CLEANSING OF ETHNO-RELIGIOUS MINORITIES MUST BE STOPPED: Dalit and Indigenous communities are at the brink of annihilation.

Since Oct 2001 minorities of Bangladesh mostly Dalit and Indigenous Tribal communities are experiencing brutal violence against them. In fact they are on the brink of annihilation

BANGLADESH (PRWEB) May 18, 2004 --The cleansing of ethno-religious and tribal minorities of Bangladesh, which has increased since the General Election of October 2001, is still continuing unabated. Despite numerous attempts by HRCBM, NGOs and International communities, government of Bangladesh has completely failed to end the wide spread violence against minorities and protect the countrys most vulnerable community. In most cases, there are allegations of ruling party cadres being involved in the crime.

The violence against the community left hundreds even thousands of Dalit (countrys lower caste Hindus) rendered homeless or taken refuge in the neighboring Indian states to escape violence in the own homeland.

According to a conservative estimate by Global IDP project of Norwegian Refugee Council around 500,000 minorities have been internally displaced since October 2001. The number excludes hundreds of thousands who have escaped the country and taken shelter in the neighboring Indian states of West Bengal, Assam, Arunachal, Meghalaya & Tripura.

The IDP report is available at http://www.hrcbm.org/genocide/Bangladesh_internal_dis_idp.html .

In another press release ( http://www.refugeesinternational.org/cgi-bin/ri/bulletin?bc=00623 ) issued by Refugee International (RI), the organization has alleged government of Bangladesh doing little to protect minorities where it estimates 20,000 families rendered homeless. The press release, which was issued on 08/08/2003, has depicted the devastating consequences of VPA (Vested Property Act), quoting ALRD (Association of Land Reform and Development) RI stated a total of 1,048,390 Hindu households that were affected by the VPA and 1.5 million acres of land were seized.

This is just a part of the story; HRCBM field investigation reports suggest almost a daily occurrence of minority land being confiscated and women & girls being gang raped.

Although countrys constitution guarantees land rights for citizens yet VPA and other discriminating postures of the countrys government has created a perfect opportunity for criminals to instigate violence against countrys most vulnerable community and confiscate their land.

The irony is that the plights of Bangladesh minorities are always misunderstood, while the widening social divide in the country has given the birth of intellects who are virtually sightless to the agony of minority communities justify their campaign of Bangladesh being tolerant as the patriotic deeds, on the other hand political opportunities both nationally and Internationally depicts the situation is a simple law and order situation.

In between the eyebrows and political tug of war, the justice and dignity remain as buzz words for millions of minorities in Bangladesh especially the Dalit.

Dalit who comprise more than 70% of countrys minority population and resides in remote villages find them at the receiving end of ever ending violence. The poor and helpless community is often denied of justice by local administration. Due to their vulnerability and remote proximity, the community is almost confined and at the brink of annihilation.

Everyday HRCBM is receiving reports of wide spread gang rapes of women and girls for which most of the victims are from countrys vulnerable Dalit community. The organizations websites includes hundreds of cases of gang rapesthat will speak the situation for itself.

Last year, a well known newspaper of UK, The Gaurdian" rightfully stated in its newscast that gang rape is used as a tool of systematic and planned annihilation of countrys minorities.

The report is available at http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,3604,1002184,00.html . Although the report shows the grim pictures of countrys minorities it failed to depict the actual situation of Dalit in the country.

Unlike the indigenous people of Chittagong Hill tract Dalit who live in remote villages of Bangladesh rarely getting world attention. Until HRCBMs inception, their plights were virtually unknown.

Yet it is still difficult to reach remote villages to their support. HRCBM virtually receive no institutional supports and cooperation from government finds it difficult to reach to thousands of Dalit victims in remote villages.

In cases, criminals with unholy alliances of local administration misuse the domestic remedies and often used it against HRCBM to keep it at bay. One such incident can be depicted as an example.

In Nowabgangj, Bangladesh where more than 100 families of Dalit were kept literally confined for which HRCBM went to rescue, the victims are yet to receive justice. Please read the report at http://www.hrcbm.org/NEWLOOK/nowabganj_preview.html and http://www.hrcbm.org/NEWLOOK/nowabganj_final.html .

To keep HRCBM out of the reach, criminals with help from police filed multiple cases against HRCBMs workers forcing the organization to seek anticipatory bails and virtually keep off its operation from the area.

Despite its numerous appeal, government has not yet extended help to the Dalits of Nowabganj and criminals is yet to be apprehended.

Minorities including indigenous people such as Dalit, Santhal, Jumma, Khewang, Mormu and others who live in the remote villages of Bangladesh finds them at the mercy of criminals.

HRCBM afraid that the situation in the ground could be worse than it has predicted.

Henceforth, the organization appeals to International community to immediately intervene and allowed the organization to deploy vigilance with cooperation from countrys government and NGOs and bring offenders to justice.

Failure to take immediate steps could bring a disastrous end to countrys minorities especially Dalit and Indigenous people.