The abominable communal storm blown on the Hindus and the other minorities in the aftermath of the 10th parliamentary election has created a sense of insecurity among them. The recurrent attacks on the minority communities in different parts of the country and the act of arson to their houses compelled many of them to leave their homes for assumed safer places. It is the responsibility of the state to ensure security for all the citizens and to create a safer, pleasant, unthreatening environment to live in. All the inhabitants of the country have the right to vote, express their opinions, perform their religious rituals unobstructed, and to live in peace. The state must be stricter in order to ensure those rights of the people.
The trouble-makers are small in number. Why can't the government handle them? The hearts of the minorities ache and burn longer than their houses. The devastated houses can be rebuilt but is it possible to reconstruct the broken hearts?
Two scenarios of boyhood days in 1971 give this scribe pleasure and pains side by side. One, some pro-Pakistan Muslims are looting the valuables of the Hindus and then burning their houses, and the other, some peace-loving pro-liberation Muslims are protecting the houses and their lives. Ultimately, the pro-liberation peace-loving people won that fight. Bangladesh has been liberated; we are free now but we have not yet achieved emancipation from many evils against which we had fought. Otherwise, why do we have to see similar incidents recurrently that we hated and tried to prevent together in 1971? Same criminal activities have been happening years after years. Government comes and government goes, but the lot of the minorities in Bangladesh does not improve. Will there be anybody to set these things right?
However, protests, processions, demand by various organisations and common people and assurance by the Prime Minister to curb communalism are hopefully contributing to raise the morale of the affected people. The recurrent demand to form a special tribunal to bring those culprits to book is a reasonable plea that can stop or at least discourage the rogues to get involved in detestable activities again.
HRC chairman Mizanur Rahman, chairman of the Human Rights Commission (HRC), has apologised, as a Muslim, to the affected Hindus on behalf of the Muslims. A Muslim friend of this scribe phoned and said, "Dada, I am really sorry and feeling guilty for the atrocity. I apologise to you and other Hindus for the inhuman attacks on them. We hope we will be able to fight this united." This is the spirit of the people of Bangladesh - sharing, caring, honouring, and living together in peace.
By not stopping the inhumane activities and punishing all the wrong-doers, we are not doing any good to society; we, instead, are inspiring the wrong-doings. In order to fight the radical forces and other sources of troubles in the country, the government can take a long-term programme in education. If children can be properly educated up to the secondary level, the vested quarters won't be able to brainwash them as most mental changes occur during this period.
The main objectives of the National Education Policy 2010 are to inspire the students with the spirit of our war of liberation; to develop patriotism and nationalism; and to instill in them qualities such as sense of justice, non-communalism, dutifulness, humanism, awareness of rights, pluralism, free thinking and discipline, love for honest living, compassion, benevolence, inclusivity, friendliness and perseverance into the junior citizens of the country. But have we ever checked whether those objectives have been or are being materialised or not? This scribe visited a school in Feni during his posting at Teachers' Training College there. The children of that school, known as the best secondary institution in Feni, did not sing our national anthem in their school assembly. Actually, the school authority did not allow students to do that. Our education system should have a high-profile body to check these kinds of serious glitch.
We do hope and believe that, from now on, the state will work against the wrong-doers irrespective of their political affiliation and will also take steps to materialise the government-designed curriculum. This belief gives us strength to work more for the development of the country and its people.
We whole-heartedly long for a culturally sensitive, peaceful Bangladesh where every individual will be able to consider themselves integral and equally important part of the state - the Sonar Bangla (Bengal of gold).
The writer is an Assistant Professor, currently posted at Government Teachers' Training College
in Faridpur.
ranjitpodder67@gmail.com
Distressed humanity: Responsibility of the state
Ranjit Podder | Published: January 24, 2014 00:00:00 | Updated: November 30, 2026 06:01:00
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