Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Hindus in South Asia and Diaspora
Hindus in South Asia and Diaspora
www.HAFsite.org
I would like to commend the Hindu American Foundation for publishing this critical report, which
demonstrates how much work must be done in combating human rights violations against Hindus
worldwide. By bringing these abuses into the light of day, the Hindu American Foundation is leading the
fight for international policies that promote tolerance and understanding of Hindu beliefs and bring an end
to religious persecution.
Freedom of religion and expression are two of the most fundamental human rights. As the founder and
former co-chair of the Congressional Caucus on India, I commend the important work that the Hindu
American Foundation does to help end the campaign of violence against Hindus in South Asia. The 2006
human rights report of the Hindu American Foundation is a valuable resource that helps to raise global
awareness of these abuses while also identifying the key areas that need our attention.
Several years ago in testimony to Congress regarding Religious Freedom in Saudi Arabia, I called for
adding Hindus, Sikhs and Buddhists to oppressed religious groups who are banned from practicing their
religious and cultural rights in Saudi Arabia. This report is a great effort in bringing to attention the
religious rights and freedoms of 1 billion people with magnificent culture and a great civilization. I wish to
see this effort expand further to include cultural awareness in the Persian Gulf countries and the Muslim
Middle East of Hinduism, the largest religion and closest geographically to the region, but is severely
misunderstood.
Ali Al-Ahmed
Director, Institute for Gulf Affairs
We join with representatives of diverse religious and ethnic groups, policymakers and community leaders
alike, in recognizing the important efforts of the Hindu American Foundation to regularly and extensively
monitor, analyze and promote awareness of human rights problems, particularly those affecting Hindus
around the world, and to propose means to improvement. We share a vital commitment to protecting the
fundamental rights of Hindus, as those of every person, and to combating all forms of bigotry and
discrimination. HAF's contribution in this regard is certainly to be commended.
David J. Michaels
Director of Intercommunal Affairs, B'nai B'rith International
Hindu American Foundation
Board of Directors
Mihir Meghani, M.D., President
Legal Counsel
Suhag A. Shukla, Esq.
Executive Council
Pawan Deshpande
Jay Patel
Ishanaa Rambachan
Swaminathan Venkataraman
The Hindu American Foundation (HAF) is a human rights group whose purpose is to provide a voice for the 2 million
Hindu Americans in the United States. HAF interacts with and educates government, media, think tanks, academia
and public fora about Hinduism and issues of concern to Hindus locally and globally. Promoting the Hindu and
American ideals of understanding, tolerance and pluralism, HAF stands strong against hate, discrimination,
defamation and terror. The Hindu American Foundation is not affiliated with any religious or political organizations or
entities. HAF seeks to serve Hindu Americans across all sampradayas (Hindu religious traditions).
HAF is indebted to the volunteers who have given their time and talents to contribute to
this report. These include Rajit Das, who was instrumental in compiling the report on
Russia, Rathi Srinivas who compiled the report on Malaysia and Bhutan, and Executive
Council members Ishanaa Rambachan and Samir Kalra.
Hindus in South Asia and the Diaspora:
A Survey of Human Rights – 2007
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The human rights of Hindu citizens are consistently violated in ten countries and one
state in India where Hindus constitute a minority: Bangladesh, Bhutan, Fiji, the Indian
state of Jammu and Kashmir, Malaysia, Pakistan, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Sri Lanka, and
Trinidad and Tobago. This report documents the ongoing violations of human rights in
these countries.
• Hindus, with a population of over one billion, are the third largest religious group in
the world.
• Hinduism is one of the oldest surviving religions and its origins can be traced back to
at least the third millennium BCE.
• Hindus are pluralistic in their beliefs, and accept the myriad means of worship and
prayer available to human beings seeking spiritual enlightenment.
• Hindus in South Asia and many of the twenty million Hindus living outside of India
are subject to discrimination, terror, murder and other forms of violence, forced
conversions, ethnic cleansing, temple destruction, socio-political ostracization and
disenfranchisement. In some countries, fundamentalists from other religions
advance a discriminatory and non-inclusive agenda and promote hatred of religious
and ethnic minorities in league with politicians and other government officials.
• Human rights activists and journalists are frequently harassed and abused in
Bangladesh.
• Nearly 1.2 million or 44% of the 2.7 million Hindu households in the country were
affected by the Enemy Property Act 1965 and its post-independence version, the
Vested Property Act 1974. Individuals with direct ties to the Bangladesh National
Party (BNP)-Islamist party alliance in power between 2001 and 2006 were
beneficiaries of over 45% of lands confiscated from Hindus under the draconian
Vested Property Act.
HAF Recommendations:
1) The interim Bangladesh government must continue to take substantial and verifiable
measures to ensure that attacks on Hindus and their institutions cease, and bring to
quick justice those political and radical religious elements who have led the assault
on Hindus and other minorities.
2) Bangladesh must repeal the anti-minority and racist laws such as the Vested Property
Act. Confiscated lands must be restored to the rightful, original owners.
4) The United States and other donor nations must demand accountability from the
Bangladesh Government, and all aid to Bangladesh should be contingent on the
improvement of the human rights situation.
KINGDOM OF BHUTAN
• Bhutan has been ruled by an absolute monarchy since 1907. The country has
remained under the administrative control of the Buddhist theocratic leader
Zhabdrung Ngawang Namgye.
• Bhutan evicted over 100,000 Hindu minority and Nyingmapa Buddhists from
southern and eastern Bhutan in the early 1990s.
• These more than 100,000 Bhutanese citizens, comprise nearly one sixth of the
kingdom's total population of approximately 700,000, and have been forced to leave
• Over 100,000 Bhutanese refugees are living in refugee camps in Nepal managed by
the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR), while 20,000 other
undocumented refugees are scattered outside the camps in Nepal and in several
Indian states without any help or legal status.
HAF Recommendations:
1) Bhutan must take practical and concrete steps to demonstrate its stated
commitment to a just resolution of the longstanding refugee crisis.
• Fijian Hindus continue to face hate speech and Hindu temples continue to be targets
of attack.
• The Methodist Church of Fiji has repeatedly called for the creation of a Christian
State.
• It is encouraging that fewer attacks on Hindu temples and Hindus were recorded in
2007 compared to the previous years. Also encouraging is that after the installation
of the new interim government on December 5, 2006 there has been a steady
decline in attacks on Hindu temples.
