Hira and Mukta, candidates of the upcoming SSC examination, are very meritorious students. A few months ago Chanpa told him that Rony had been stalking her twin daughters and waylaying them with his bike.

Konok Hasan Masud, convener of an anti-stalking committee of the school, said Rony threatened Chanpa and her husband Swapan Biswas to pick up Hira to teach them a good lesson for their complaints and protest against him.

Swapan said Rony also threatened over the phone to kill him a few days ago.

Meanwhile, workers and employees of Faridpur Sugar Mill and students of Faridpur Sugar Mill High School blocked the Dhaka-Khulna highway for nearly half an hour protesting the death and demanding punishment of the “killer”.

They also demonstrated in front of the Madhukhali Upazila Parishad and formed a human chain in front of the sugar mill.

Workers and employees of the mill have threatened to go on a strike if Rony is not arrested within 24 hours.

Stalking of women has taken a turn for the worse with a growing number of people being killed for trying to resist the menace.

In last nine months, at least 25 women killed themselves to escape the horror of abuse, while nine males lost their lives for standing up against stalkers, says a report of rights group Ain O Salish Kendra.

During the same period, a father committed suicide, unable to withstand watching her daughter being humiliated.

Failure of the state and the society to protect women from stalking has led many young girls and, in some cases, parents to commit suicide.

Bangladesh Harijans want quota in jobs

Source: SIFY News

Dhaka, Oct 23 (IANS) Members of Harijan communities in Bangladesh's southern port city of Barisal have asked for 80 percent reservation in the jobs such as sweepers and cleaners. The country is home to 1.5 million Harijans who were brought here during the British era from Maharastra and Andhra Pradesh in undivided India.

Around 6,000 community members are protesting the appointments of people from other communities as sweepers and cleaners, saying they have been the 'most neglected' lot of the society.

Harijans, widely termed as 'untouchables', have been living in appalling condition, being deprived of education, employment and housing, The Daily Star said Friday. Having participated in the country's freedom movement and separation from Pakistan has not improved their conditions. In jobs, they remain daily wage earners after years of working, their leaders say.

They continue to live in densely populated commercial and residential areas of the city without any sanitation, sewerage, drinking water, electric supply and education facilities.

'We do not have any land for permanent residence,' said Harijn leader Joyanta Kumar Das, secretary of the Barisal Harijan Oikkya Parishad.

The rate of literacy among Harijans of the city was less than 20 percent, said Laxman Lal, president of the Parishad.

'There is only one primary school for the Harijan community at Amir Kutir and admission of the Harijan children in other schools is often discouraged, Laxman said.