Culture of impunity and

its consequences
by Amit Roy Chowdhury
The 10th parliamentary elections are over. 153 candidates came out uncontested. Opposition boycotted the elections. Still near about 5
lakh law enforcers were deployed to ensure security. Vulnerable centers were wrapped up in tight security. But all these precautions could
not avert destruction of 600 Hindu temples, 450 houses and 250 business centers. Its not that this is the first time such a thing has
occurred.
Over the last few decades, Bangladesh has experienced this sort of targeted assault to minority lives and properties. In 1971 Bangladesh
emerged as a modern secular nationhood in the world arena. In the post 75 circumstances, the direction of the nations journey was
reversed. At the time of liberation, one statistics shows, Hindu population was as high as 30 per cent, while in 2014 it dropped down to eight
per cent. It betrays the fact that blood and tears shed by Hindus in 1971 was in vain. The community lost its moral and legal claim to get
citizenship from India as a refugee in line with Mujib-Indira treaty in 1972. Thus an innocent, peace loving community having failed to stand
against an unprovoked, one sided and organised communal violence, have fled their ancestral homesteads and got locked in another
struggle for survival on a foreign soil amid profound uncertainty. As a result of this dilemma their human disaster along with psychological
trauma
Lets

has
look

into

stretched
the

reasons

out

why

Hindu

from

population

has

one
to

generation

migrate

and

accept

to

another.

adversaries

of

uncertainty.

Vested Property act: At the time of Indo-Pak war in 1965 the Enemy Property act was put in force under an interim ordinance. But Pakistani
military regime carried on the process of enacting this black law with a special agenda for breaking down the economic and moral base of
Hindu community. But an irony of fate, even after independence in 1971, the act survived under a new colour as Vested Property Act. No
question even in case with a free democratic society; I am afraid, now-a-days any worst form of racist regime like the then South Africa
could drag such laws ultra vires the basic principles of human rights. However, the present government took few effective initiatives to
cancel

some

clauses

of

the

act

during

its

last

tenure.

Election based violence: It is well known that local or national, elections at any level, if it is held in Bangladesh, bound to matter with
minority Hindus. Rape, murder, plunder, arson, vandalism, extortion-the minority has developed a kind of natural resilience to encounter
these odds as natural disaster. But this time in 2014, during the aftermath of elections, the violence that still continues, has already visited
45 districts giving an ominous message to this helpless population. First, it is being done when a progressive party, supposed to have
enjoyed the victims favour, is in power. Second, the scale and range of carnage raises concern. Third, in 2001, under similar situations,
2,500 villages were ransacked, 3,270 criminal offences were committed out of which 355 was murder. But the government could not bring
those culprits to book. Investigation was made but none was prosecuted. Thus the evil forces gained grounds and the culture of impunity
got

established.

Orchestrated attacks on minority: None would deny that Hindu segment of our population, specially the selfless teachers has contributed
significantly in promoting our socio-cultural ethos. But very recently some peculiar examples of premeditated assault on them gave rise to
several questions. Fr examples allegations surfaced that a teacher happened to pass some blasphemous comments. Violent protests took
place. Miscreants swooped on minority. They didnt bother, where and how the accused had committed that crime, they did not allow the
poor

teacher

to

defend

himself.

More interesting is the fact that the same complain package spread over from one township to another. Chittagong, Bagerhat, Gopalgonj,
Narail,

Dinajpur,

Satkhira,

Dhaka,

Rajshahi

witnessed

similar

mayhem

one

after

another

within

short

spell.

Rumour plays a vital role in pursuing vicious design of the perpetrators. We cant ignore the power of lies. Rumour of killing some Abu Bakr
may

have

incited

the

goons

to

create

reign

of

terror

at

Abhaynagar.

Trial of war criminals: In 2008, the ruling party was voted back to power on an articulate promise that they would try and mete out justice to

war criminals. In 1971, a huge scale of genocide, arson, rape, vandalism took place in Bangladesh. Hindu community fell fresh victim to
such atrocities in huge number. As a result, some of them had to be state witnesses, either by ethical compulsion or by the instigation of the
state machineries. But presuming their eventualities Hindu communities started fleeing in groups across the border. And in due course as
soon the verdict of ICT was declared, the same known miscreants unleashed a reign of terror on minority, as was predicted.
Time of festivity: I do not recollect a year of festivity that passed without any mishap of desecration of idols. Demolishing of Babri Mosque,
located thousands of miles away from Bangladesh, paved the way for opportunistic miscreants to destroy tens of thousands of temples,
lacs of people became homeless, nobody questioned why a cowardly act of fanatics at Ayodhya can affect the lives of five lakh minorities of
Bhola, who only lived by fishing. None cared to feel what happened in the remotest area of the Hindu psyche when 1200 years old Ramna
Kali Mandir was bulldozed in 1971 and a park was made on the site. Now people seem to need no excuse to target Hindu temples.
The primary task of our government is to ensure continued security for the affected minorities and speedy trial of the criminals, this can give
a right signal to the perpetrators. We should develop the level of tolerance to the members of other faiths and an attitude accommodative in
democratic practices in its real term and try to convince the voters in the campaigners way rather than threaten them not to go to voting
centers. More importantly, we should nourish a non communal family culture that can help foster a modern mind-set.
I have reason to believe that this resilient society with its rich heritage of cultural diversity will be able to put a halt to this backward journey
to

medievalism

and

uphold

the

values

of

1971.

The author is principal of Fakirhat Fazilatunnessa Mujib Mohila Degree College