HAF Recommendations:
1) The Fijian government must respect the rights of all citizens, and the inherent
political bias against Hindus and ethnic Indians in that country must be eradicated.
3) Fiji must do more to protect Hindus from violence and hate speech. Furthermore,
the government must safeguard Hindu temples from attacks.
• The Maharaja of Kashmir ceded his kingdom to India in 1947 when Pakistan invaded
Kashmir in order to conquer the kingdom. Pakistan occupies about 35% of the
region, India governs approximately half, and China occupies the remainder of the
region including a portion ceded to it by Pakistan.
• Since the mid to late 1980s, Islamist terrorists from Pakistan and Afghanistan have
targeted Kashmir and are guilty of massive ethnic cleansing of Hindus from India’s
Kashmir valley.
• 300,000 Kashmiri Hindus are refugees in their own country, sheltered in temporary
camps in Jammu and other parts of India.
• The year 2007 was marked by several terrorist attacks directed against Hindus by
Pakistan supported terror groups. There has not been any significant amelioration
in the status of Hindu refugees from Kashmir. They continue to be neglected by the
Indian government and the state of Jammu and Kashmir.
HAF Recommendations:
1) Kashmiri Hindus must be allowed to return to their homes, must have their property
restored to them, and must receive protection from the Indian government and the
Kashmir state government.
2) Pakistan must permanently end its sponsorship of terror via direct military aid to
terror groups, sponsorship of terror camps in Pakistan and covert support to
terrorists by its ISI spy service.
• Malaysia is a self-declared Islamic Republic and Islam is the official religion of the
country despite Malaysia being a multi-ethnic and multi-religious country in which
Hindus, Christians and Buddhists are significant minorities. Minorities struggle to
maintain and practice their religions.
• The right to religious freedom has been eroding. Ethnic Malays are required to be
Muslims, as they are born into Islam and do not have the freedom to convert.
• The Hindu population faces increased discrimination and intimidation, including the
destruction of their temples and places of worship. The government continues to
treat pre-independence era Hindu temples differently than mosques from the same
era, and gives preference to mosques in the allocation of public funds and lands.
• Hindu activists and leaders have been targeted by government officials and public
protest has been put down through the use of draconian internal security laws.
• Several disturbing cases have come to light over Hindus not being allowed to
cremate their dead in accordance with Hindu custom, and instead being forced to
have an Islamic burial despite family members insisting that the individual was a
Hindu.
HAF Recommendations:
1) Religious freedom should be allowed and encouraged for ethnic Malays and the
minority religious populations in the country.
2) The United States, United Nations, the international community, and human rights
groups should pressure the Malaysian government to protect Hindu temples from
desecration and destruction. Hindu places of worship that existed prior to
independence should be designated as temple property and title to the land should
be handed to the respective temple trustees/committees as has been done for pre-
independence era mosques.
4) Hindu leaders currently detained under draconian laws for leading lawful protests
should be immediately released.
• In 1947, Hindus were approximately 25% of the population of Pakistan. Now Hindus
constitute less than 1.6% of the population.
• On March 24, 2005, Pakistan restored the discriminatory practice of mandating the
inclusion of religious identity of individuals in all new passports.
• Recurring reports point to an alarming trend of Hindu girls being kidnapped, raped,
held in madrassas (Islamic seminaries) and forcibly converted to Islam.
• Hindus continue to be targeted in Balochistan, and more than 5,000 Hindus have
been forced to flee.
HAF Recommendations:
1) Pakistan should remove all blasphemy laws. Those imprisoned under blasphemy
laws should get their day in court within a period of two weeks. Long
imprisonments without court appraisal constitute human rights abuse.
4) Pakistan should reform its education system in order to remove inaccuracies about
other religions and promote tolerance and pluralism.
6) The United States should dialogue with Pakistan on the issues of human rights and
religious freedom and dispatch a fact-finding committee organized by the United
States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) to Pakistan.
RUSSIAN FEDERATION
• The Russian Federation has a weak multiparty political system with a strong
presidency, a government headed by a prime minister, and a bicameral
legislature.
• The law provides for an independent judiciary. The judiciary, however, did not
consistently act as an effective counterweight to other branches of the
government.
• The law provides for freedom of speech and of the press; however, government
pressure on the media persisted, resulting in numerous infringements of these
rights.
• The law provides for freedom of assembly. The International Society for Krishna
Consciousness (ISKCON) has been harassed restricting this right.
• The law provides for freedom of association, and the government increasingly
harassed several organizations.
HAF Recommendations:
1) Russia should stand by its constitutional guarantees to ethnic and religious
minorities.
• Saudi Arabia is an absolute monarchy and the Qu’ran and Shari’a (Islamic law) serve
as its constitution. Its law code is founded upon the conservative form of Sunni
Islam, known as Wahhabism. This permits judges to use capital or corporal
punishment for crimes, including murder, theft, sexual abuse, homosexuality and
adultery.
• There is no constitutional protection for the freedom of religion. Citizens are not
allowed to choose or change their religion.
• Non-Muslims cannot exhibit any outward religious clothing, text, or symbol, and
cannot worship in public. Even private worship is prohibited and punished.
• Islamic law characterizes Hindus as polytheists. This puts Hindus in the same
category as those who practice “black magic” or “sorcery.”
• The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom has branded Saudi Arabia
as a “country of particular concern,” but U.S. military, oil, and other economic
interests in the region has diminished its ability to influence change. Saudi Arabia is
the centre of Islamic fundamentalism and it has funded Islamic fundamentalist
institutions around the world.
HAF Recommendations:
1) The United States government and the world community must continue to pressure
Saudi Arabia to change its Islamic nationalist/authoritarian nature. Unless the United
States changes its policy towards Saudi Arabia, minorities will continue to face
severe and overwhelming discrimination.
2) Saudi Arabia must end its support for terrorism and state support for an intolerant,
fundamentalist brand of Islam. It must promote basic civil and religious rights for its
citizens and guest workers, and reform its education system in order to remove
inaccuracies and hate speech directed against other religions. It should promote
tolerance and pluralism.
