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The Oppressed Minorities

Dr. Ajoy Roy

Bicharer Bani Nirabe Nivrite Kande:

Bhola on the news again: Is it a case of minority persecution ?

Three girls in one family sexually persecuted

It seems Bhola would never cease to be news in national dailies. Last time I visited Lord Hardinge union under Lalmohan police station some time in May, 2002 a school boy of Fatemabad village in a whispering voice narrated a story of a school going girl of class IX. A very known notorious spoilt young man of the locality physically attacked the girl in a lonely village path. As she was passing through a lonely area covered with bushes and long trees on both sides of the path, the notorious boy was waiting for her. Taking advantage of the loneliness of the spot, she attacked her physically- her umbrella was thrown away, piece of cloth covering her head and upper body (Orna) snatched away and forcibly dragged to a nearby small temple covered with jungles. She cried in fear and as good luck favoured her, some passers by on hearing her crying rescued her. The young man took to his heels. The boy told me that young man was very known in the locality for his notorious activities. He was involved in many cases with his associates including some rape cases in October 2001 repressions against minorities of those localities, but neither the police nor the social leaders of the locality took effective actions against them. Leniency always encourages crimes to flourish. On that occasion I talked to some locals including inmates of the house of the girl, though the girl and her parents were away. I was informed that a village salishi (arbitration) was summoned with the initiative of the schoolteachers at the school campus- the culprit was found guilty. Ten canings and some fine were prescribed as punishment. But alas the punishment was never carried out even when I revisited the village in March, 2003 about a year later.

But I have not taken up my pen again to describe an old story. I am getting tired to expose these stories of almost identical nature, and surely coming from Bhola. But my good journalist friend, Mr. Mobaswer Ullah Choudhury from Bhola visited me a week before and narrated a horrifying and unbelieving story of three minority girls of a same family. My journalist friend requested me to put the news to internet readers for international circle. I pointed out to him that this would be an offence as in the eye of Begum Khaleda and her government this constitutes an ?export information-terrorism?! My friend repeated his request with a simpleton-smile (hope my friend would pardon me for the use of the term). A few days later the news found the columns of a prominent Dhaka daily. So I found a footing to post the news to internet.

What happened really ?

The story revolves around a poor family of a so-called low caste Hindu known as Kulu or Teli. The head of the family is a middle aged simple gentleman, Sridham Teli. Sridham a year before had a happy family with two daughters, elder one being happily married to a relatively well to do family. Recently, his younger daughter was forcibly picked up by a middle-aged man named Nasu Munshi (45), quite well known in the locality for his notorious activities. The Teli family also knows the man. The profession of Nasu Munshi is village tautism

The village Charharish is as usual located in a remote place within inaccessible Charkalmi union about 30 km southwest from Upazila town Charfashon in the coastal district Bhola. Charkamli is located on the western coast of Bhola not far from the bank river Tetulia. Sridhams are two brothers, elder one is Balaram Teli. They live in a locality of the village known as Telipara where there are other Teli-families too. The traditional profession of this particular caste-people is to press mustards to extract mustard oils using indigenous pressing machines run by bulls. Then they sell oils to nearby market for their livelihood. Bus as of other cast-bound professions (e.g. blacksmiths, metalsmiths, potters etc... ) this profession also became out of vogue because of introduction of modern technology. Two brothers now make their livelihood by selling variety of snacks fried in mustard oil (telehaja) from one market to anther in the village including one, Baturhat that lies very near to their houses.

The Vile

Just adjacent to village market Baturhat flows a canal. Infamous Nasu lives just on the other side of the canal with his large family with two wives and eleven sons daughters. On 4^th June, 2003 early in the morning Sridham?s younger daughter Kunjalata went to a pond-ghat near to her house for washing of faces. As it seemed now, in a preplanned raid 4-5 miscreants led by Nasu himself forcible kidnapped her to his own house. During operation a team of miscreants cordoned off the houses of Teli brothers. After a few hours she was walked down to another place through Majherchar clad in yashmak (borkha) obviously for ill motive to satisfy their sex-lust.

