Speakers at a seminar have demanded of the government to enact laws to establish rights of Hindu women to property and divorce, reports BSS.
They also called upon male leaders of the Hindu community to muster their support for implementation of the rights of the Hindu women.
Referring to the Indian personal law enacted in 1955, the speakers said similar laws can be enacted to uphold the rights of the Hindu women in Bangladesh.
Non-government organisations (NGOs) Manusher Jonnya Foundation (MJF) and Banchte Shekha (BS) jointly organised the seminar Monday in the city.
MJF Executive Director Shaheen Anam presided over the seminar. Former adviser Advocate Sultana Kamal, Mahila Parishad President Ayesha Khanam, Advocate Aroma Gun, Hindu community leader and journalist Bashudeb Dhar, Advocate Subrata Chowdhury, Angela Gomej of the MJF, Advocate Ila Chanda and Hindu priest Manik Battachariya, among others, spoke.
Kanan Bala and Ananna Pathak narrated the tortures by their husbands at the seminar.
In his keynote speech, Prof Shahnaz Huda of the Department of Law of Dhaka University said marriage was a part of the religious duty, specially for women, under the Hindu religion.
Prof Shahnaz said the marriage was binding for women, who could never have second husband under the Hindu religion.
The keynote speaker said the Hindu male could abandon his wife or wives, marry again and again, and get dowry every time, but his wife or wives could not divorce or remarry.
Advocate Sultana Kamal said it was time for establishing the rights of the Hindu women.
Shaheen Anam said enactment of laws with the provision for registering Hindu marriage was the demand of the day.