• Sri Lanka is a multi-ethnic, multi-religious nation that has been severely hobbled by
ethnic conflict. The violent conflict between the Sinhala-majority Sri Lankan
government and the Tamil groups is the result of a combination of religious, ethnic,
and linguistic conflict. Tensions between the Sinhalese majority and Tamil
separatists in northern Sri Lanka erupted into war in 1983.
• Not all Tamils are Hindus, and the LTTE, the primary Tamil-terrorist outfit, is not a
Hindu organization.
• The prolonged conflict is detrimental to all Sri Lankans, especially the large Hindu
minority population, which experiences an undue share of violence and
displacement.
HAF Recommendations:
1) There can be no military solution to ethnic conflicts. Both the LTTE and the Sri
Lankan government should pursue a course of peace in order to end the conflict.
2) HAF expresses grave concern that the Hindu institutions and Tamil culture in Sri
Lanka are severely threatened by the ongoing civil war and encourages all sides in
the conflict to protect Hindu institutions from harm.
3) The United States, Norway and the United Nations must continue to pressure all
parties involved to find an equitable, just and realistic resolution of the crisis.
• The country is a multi-ethnic, multi-religious island nation with mostly Hindu Indo-
Trinidadians and Afro-Trinidadians accounting for most of the population. Roman
Catholics and Hindus make up the largest religious groups.
• The racial and religious animosity between Afro-Caribbean and Indo-Caribbeans has
been exacerbated over the years. Hindus are now major targets of violence, hate
speech and discrimination.
3) Trinidad must do more to protect Hindus from violence, hate speech, racial and
religious stereotyping. Furthermore the government must safeguard Hindu temples
from attacks.
Introduction ................................................................................................................................................ 5
History ........................................................................................................................................................ 6
Documented Attacks on Hindus in Bangladesh between January 1, 2007 and June 30, 2007 ................ 19
Introduction .............................................................................................................................................. 22
Constitutional Guarantees........................................................................................................................ 27
Introduction .............................................................................................................................................. 31
Introduction .............................................................................................................................................. 35
Status of the Human Rights of Hindus in Jammu and Kashmir, 2007 ...................................................... 38
Violations of Constitution and UN Covenants .......................................................................................... 42
Malaysia........................................................................................................................................................ 45
Introduction .............................................................................................................................................. 46
Introduction .............................................................................................................................................. 53
Introduction .............................................................................................................................................. 69
History ...................................................................................................................................................... 75
Introduction .............................................................................................................................................. 84
History ...................................................................................................................................................... 93
Instances of Discrimination against Hindus of Trinidad and Tobago in 2007 ......................................... 100
United Nations International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination ..... 104
United Nations International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights ..................................................... 105
Attacks on Hindus in Bangladesh from January 1, 2007 to June 30, 2007 ................................................. 107
Followers of Hindu traditions constitute the third largest religious group in the world,
after Christians (about 2.1 billion) and Muslims (1.4 billion). The majority of Hindus live
in the Indian sub-continent and, numbering nearly 827 million people, Hindus constitute
80.5% of the population of Indiai. However, the Hindu Diaspora reaches beyond the
Indian subcontinent to Europe, Africa, Southeast Asia, the Pacific Islands, and North
America where they comprise substantial minorities. In Fiji and some Caribbean
nations, Hindus comprise of a significant portion of the population, with representation
at the highest levels of government. As a “spiritual community” of related religious and
cultural practices (the major religious groups within Hinduism are Vaishnava, Smartha,
Shaiva, and Shakta), Hindus do not adhere to a single Scripture, owe allegiance to a
single religious institution, follow one religious leader, or adhere to one set of worship,
practices and ritual. Hindus regard Buddhists, Jains, and Sikhs as a part of their own
wider family though they constitute distinct religious traditions themselves. This report
excludes their particular concerns, though the fate of Buddhists in Tibet since 1950 is a
matter of tragic contemporary and historical significance that has been the subject of
investigation by various international agencies.
While the issue of human rights is of global significance, this report focuses on ongoing
human rights violations in the nations/regions listed above. This report does not
investigate other human rights violations within India, such as religious conflict, abuse of
women or caste discrimination. The Hindu American Foundation believes in the
In our first report, published in 2005ii, we provided a brief summary of the history of the
South Asian region. The departure of the British colonialists in 1947 left India divided
into a Muslim majority Pakistan (made up of two regions – West and East Pakistan) and
a Hindu majority India. India embraced secularism, proclaiming the State neutral
between religions, but allowed minorities to retain their own sectarian practices in areas
like personal law. India established the largest and longest sustained democracy in the
region. Pakistan labeled itself the Islamic Republic of Pakistan with the adoption of a
Constitution based on Islamic jurisprudenceiii. It curtailed the political rights of
minorities, and Hindus, who constituted approximately 20% of the population in West
Pakistaniv and 30% in East Pakistan, were the predominant victims under the Islamic
dispensation. Over the sixty years of independence, the Hindu population has dwindled
to less than 2% in Pakistan (former West Pakistan), and to about 9% in Bangladesh
(former East Pakistan). East Pakistan seceded from West Pakistan with Indian military
assistance in 1971 following the genocide committed by the armed forces of Pakistan
against its own citizens. The new country was named Bangladesh. In turn, rapid
Islamization of the Bangladesh polity over the last decade has led to a substantial rise in
attacks against minority groups -- the largest minority constituency being Hindu.
The Indian State of Jammu and Kashmir is the focus of territorial claims by Pakistan,
which has encouraged and abetted terrorismv, successfully expelling the entire Hindu
population of several hundred thousand from the Kashmir Valley through a campaign of
murder, rape and kidnappings. Pakistani military posturing and an alleged threat of
nuclear warfare have diverted attention from the reality of atrocities against Hindus in
Kashmir since 1989. Successive Indian governments have paid scant attention to the
fate of the Hindu minority of Kashmir because they have concluded that attempting to
address their legitimate concerns might constitute an avoidable distraction for the
political resolution of the dispute over Kashmir. Too often, the media in India and
abroad have taken the cue from this fateful governmental silence over the human rights
violations of Kashmiri Hindus by largely ignoring them. World human rights
organizations have also been muted in their response to the tragedy that has overtaken
Kashmiri Hindus.