The bewildered and mortified father went to Charfashon police station to register complain. But the OC refused to take any FIR. The father returned home more frustrated. After two days i.e. on 6^th June, one SI named Shajahan came apparently for investigation to the locality. But he did not went to the village Charharish, lace of occurrence nor he interrogated the accused Nasu Munshi, rather he completed his investigation talking to persons assembled in a tea shop of Naluabazar of Charkalmi. What a dutiful officer in deed. Perhaps in defence of the officer, our higher police administration would come out with a statement that the salary and facilities an SI gets one should not expect better service than that. This reminds me a story, of course very much oft-quoted: once a student asked his private tutor the English equivalent of Bengali ?Chunkam? to which the teacher replied ?lime work.? When the guardian pointed out the mistake to the tutor, he replied one can do ?lime work? with the tuition fees given, with this meager pay ?whitewash? is not possible. The police officer left the place completing his inquiry and asked panic-stricken poor Shridham to see him next day at the police station with money, of course ! But where would Kunjalat?s poor dad get money that would fill big black hole like mouth of the dutiful officer.

The inmates of Nasu?s families including his sons and wives knew of his vileness wickedness. They admitted the truth of the incidence. The planning was made in the previous night with his two close accomplices Kasem and Ghani and executed with perfection in the following morning.

Her two sisters faced the same fate

Oh no this is not the end of the story. Kunjlata?s elder sister, Ranjita was happily married to a young man at village Bisarat under Bauphal police station in Patuakhali. In the last January, about 5 months back she came to visit her parents? home with her husband. As ill luck would have been, Nasu and his notorious associates picked her forcibly from the bedside of her husband at dead night. Can one imagine such hair-raising event could take place in a civilized country we call Bangladesh. Do you have any language to condemn it ? Don?t you think we have no government, no police, no DCs?, no SPs and above all no army generals? Fortunately, yes fortunately- compared to Kunjalata, Ranjita was discovered from place Ilisha in Bhola molested and disgraced. Her parents were glad to find her back. But she lost her place permanently in her in laws? home as her husband abandoned her out of social indignation. The brave husband failed to save her wife, and I don?t blame him for that, but did not hesitate to leave his most pure wife for fear of social isolation. But the culprits survive and flourish unabated.

Is it the end ? No, Sir story is not yet over. Four months before Ranjita?s sad episode, the same Nasu and his notorious gangsters kidnapped cousin sister of Ranjita-Kunjalata, Jyotsna (19), daughter of Balaram Teli, elder brother of Shridham. After being gang raped for two days she was returned to her parents. Her husband too abandoned her. Both these girls are now with their parents.

Epilogue

Could you believe ! Within 8 months three girls from same Shridham-Balaram family were kidnapped and rapped en masse. No cases taken by the police. Culprits are roaming about in the very nose of our administration, police and civil. What a shame ! Where is our home minister ? Why is he not resigning with all his police bahini. What for they exist ? if they can?t protect innocent girls like Jyotsna, Ranjita and Kunjalata from the clutches of the evils. Historiographer including great Ibne Khalidun said that history repeats itself after a time cycle. But poor Shridham-Balaram Teli family didn?t know it would come to their family so rapidly repeating itself with a period of just less than 3 months. Neither Balaram nor Shridham ever heard the word ?history?, but they learned a basic law of Historiography in a hard way. Thanks to our social evils and our inaction of our administration for teaching a god lesson of methodology of history.

No, even after over a week unfortunate girl Kunjalata was not yet recovered, nor police is trying with earnest to trace her out. Would you blame police. Would you call the trilogy a case of minority repression or by pass it as acts of a few derailed lunatics. Would you call it lust for grabbing property ? But where is the property ? both brothers feed themselves hand to mouth ? For political revenge ?, oh no, two brothers don?t know the meaning of politics. If it is not communal frenzy then what is communalism !

Was Tagore wrong when he uttered long long back

"Bicharer Bani Nirabe Nivrite Kande.... "

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