Plight of Bangladeshi Hindus continue : Lalmonirhat family denied justice, security

Magh Shuklapaksha 5, Kaliyug Varsha 5115

2 girls of a Hindu family stopped going to school in fear of security as an alleged
rapist managed to walk free after a forceful understanding mediated by ruling Awami League leaders.

Two adolescent girls of a poor Hindu family in a Muslim-dominated village under Lalmonirhat sadar upazila have stopped going to school in fear of security as an alleged rapist managed to walk free after a forceful understanding mediated by ruling Awami League leaders at the local police station.

The four-member family, one of the two Hindu homesteads in Dhairkhata village of Kulaghat union, now plans to shift to another area selling their six-decimal land in fear of further persecution as they have been denied support both by the law enforcers and the local people.

Their two children, aged 11 and 13, are students of class VI and VII at Bhartibari High School.

Their mother lodged a case with Sadar police station on January 12 against neighbour Shamsul Haque, 45, member of local railway Sramik League’s executive committee, who allegedly attempted to rape her elder daughter at their shanty on January 8.

The night before, Shamsul and two of his accomplices allegedly threatened the housewife with dire consequences to agree on handing over the girl to him the next day.  

The matter spread in the area on January 10, but none dared to stand against the accused. Shamsul in his area is also known as a donor of BNP’s political activities.

He had earlier tried to violate the same girl at her place twice in the last three months, the family alleged.

Harassment on the two poor Hindu families, who live from hand to mouth, has not been new in the locality.

Shamsul’s younger brother was sued three years ago for raping a housewife of the other Hindu house in the village. But he too escaped legal measures after a so-called village arbitration had freed him from the charge.

“I had to sign the papers. The police and two Awami League leaders threatened me with arrest if I did not do so,” the housewife told the Dhaka Tribune.

“As I failed to get legal support from the police over the attacks [on January 7 and 8], we will leave the village as soon as possible to avoid further attack.”

Police say they mediated the understanding, took place at the sadar police station on January 20, as the victim’s family wanted to withdraw the case.

However, the housewife denies that she agreed to compromise the case.

Provisional Sub-Inspector PSI Nazrul Islam said both the sides agreed to reach a mutual understanding before he had started to investigate the allegation.

He said the officer-in-charge of the police station had confirmed him about the mediation. “The OC is all in all at the police station.”

OC Jamir Uddin said the case had been dismissed as there had been mutual understanding between the two quarters.

He said the issue had been dealt by nearby Gokunda union unit Awami League’s General Secretary Khorshed Alam Maznu and local Swechchhasebak League leader Shafiqul Islam at the police station.

The official said he had helped them preparing only the documents of mutual understanding.

The victim said: “Though we are poor, we never appealed for any help from the accused. But he always offered us educational accessories, clothes and other things. We refused him right away.”

She and her younger sister had been harassed regularly on their way to and from school.

“We have stopped going to school after the January 7 incident as Shamsul Haque and his men threatened our family that they will kidnap us in the way to school,” she said.

When contacted, both Khorshed Alam and Shafiqul denied taking any money from the accused or threatening the victim’s family. They claimed that the matter had been handled with the help of police as the affected Hindu family wanted it.

Accused Shamsul claimed that he had given Tk33,000 to the Awami League leaders to manage the victim’s family and the police withdrawing the case.

He, however, did not respond when the Dhaka Tribune asked him why he had to spend money to dismiss a false allegation.

Source : Dhaka Tribune