HAF’s consequent reports reaffirmed the ongoing human rights abuses in the three
regions covered in the first report, and also included the status of Hindus in Afghanistan
and Fiji.vi This fourth annual report, much larger in scope, will once again demonstrate
that Hindu citizens in South Asia and across the Diaspora are targeted victims of
Area: 144,000 sq km
Ethnic groups: Bengali 98%, other 2% (includes tribal groups, non-Bengali Muslims)
(1998)
Location: Southern Asia, bordering the Bay of Bengal, between Burma and Indiavii
Introduction
Bangladesh, in 2007, was marked by political turmoil and extensive human rights
violations. At the end of 2006, a caretaker government was formed amidst fears
of election irregularities and violence ahead of the planned general elections. In
January, however, the caretaker President declared a State of Emergency and
postponed the elections indefinitely, leading to the widespread curtailment of civil
liberties and human rights.viii Initially, the Emergency was imposed to deal with large
scale violence between rival political parties, but lasted through the end of the year.
Severe limitations were also placed on the media, particularly in the publication of
criticism of the government. Moreover, human rights organizations and minorities were
targeted under the imposed State of Emergency. Several prominent human rights
activists were arbitrarily arrested and detained for “anti-state” activities.xii On January
12, two leaders of the Association of Development Agencies, an umbrella group for
nongovernmental organizations across the country, were arrested and detained without
charge by the notorious Rapid Action Battalion (RAB).xiii
The security forces also indulged in torture and extrajudicial killings. In March, Keshari
Ranjan Sarker, a leader of Puja Udjapan Parishad, a Hindu organization, was tortured by
security forces in his native village.xiv Furthermore, a well-known tribal leader, and
outspoken activist for indigenous rights, Choles Ritchil was tortured to death by
Bangladeshi security forces on March 18. Ritchil was initially detained for his opposition
to government policies affecting indigenous tribes.xv
History
Bangladesh was created in 1971 from the eastern wing of Pakistan. Its predominantly
Bengali population won independence from Pakistan after the India-Pakistan War of
1971. The conflict was preceded by the massacre of an estimated two million East
Pakistani citizens, and the ethnic cleansing of 10 million ethnic Bengalis (mainly Hindus),
who fled to India. In the summary of his report on the events, dated November 1, 1971,
US Senator Edward Kennedy (D - Massachusetts) wrote:
After independence, Bangladesh initially adopted a constitution with its basic structure
ensuring “Nationalism, Secularism, Socialism, and Democracy.” In April 23, 1977,
however, Bangladesh renounced its commitment to secularism by amending the
Constitution to reflect a greater role for Islam in the national body politic. A new clause
was appended to the Constitution which affirmed that, “The state shall endeavor to
consolidate, preserve and strengthen fraternal relations among Muslim countries based
on Islamic solidarity.” Furthermore, on June 9, 1988, the Constitution was amended
again, making Islam the state religion and prescribing that the principle of absolute trust
and faith in Allah would be the basis of all action.xix These actions began a steady and
gradual move towards Islamization, resulting in the increased discrimination and
persecution of minorities, particularly Hindus.xx
The process of Islamization rapidly expanded in 2001, with the election of the
Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), led by Khaleda Zia, and its Islamist allies. Following
the elections, the BNP coalition and its supporters unleashed a large-scale campaign of
violence targeting the Hindu community that lasted more than 150 days. During that
period, there were reportedly more than 10,000 cases of human rights abuses
committed against minorities.xxi According to Refugees International, “Scores of Hindu
women and girls were raped. In some cases, they were gang raped in front of their male
relatives. Hindus were also assaulted on the streets, in their homes, and at their
workplaces. Systematic attacks resulted in a mass migration of Hindus to India, and in
particular to the bordering state of Tripura. The government did little to prosecute or
investigate the violence.”xxii
Bangladesh now has a total population of approximately 150 million people, only 10% of
whom are Hindus (some estimates place the figure at 9%).xxviii Consequently, the Hindu
community in Bangladesh has dropped from 31% to 10% in a span of 60 years.
As in the past we have relied on Bangladesh-based human rights organizations for data
on human rights abuses. The chief provider of information was the Bangladesh Hindu
Bouddha Christian Oikiya Parishad - Bangladesh Hindu, Buddhist and Christian Unity
Council (BHBCOP).xxxi
General Violence
The Hindu community in Bangladesh endured repeated acts of violence and
persecution in 2007, leading to an environment of fear and insecurity. The types of
attacks included murder, theft, kidnapping, extortion and harassment. For instance, on
the night of January 9, a gang of approximately 100 armed Muslims attacked the
predominantly Hindu village of Amuyir, Upazilla-Sadar, in Dinajpur district. The
intruders set 50 houses on fire, while their residents were still sleeping. The event
rendered many of the Hindu villagers homeless, and resulted in the serious injury of
about 22 people. Moreover, the police and local authorities failed to take appropriate
action against the perpetrators.xxxii
According to a recent report from Global Human Rights Defence: “In Bangladesh, gang
rape has become a major tool of political terror, forcing minorities to flee and has
proven more effective than murder. The victims have all been women belonging to
either of the ethnic/religious minorities. Neither little girls nor pregnant women and the
elderly are spared. The perpetrators are men belonging to various branches of Muslim
extremist political parties, including direct branches to the ruling party BNP (e.g. various
student wing’s of BNP like JCD [Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal], Jubo Dal).”xxxvii The report goes
on to state that rape has been used to shame Hindu society, and as a
genocidal device to drive Hindus out of Bangladesh. In addition, government officials
have failed to take adequate measures to prevent and prosecute such crimes.xxxviii
Violent attacks on Hindu women continued unabated in 2007. While there were several
reported incidents, only a few have been included to illustrate the nature and brutality
of the attacks. In April, there were two particularly disturbing incidents involving the
rape of young Hindu girls. A 10-year old Hindu girl from the village of Shibnagar was
raped by a Muslim man named Taher Miah. Miah was later arrested following a
complaint lodged by the victim’s family. The second incident was the gang rape of a
Hindu girl by four Muslim men in Toktabonia, Amtali district. One of the perpetrators
lured the girl out of the village with a promise of employment, after which she was
gang-raped. Only one of the attackers, Abdul Malek, has been arrested, while three
other suspects remain at large.xxxix
Besides rape, the kidnapping of young Hindu girls is also a common practice in
Bangladesh. In January, a 13-year old Hindu girl was kidnapped from her village in
Lalmanirhat district by a number of armed Muslim men. The young girl’s father was
seriously injured in the attack and threatened by the men. The police failed to
arrest and prosecute the attackers. In another incident in March, a teenage girl from
Babulia Upazilla-Sadar in Satkhira district was kidnapped by four Muslim men and gang-
raped.xl
On February 13, the Sree Sree Bhabani Hindu Temple at Bhabhanipur in Sherpur-Bogra
district was demolished by government forces, despite a court order issued to protect
the property and temple. The local military forces illegally destroyed the temple
structure, and mistreated devotees and the temple administrator. Following the
incident, local human rights activist and president of the Human Rights Congress for
Bangladesh Minorities (HRCBM) Rabindra Ghosh, intervened to have the land restored
to temple authorities, and attempted to register a case with the local police. Instead of
registering the case, however, the police issued a warrant for Mr. Ghosh’s arrest,
claiming that he was interfering and engaging in “anti-state” activities.xli
Temples and religious sites are especially vulnerable during Hindu religious festivals.
