Picture (courtesy HRCBM-Dhaka): Victims of Degoliar Tek, Nelerpara, Joydevpur giving statements to Police and HRCBM while Police sub Inspector (civil dress) listening.	Picture (courtesy HRCBM-Dhaka): Victims of Degoliar Tek, Nelerpara, Joydevpur at the house of Madhusudhan Mallick giving interviews HRCBM while Police listening.
Picture (courtesy HRCBM-Dhaka): Prof. Taru of HRCBM taking interviews from victims at DegoliarTek, Joydevpur.	Picture (courtesy HRCBM-Dhaka): Prof. Taru of HRCBM further checking the injury of Deepak.

Incident of Demarpara, Joydevpur 

We left Degaliar Teck and started for" Demorpara." 10 kilometers from Degaliar Teck by a police van. It is a neighboring village but as there was no direct way to reach there, we had to go around a way. It took us half an hour to reach Demarpara where the terrorists created a panic. Soon after the occurrence of Nelerpara (Digaliar Teck), the terrorists  attacked  Demorpara and raided the houses there on the same night (24.03.03).  When we tried to talk to the victims they all were reluctant to speak with us because of further repression and torture. In the meantime it was circulated throughout the locality that the photographs of the terrorists who invaded the houses on the night of occurrence were printed in the newspapers and so there is possibility of further attack even murder.
 In spite of their reluctance to speak even a word, we tried our best to make them understand that we don't belong to any political party, rather we are from Human Rights Congress for Bangladesh Minorities the only organization working for the minorities in Bangladesh. Hearing our assurance and association's name the victims felt comfort and thus we were able to retrieve information from them.
On the night of occurrence, 4/5 houses were raided. The people irrespective of young and old were tortured mercilessly. Subash Das complains that he was sleeping with his wife and children at his house. At about 1 p.m. when his cousin Monomohan went outside for natural call, he was attacked by two terrorists who tied him with rope and took him to his elder brother's house - the house of Doyal Mohan. They threatened them and looted all the clothes, gold and a sewing machine of his daughter-in-law (wife of his son Jagadish).
After that a group of miscreants tried to break through the windows of his house and threatened his younger brother Subrata to open the door. When Subrata obeyed, they confined him in the house and tied him with a rope and made him stand still. One of the terrorists threatened Subash and snatched away Taka 12,000/-,  One Mobile Phone set No.0171-1660796 costing about 8,000/- and various kinds of ornaments weighing of 7 tolas (costing Taka 50,000/- approximately).

During the incident, the people of the neighboring Muslims heard scream and cries for help but nobody came to their help. The terrorists used masks so that they might not be identified.
All the victims - Subash Das and Subrata Das sons of Sadananda Das, Anjali Das, wife of ubash Das, Purnalaksmi Das, wife of Monomohan Das, Shresh Chandra son of Doyal Chandra Das and other people present there admitted the fact and requested us to take drastic action against the terrorists responsible for this type of offence.
As per allegation submitted to the police, the police till then registered no regular case.
At about 4 p.m. we came to Madhyapara Chayha Bithi where Depak Mallick - the victim released from Dhaka Medical College Hospital was staying. We met Advocate Chandra Shkhar Mallick, a relation of Depak Malick and talked with him regarding the over all situation at Gazipur. Mr. Mallick, an Advocate of Zilla Judges court informed us of the utter helplessness of the minorities living there.

 We talked with the victim - Deepak Mallick who was staying with Sandya Rani Sarkar, MLSS of Sadar Hospital Gazipur. Sandya Rani, being a close relation to the victim was always with him during the period of his treatment at local hospital as well as Dhaka Medical college Hospital. 

Picture (courtesy HRCBM-Dhaka): Prof. Ashoke Taru of HRCBM-Dhaka is asking some questions to a victim in Demerpara, Joydevpur.	Picture (courtesy HRCBM-Dhaka): HRCBM-Dhaka representative examining the wound of a victim.

 Advocate Rabindra Ghosh of HRCBM requested the Sub-Inspectors of Police present to take case from the victim Subash Chandra Das son of late Sadananda Das of Demorpara as three family members of the same locality were subjected to torture and repression, even a children aged about 7 years was not escaped from the onslaught of the terrorists. The police sub-inspectors took the case from Subash Chandra in writing and Joydevpur P.S case No.62 dated 24.03.2003 was recorded under section 392 of Bangladesh Penal code as dacoity (robbery). Both the police recorded the cases only because of HRCBM's intervention and persuasion; otherwise there would have been no proof of such persecution and torture upon the religious minorities in those areas. We are getting more incidents of torture and repression upon Hindus those who stay in different remote areas of villages where even no communication facilities are available. We also found the mentality of every person in those areas to suppress the facts. As a result more repression and torture generates. 

At about 6 p.m.on 28th of March, 2003 we sat together with the local leaders of Hindu community at the "Kripamoyee Kali Mondir" premises. The leaders observed this sort of discriminatory treatment against the religious minorities in Bangladesh is not only a single instance but there are a series of incidents like this which generally do not come in day light for proper adjudication and equitable justice for the destitute minorities due to lack of knowledge equality and rood consciousness of the people in particular.
We investigated two incidents of torture and repression upon the minorities in Joydevpur, Gazipur within a day and could gather more information of oppression and repression upon the other religious minorities, but the inhabitants of Hindu family are not in a position to describe all those to us because of further repression and torture upon them.

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Note: This investigative report is written by Prof. Ashoke Taru of HRCBM-Dhaka, Bangladesh.