Instigators of violence must be brought to justice
We condemn, in the strongest possible terms, the most recent attack on the Hindu community in Boro Karimpur, a fishing village in Pirganj upazila, Rangpur. Since October 13, religious zealots have launched a series of attacks targeting Hindu communities in at least 10 districts. We join our voice with university professors, students, and other professionals and people across the country who have denounced these attacks and demanded answers from the government for failing to protect the Hindu community, as well as demand justice for the victims of these heinous and senseless attacks.
The attack on the fishing village was allegedly prompted, again, by a Facebook post "hurting religious sentiments." However, as this newspaper reported on Tuesday, a handful of law enforcers and the chairman of the local union parishad had temporarily managed to subdue tensions in its immediate aftermath. That is, until loudspeakers from at least three mosques were used to instigate people to attack the Hindu community. First of all, given the recent series of attacks on the minority community, we fail to understand why only a handful of law enforcers were deployed in the area. The administration should have sent many more police officials to ensure that no more unsavoury incidents took place. In any case, the instigators who used the loudspeakers to urge people to vandalise and loot Hindu houses and other properties must be identified and brought to justice.
The amount of damage that was done in the attack was reportedly enormous. Everything that the fishermen and other members of this community owned was either destroyed or looted. Therefore, these people need urgent support from the government which, we hope, will be up to the task.
What is most disappointing, however, is that we have been seeing this same story repeating itself, time and time again. According to Ain o Salish Kendra, as many as 3,710 attacks on the Hindu community took place between January 2013 and September 2021. These attacks included vandalism of and setting fire to Hindu homes, shops and businesses, as well as vandalism of and arson attacks on Hindu temples, and incidents of grabbing land and properties belonging to Hindu people.
Unfortunately, not only is this a result of increased societal intolerance—which has been propagated over the years by certain groups for political gains and/or personal benefits—but also an outcome of the failure of successive governments to protect minority communities and hold the attackers and instigators—including members of various bodies that were somehow affiliated with the ruling party of the day—to account. That is why these attacks should also serve as a reminder for the administration to reflect on its own actions and inactions of the past—and perhaps also the present—that have, at the very least, failed to prevent them.
The government must remain vigilant, especially in the coming days. Law enforcement personnel should be deployed at the slightest hint of disturbances or instigation of violence against minority communities. Hindu community members, who have been hurt or harmed during these attacks, need to be supported by the government in order to get back on their feet. Additionally, those responsible for the attacks—and particularly the instigators—must be brought to justice.
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