In September, a temple was attacked in Bera Pora in Santhia upazila, during the Hindu
festival of Janmashtami, which celebrates the birth of Lord Krishna. Those involved in
the incident were local leaders and activists of Jamaat-e-Islami, a radical Islamist
political party. In describing the attack, Pradip Kumar De, President of Siddheshwari
Puja Mandir Committee, stated that, “Armed with sticks and sharp weapons, they
stormed the Mandir and threatened us to stop the three-day program. They knocked
down the shed built for the guests, cut down trees and damaged the rath (chariot).”xlii
The widely celebrated Durga Puja festival, dedicated to the Goddess Durga, came under
attack in October. Prior to the start of the festival, a number of murtis of the Goddess
Durga were desecrated in separate locations, including Faridpur, Khulna and Satkhira.
The attacks were condemned by various political and social organizations, such as the
Awami League, the BNP, Bangladesh Minority Lawyers Association, and the Bangladesh
Hindu Parishad.xliii
Land Encroachment/Evictions
Land encroachment is one of the major issues faced by the Hindu minority in
Bangladesh, and includes the illegal occupation of land, homes, businesses, and
temples. The problem began when the former Pakistani government implemented the
Enemy Property Act following the 1965 Indo-Pakistan war. The Act officially designated
Hindus as “enemies” and was used to confiscate land and property belonging to Hindus.
In an effort to return the “vested” properties to their original Hindu owners, the Vested
Property Return Bill was passed in 2001, and the Vested Property Act was abolished.
The Bill, however, brought little relief to Hindus, who continued to be deprived of their
property in large numbers. According to a study by Abul Barkat of Dhaka University,
nearly 200,000 Hindu families have lost or been robbed of 122,000 bighas of land (a
bigha equals 1333.33 sq.metres/1594.65 sq. yards/0.33 acres), including their houses, in
the six years since the Vested Property Act was annulled. Overall, Hindus have been
robbed of a combined 2.2 million acres of land. At the current market price, the value
of those 2.2 million acres is Tk 2.52 billion ($1 = 70 Tk), which is more than half of the
country’s gross domestic product.xlv
In the first six months of 2007 alone, there were at least 72 reported
incidents involving the illegal occupation, or attempted occupation of Hindu owned
properties. These incidents were invariably accompanied by violence, often resulting in
serious injuries to the Hindu owners and their families.xlvii One example that
demonstrates the nature of the attacks was an event that occurred on January 12 in
Padmagram village, Barguna district. In that particular case, a group of Muslims led by
Abdul Hakim tried to occupy the land of Narayan Chandra Shil. Consequently, the
home was attacked, looted and set on fire. The attackers also intentionally destroyed a
miniature temple and images of several Hindu Deities.xlviii
In addition, Islamic groups have intensified and expanded their activities in CHT, leading
to increased Islamization, and resentment from the indigenous tribes. These radical
groups have also incited the Bengali Muslim settlers to attack the Jumma people.lii
All of these factors have contributed to massive human rights violations in CHT,
including encroachment of indigenous lands, forced migrations, violence, destruction of
religious sites, and the detention and torture of tribal activists. More than 65,000 tribal
people have fled for India, and far greater numbers have become internally displaced
within Bangladesh.liii
Human rights abuses in CHT continued unrestrained in 2007, as there were several
reported incidents targeting the Jumma tribes. In August, the military took steps to
resettle 800 Bengali Muslim families, and evict indigenous tribal people from Sadhana
Tila, an area encompassing 300 acres of land. The area also houses a Buddhist
temple, which has been desecrated by some of the Bengali settlers. In September, the
illegal settlers destroyed homes belonging to the tribals, and threatened Buddhist
Many indigenous activists have also been arrested and detained under the Emergency
rule implemented in January. Human rights groups assert that some of the detained
persons have also been tortured and harassed while in police custody. On March 3,
Suresh Mohan Chakma was arrested from his home by military personnel without a
warrant, and subjected to torture. He died a few days later after he was released, as a
result of the torture. Similarly, in August, Rasel Chakma was arrested and died while in
the custody of security forces.lv
The conflict between the tribes of the CHT and the central government remains
unresolved, as the Jumma people continue to suffer at the hands of government forces
and the Bengali Muslim settlers.
Islamist Groups
There are a number of Islamic extremist groups and political parties operating in
Bangladesh. The following list is a few of the major organizations.lvi
Constitution of Bangladesh
The Constitution of Bangladesh is designed to protect the human rights of all persons
living in the country, regardless of race, religion, or sex. Article 11 of the Constitution
explicitly states: “The Republic shall be a democracy in which fundamental human rights
and freedoms and respect for the dignity and worth of the human person shall be
guaranteed.”lvii Article 28 further provides that: “The State shall not discriminate against
any citizen on grounds only of religion, race caste, sex or place of birth,” while Article
31 declares that the protection of the law is “... the inalienable right of every citizen,
wherever he may be.”lviii
Bangladesh has also agreed to the United Nation’s International Convention on the
Elimination of All Forms for Racial Discrimination, which defines “racial discrimination”
as “any distinction, exclusion, restriction or preference based on race, color, descent, or
national or ethnic origin which has the purpose or effect of nullifying or impairing the
recognition, enjoyment or exercise, on an equal footing, of human rights and
fundamental freedoms in the political, economic, social, cultural or any other field of
public life.”lxiv Article 2 of the Convention states in part: “Each State Party undertakes to
engage in no act or practice of racial discrimination against persons, groups of persons
or institutions and to ensure that all public authorities and public institutions, national
and local, shall act in conformity with this obligation.”lxv The VPRB/2001 is in clear
violation of Article 2 of the Convention as it is a form of racial discrimination, which
directly targets minority groups within Bangladesh, particularly Hindus. Again, no
attempts have been made by the Bangladesh government to rectify this discrimination.
