Naxalites attack on CAAMB International seminar on Bangladesh Minorities in JU

Upananda Brahmachari | HENB |  Kolkata : With an utmost effort to vandalize the “International Seminar on Persecution on Hindu, Buddhist and Christian minorities in Bangladesh” as convened by CAAMB (Campaign Against Atrocities on Minorities in Bangladesh) on 1st April in the auditorium of Indian Institute of Chemical Engineers in Jadavpur University Campus. The programme was supported by Center for Research in Indo-Bangla Relations, Kolkata.

In this  well attended programme,  delegates from Bangladesh, USA, UK,  France, Switzerland, Belgium, Canada and the host country India highlighted the severe fundamental persecution upon Bangladeshi Religious Minorities and Indigenous people now facing an existential threat on them both in the regimes of past BNP govt and presently in Awami League govt in Islamic Bangladesh. Most of the delegates have been working for the rights of minorities in Bangladesh.

The first day of the seminar was focused on  “Ethnic Cleansing of Minorities Bangladesh-Responsibility of Diaspora in West Bengal and Abroad” in the 1st Session; 2nd Session as  “Rise of Fundamentalism and fate of minorities” and 3rd Session as  “Indo Bangladesh Relations and Minorities in Bangladesh”.

Governor of Tripura Tathagato Roy inaugurated the seminar and the prog was attended by Ushatan Talukdar, Member of Parliament, Bangladesh  and Chairman of Chittagong Hill Tracts Janasanhati Samity; Arun Kumar Dutta, Coordinator,  Bangladesh Minority Rights Alliance, Toronto, Canada;  Sitangshu Guha BHBCUC, USA;   Dr. Chitta Das, General Secretary, Oikya Parishad UK;  Ms.Garg Maity, Director-Bangladesh Women’s Unity Council, USA; Advocate Gobinda Chandra Pramanik, Secretary General of Bangladesh Jatiyo Hindu Mohajote, Dhaka;  Advocate Rabindra Ghosh, President, Bangladesh Minority Watch; Pinaki Das, Joint Secretary, Sanatan International Foundation (SIF), Dhaka;  Ripon Dey, Juba Hindu Mohajote, Dhaka and many others NRIs and NRBs. The delegates presented their matters on the given topics with documentations

Manas Ghosh Ex-Editor of Dainik Statesman; Rantideb Sengupta, Ex. Editor, Saptahik Bartaman, Prof. Achinta Biswas – Ex VC of Gour Banga University; Prof. Esha Dey – Eminent Writer; Binayak Bandyopadhyay – Eminent Poet & Writer; Prof. Joyanta Roy; Sudhendu Mohan Talukdar, National President, Bharatia Gana Parishad, Assam and WB BJP State President, Dilip Ghosh also delivered their opinions in this International seminar.

In his inaugural speech Tripura Governor Tathagata Roy highlighted that fanatic Muslims in Bangladesh have forcefully encroached 8,000 sq kilometer areas from Hindus there in these years. “The enactment of Enemy Properties Law in 1965 and culpable encroachment of Hindu properties forced million of Hindus to leave their motherland Bangladesh”, Roy told. But, he  hoped that the Present Prime Minister of Bangladesh, Sheikh Hasina would take care the Minorities in Bangladesh with her able initiatives.

BJP State President Dilip Ghosh told that the persecuted Hindus in Bangladesh must build a real unity. Many organisations in the same purpose, vested interest and inner conflicts in them will cause a failure to attain the goal.

Both Roy and Ghosh opined that Bengali Hindus in WB would not be mute spectators after seeing the high persecution and atrocities upon Minority Hindus and Buddhist, Christians, Tribal people in  neighboring Bangladesh.

Advocate Gobinda Chandra Pramanik (BJHM), Advocate Rabindranath Ghosh (BDMW) and Advocate Subrato Choudhury (BHBCUC) from Bangladesh presented their experiences of persecution as minority Hindus both in BNP and Awami League ruling in Islamic Bangladesh. The seminar was well conducted by Dr Mohit Roy of CAAMB and Bimal Pramanik of CRIBR.

The  CAAMB seminar in Jadavpur was actually shaped as an International stature and many intellectuals, writers, thinkers, rights activists joined the same. But the Naxalite effort to attack on the international delegates and dignitaries is highly condemnable and shameful as well.

To avoid any physical assault on the foreign delegates, the organizers sent them out of the scene by car, but a section of hooligan students of JU attacked and physically assaulted some local invitees in the seminar. The Naxalite students hurled abusive languages and threatened not to conduct any further programmes by any ‘Fascist Hindu Forums’ in JU campus.

It is apprehend that the attackers did no venture to run their hooliganism in the 1st part of the seminar as there was police deployment as the Governor of Tripura and State President of BJP were present in the venue. Consequently, they appeared in the scene in the later part of the programme.

Police took no action against the hooligan Naxal students of JU. Though the organizers of the seminar took formal permission of the University authority to conduct the same.

The organizers of the seminar sought police protection for the delegates and invitees to attend Second day programme (on 2nd April in Academy of Fine Arts,Cathedral Road-Kolkata) viewing the first day attack in Jadavpur University.

Source : Hindu Existence