Politicians fear attacks on minorities again

Bangladesh Minority Sangram Parishad on a daylong hunger strike before the High Court in the capital yesterday demanding formation of a special body at every district for the protection of religious minorities and formation of a special tribunal to try perpetrators of attacks on the communities. Photo: Star

Accusing the government of failing to prevent attacks on minority communities following the January 5 parliamentary polls, politicians yesterday expressed concern over a possible recurrence after the upcoming upazila parishad elections and urged for pre-emptive measures.
Secularism should be embedded in the new generation through textbooks, they told a discussion, “Post-poll violence on minority, witnesses' experience sharing and what needs to be done”.
Samprodayikota-Jangibad Birodhi Mancha, a platform against communalism and militancy, organised the discussion in the capital's Liberation War Museum.
“Communalism has been injected in our intellects and minds. Communalism will be eradicated only when families teach children to hate it as families are the primary educational institutions,” said lawmaker Nazmul Haque Pradhan.
“Those who practice communalism have no place in Bangladesh and voice should be raised to prevent it,” he added.
Veteran left politician Pankaj Bhattacharya said the culture of impunity led to rampant communal attacks and from his observations since 2001, the violence was carried out upon the administration's “silent consent”.
“It seems like Mir Zafars (traitors) are lurking in our administration. If they cannot be rooted out, it will not be possible to build a Bangladesh based on the Liberation War's spirit,” he added.
Banning Jamaat-e-Islami will not reduce terrorism in Bangladesh as its “economic empire” has spread to every sector of society. Therefore, its institutions should be nationalised, he said.
BNP has been patronising Jamaat and BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia must be charged with treason, he added.
Admitting that the Awami League failed to immediately respond to the attacks after the January 5 polls, the party Presidium Member Nooh-ul-Alam Lenin observed that educated persons are more communal than those having little or no educational background.