The condition of Hindus and other minorities continued to worsen in 2007, as they were
subjected to rampant violence and oppression. In addition, during 2007, a State of
Emergency was imposed, leading to the widespread violation of human rights. Under
Emergency Rule, government forces acted with impunity, resulting in thousands of
arbitrary arrests, torture, extrajudicial killings, and suppression of the media and
political activity. The Emergency remained in effect through the end of year.
We repeat, as we did in the 2006 report, that the Bangladesh Government must
implement the following recommendations regarding the Vested Property Act (VPA) in
order to significantly improve the human rights situation in the country:
• Immediately lift the State of Emergency, and hold fair and free elections
• A list containing details (name, address, amount of land and other assets
dispossessed by type and year of dispossession, and current status) of those
affected by Enemy Property Act (EPA/VPA) must be published by the
Government;
• All vested property under government custody must be returned to the original
owners or their legal heirs who are permanent residents of Bangladesh;
• Property must not be seized from any non-Muslim in Bangladesh under the
vested property administration if the owners of the property, or their legal
inheritors, are in possession of that property;
• All vested temple property and places of cremation must be un-vested and
brought under public trust;
• The law of inheritance must be enforced with adequate provision for inheritance
by female heirs.
Rabindra Ghose, a Bangladesh human rights activist, has discussed the imperatives
above. HAF also supports the call by The International Bangladesh Foundation, a British
group led by Lord Dholakia and Lord Avebury. The Foundation has urged the following
steps:lxvi
• That the Government of Bangladesh repeals the 5th and 8th amendment of the
Constitution and the anti-minority and racist laws such as the vested property
legislation;
• That the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) Peace Accord of 1997 be implemented and
the demographic transformation of the CHT under military occupation be ended;
• That donors, including the World Bank, USAID, the European Union and others,
ask the Bangladesh government to concentrate on good governance, and in
particular, on the maintenance of stable democracy in Bangladesh, based on
As noted in HAF’s prior annual human rights reports,lxvii attacks against Hindus in
Bangladesh constitute the most serious threat to the Hindu community anywhere in the
world.
January 2007
There were 50 documented incidents of human rights abuse against Hindus during
January 2007:
Rape 2
Land confiscation/Forcible eviction 7
Attacks on Hindu temples 6
Kidnap 3
Murder 11
Attack/theft/looting/intimidation 19
Other 2
TOTAL 50
February 2007
There were 36 documented incidents of human rights abuse against Hindus during
February 2007:
Rape 3
Land confiscation/Forcible eviction 14
Attacks on Hindu temples 1
Kidnap 2
Murder 6
Attack/theft/looting/intimidation 19
Other 1
TOTAL 36
Rape 2
Land confiscation/Forcible eviction 14
Attacks on Hindu temples 2
Kidnap 2
Murder 8
Attack/theft/looting/intimidation 19
Other 3
TOTAL 50
April 2007
There were 40 documented incidents of human rights abuse against Hindus during April
2007:
Rape 5
Land confiscation/Forcible eviction 13
Attacks on Hindu temples 3
Kidnap 4
Murder 4
Attack/theft/looting/intimidation 10
Other 1
TOTAL 40
May 2007
There were 42 documented incidents of human rights abuse against Hindus during May
2007:
Rape 0
Land confiscation/Forcible eviction 13
Attacks on Hindu temples 4
Kidnap 6
Murder 3
Attack/theft/looting/intimidation 14
Other 2
TOTAL 42
Rape 4
Land confiscation/Forcible eviction 11
Attacks on Hindu temples 2
Kidnap 7
Murder 10
Attack/theft/looting/intimidation 18
Other 0
TOTAL 52
According to data provided by local human rights groups, the total number of attacks on
Hindus between January 1, 2007 and June 30, 2007, was 270. At this point, only the first
six months of data for 2007 are available. Unfortunately, many incidents of human
rights abuse against minorities are either unreported or not comprehensively and
effectively documented by the media and human rights observers. The work of human
rights groups is severely limited due to the strain and pressure they face from vigilante
groups and police authorities. Thus, the exact number of violations is difficult to obtain.
Area: 47,000 sq km
Population: 2,327,849. Note: other estimates range as low as 810,000 (July 2007 est.)
Ethnicity: Sarchokpas (40% and are Buddhist), Lhotshampas (35% -- Hindus who speak
Nepali and Hindi), Ngalungs/Ngalongpa (20%), Brokpas, Doyas, Bumthangpas, Khengpa
and Adivashislxx
National Language: Dzongkha (official), Bhotes speak various Tibetan dialects, Nepalese
speak various Nepalese dialectslxxi
Introduction
Bhutan has been ruled by an absolute monarchy since 1907. Power was shifted by the
fourth hereditary King Jigme Singye Wangchuck to his heir Crown Prince Jigme Khesar
Mock elections were held on April 21, 2007 in all 47 constituencies and at 869 polling
stations as a run up to the scheduled elections in March 2008.lxxii Election observers
from the U.N. and India were present at the mock elections.
Bhutan will hold its first general election March 24, 2008 for the National Assembly.lxxiii
Two parties – the Druk Phuensum Tshogpa (DPT) and the People's Democratic Party
(PDP) – registered to contest the elections. The DPT seems to have won the elections
disproportionatley raising concerns as to the viability of an effective oppostion. The
third political party, the Bhutan National Party (BNP), had its registration papers
rejected.
More than 100,000 Bhutanese citizens, nearly one sixth of the kingdom's total
population of approximately 700,000 have been forced to leave or forcibly evicted from
the country by the regime. As of December 2006, approximately 106,000 Bhutanese
refugees are living in seven refugee camps in eastern Nepal managed by the United
Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR). Moreover, an additional 15,000 to
20,000 undocumented refugees are scattered outside the camps in Nepal, and in the
Indian states of West Bengal, Assam, Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim without any
assistance or legal status.lxxiv
To the State, “Bhutanese national identity” means creating national integration though
the forced assimilation of cultures, and suppression of ethnic and religious diversity.
This dangerous ideology has already led to the expulsion and deprivation of rights of the
Hindu Lhotshampas and other dissidents, through intimidation and the use of force.
In addition, the State has used Buddhism as a political tool, and in a manner that suits
the interests of the ruling elite. Consequently, over the years the Bhutanese polity has
become increasingly communalized. Moreover, politics is practiced along ethnic lines
and has been monopolized by members of one ethnic group, the Drukpa Kargyudpa.
Being aware of the global thrust to support democratic movements and its import to
Bhutan, the government crafted a strategy to prevent the demand for democratic
reforms. “Depopulation” became part of state policy and state strategy.
Given the current situation, the repatriation of refugees is difficult if not impossible
without effecting a change in existing laws. These laws declare a citizen anti-national if
one is found to be in contact with any dissident. The laws also have been used to
declare several thousand refugees as voluntarily émigrés who are not allowed to return
to the country. Several thousand citizens have been intimidated to flee and asked to fill
out voluntary migration forms under duress.
Today, the demands for establishment of human rights, end of racism and
discrimination, creation of participatory and political institutions, establishment of a
secular political and social order, the rule of law, balanced economic growth, and
repatriation of Bhutanese refugees are all necessary for resolving the current political
crisis. The reduction of humanitarian assistance by the UNHCR and the discontinuation
of bilateral negotiations between the governments of Bhutan and Nepal have also
created frustration among the residents in the refugee camps.
On January 6, 1989, the king issued a royal decree called “Driglam Namzha” as part of
the promotion of a distinct national identity and the “One Nation, One People” theme in
the Sixth Five-Year Plan (1986-1991). The edict of King Jigme Singye Wangchuck states
that “any person not following this directive will be answerable to the concerned
Dzongdas (Chief District Officers) who have been vested with full authority to
implement this policy.” The policy deals with matters such as how to eat, how to sit,
how to speak, how to dress and how to bow down before authorities in true, medieval,
feudalist style. The dress code which came into enforcement from May 1, 1989, strictly
banned both men and women of wearing any dresses other than the type worn by the
royal elites, Gho for men and Kira for women (robe like dresses).lxxvii
The “One Nation, One People” policy of the government stresses the need for a distinct
“national identity.” It does not envision forging this identity to encompass the diversity
of the nation’s cultures. The policy imposes the Drukpa Kargyudpa traditions and
customs on the multi-ethnic and multi-cultural society. Under the Driglam Namzha
policy, the teaching of the Nepali language, spoken by the Hindu Lhotshampas, was
removed from the school curriculum, and Dzonkha language developed in the 1980s,
made compulsory. Failure in the Dzonkha language examination results in the denial of
promotion to the next grade level in schools and even entry into Civil Service.
Naturalization of citizens is based on whether the individual can speak and write
Dzonkha.
According to CEMARD, “The feudalistic attitude of the royal regime has imposed and
prescribed strict adherence to the set of Buddhist dogmas and beliefs among the
Bhutanese population. Driglam Namzha designed within the traditional attire of Drukpa
Kargyudpa tradition directly attacks the custom and values of non-Drukpa Kargyudpa
followers. The theocratic ideology of clerics profoundly influences the administration
and poses a challenge to the creation of a modern secular nation-state. The regime’s
bogey of preserving traditions and culture through the newly drafted constitutional
provisions seems to be a shield for protecting feudal and despotic rule.”
Bhutan has been an U.N. member since 1971. It is also a member of the South Asian
Association of Regional Cooperation (SAARC). The Bhutanese government has so far
signed and ratified six international human rights covenants, treaties and conventions
The living conditions in the refugee camps in Nepal have been deteriorating, particularly
after the UNHCR started decreasing the supply of relief items and phasing out a number
of its humanitarian programs, which it had agreed to provide when the UNHCR signed
the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the government of Nepal in 1991.
By 1994, when the first census was conducted by the UNHCR and the Government of
Nepal, there were almost 85,000 refugees registered with the UNHCR in the districts of
Jhapa and Morang in Eastern Nepal, whereas nearly 10,000 were reportedly scattered in
Nepal and India without refugee status. As of December 2006, the refugee population
has increased, and is estimated at 106,000 refugees living in seven refugee camps in
eastern Nepal. The Nepalese Government and the UNHCR have jointly started profiling
on November 15, 2006. They have completed surveys of three camps (Beldangi- I, II and
III). Observers believe that the motive behind the current profiling is to identify
refugees who could be later selected for resettlement in the United States and other
countries in the West.
The U.S. has announced that it would resettle approximately 60,000 refugees, and
Canada 5,000 refugees. The U.S. has further indicated that it is committed to resettle all
refugees who are interested in resettlement, even if that number exceeds 60,000, ACHR
reported.
Norway, Denmark, Switzerland, New Zealand, Austria and Canada have also shown
willingness to accept the Bhutanese refugees. Offers of third-country resettlement from
the international community have created serious division and debate within the
refugee communities. This initiative has not been accepted and appreciated by the
majority of the refugees who have been hoping to return to Bhutan.lxxx
There was no progress in 2007 towards finding an amicable solution to the refugee
problem. The World Food Program (WFP), the CARITAS-Nepal, the Lutheran World
Federation (LWF) and AMDA-Nepal are the principal program-implementing partners
but have now started showing fatigue.
Constitutional Guarantees
According to Article 3 of the Bhutanese Constitution, “Buddhism is the spiritual heritage
of Bhutan, which promotes the principles and values of peace, non-violence,
compassion and tolerance,” and that the King is the protector of all religions in Bhutan.
By officially recognizing Buddhism in the Constitution, Hinduism and other religions are
relegated to an inferior status, and subject to discriminatory policies.
Article 7 guarantees all Bhutanese “the right to life, liberty and security of person,” and
“the right to freedom of speech, opinion and expression”. Moreover, Article 7, section
4, guarantees Bhutanese citizens “the right to freedom of thought, conscience and
religion,” and assures that “no person shall be compelled to belong to another faith by
means of coercion or inducement”. Despite the assurances contained in Article 7,
religious intolerance has forced nearly 100,000 Hindu Lhotshampas out of Bhutan.
"We encourage the governments of Bhutan and Nepal to continue to work together
with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to fulfill their
commitment to find a comprehensive and lasting solution to the situation," stated
Honourable Peter MacKay, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Minister of the Atlantic
Canada Opportunities Agency.
According to ACHR, Bhutan has not provided a written commitment to take back the
refugees who have proven their citizenship, and joint verification was conducted only in
one out of the seven refugee camps. Without a written commitment, there is no
guarantee that Bhutan will take back its nationals.
HAF supports the recommendations made by ACHR and other human rights agencies
like HRW and Amnesty International:lxxxiii
• “Bhutan must take practical and concrete steps to demonstrate its stated
commitment to a just resolution of the longstanding refugee crisis.”
• “An accelerated and simplified verification exercise needs to be carried out in the six
camps which have not yet been screened, based on two categories only: Bhutanese
and non-Bhutanese.”
• “Bhutan’s development partners should urge the King to exercise his royal
prerogative to regularize the nationality status of Lhotshampas who have no
prospect of claiming any nationality other than Bhutanese.”
• “Donors should provide increased support for new programs and projects in the
south of Bhutan and the east of Nepal to create new economic and educational
opportunities which do not discriminate in purpose or effect, including on the basis
of race or ethnicity; and to facilitate voluntary repatriation and local integration.”
Religions: Christian 53% (Methodist 34.5%, Roman Catholic 7.2%, Assembly of God
3.8%, Seventh Day Adventist 2.6%, other 4.9%), Hindu 34% (Santa 25%, Arya Samaj
1.2%, other 7.8%), Muslim 7% (Sunni 4.2%. other 2.8%), other or unspecified 5.6%, none
0.3% (1996 census)
Location: Oceania, island group in the South Pacific Ocean, about two-thirds of the way
from Hawaii to New Zealandlxxxiv
Fiji consists of over 300 islands, 100 of which are inhabited. Most of the population is
concentrated on the main island of Viti Levu. The first inhabitants of Fiji reportedly
arrived 3,000 years ago from Southeast Asia. The first European, Dutch explorer Abel
Tasman, arrived in Fiji in 1643. Not until the 19th Century did the Europeans
permanently settle on the islands. The islands came under British control as a colony in
1874 and became independent in 1970.
Fijians have experienced turbulent governance with democratic rule interrupted by two
military coups in 1987. A primary causative factor for the coups in both cases was
demagogic manipulation of the fears of the Christian majority Melanesian-Polynesian
population that the government was dominated by the Indian community (descendants
of contract laborers brought to the islands by the British in the 19th century). The
military coup leader Maj. Gen. Sitiveni Rabuka formally declared Fiji a republic on
October 6, 1987. A 1990 constitution favored native Melanesian control of Fiji, but led
to heavy Indian emigration; the population loss resulted in economic difficulties, but
ensured that Melanesians became the majority. Amendments enacted in 1997 made
the constitution more equitable. Free and peaceful elections in 1999 resulted in a
government led by an Indo-Fijian, but a coup in May 2000 that again appealed to anti-
Indian/anti-Hindu ethno-religious insecurities ushered in a prolonged period of political
turmoil. Parliamentary elections held in August 2001 provided Fiji with a democratically
elected government and gave a mandate to the government of Prime Minister Laisenia
Qarase. Re-elected in May 2006, Qarase was ousted in a December 2006 military coup
led by Commodore Voreqe Bainimarama, who initially appointed himself acting
president. In January 2007, Bainimarama was appointed interim prime minister.lxxxv
Among the three major religions in Fiji, there are 471,093 Christians, 344,260 Hindus,
and 47,475 Muslims. The largest Christian denomination is the Methodists with 174,304
members.lxxxvi The Roman Catholic Church and Protestant denominations also have
significant followings. The Methodist Church is supported by the majority of the
country’s chiefs and remains influential in the ethnic Fijian community, particularly in
rural areas.
Religion runs largely along ethnic lines. The population is split largely between two main
ethnic groups: Indigenous Fijians constitute approximately 51%, and Indo-Fijians
constitute 44%. Most Indo-Fijians practice Hinduism; most indigenous Fijians follow
Christianity. The European community is predominantly Christian. Other ethnic
communities include the Chinese, Rotumans, Europeans, and other Pacific Islanders.lxxxvii
During British rule, socio-economic preeminence and advantages were accorded mostly
to those Indians who had converted to Christianity, and after independence in 1970,
ministerial positions in the cabinet were only offered to the Fijian Christian members of
parliament. The progressive Prime Minister Dr. Timoci Bavadra temporarily abrogated
this practice in 1987, but after military coups in May and October of the same year, Fiji
reverted to old discriminatory practices.
The 1990 Constitution under Sitiveni Rabuka effectively barred any Hindu from holding
the office of the Prime Minister. However, continued international pressure and
domestic unrest resulted in the revision of the Constitution in 1997. The Constitution
review, led by Sir Paul Reeves, removed the discriminatory practices embedded in the
Constitution thereby paving the way for a new era in Fijian political history.
The subsequent 1999 elections saw the emergence of the first Hindu Prime Minister,
Mahendra Chaudhary, who was overthrown a year later by a Fijian fanatic and U.S.-
educated failed businessman, George Speight. Since 2000, violence against Hindus has
increased and threatened their fundamental right to practice their faith. As the latest
Amnesty International report on Fiji notes, “Discrimination against ethnic minorities was
evident in plans for an indigenous Trust Fund and in the appointment of indigenous
Fijians to almost all chief executive posts in the public service.”lxxxix
The coup came after a prolonged conflict between Prime Minister Laisenia Qarase and
Commodore Bainimarama over pending legislation to pardon those involved in the 2000
coup. A series of ultimatums were issued by Bainimarama that the pardons should not
be issued; however, the crisis was not resolved. Following the coup, the
Commonwealth held an emergency meeting and suspended Fiji's membership. On
January 4, 2007, the military announced that it was restoring executive power to
President Iloilo, who in turn endorsed the actions of the military. The next day, Iloilo
named Bainimarama as the interim Prime Minister.
The interim Prime Minister met with HAF leaders when he visited San Francisco in
October 2007. HAF leaders also met with Mason Smith, the Deputy Permanent
Representative of the Permanent Mission of Fiji to the United Nations on January 30,
2008. The meeting enabled HAF to initiate an in-depth discussion of religious tolerance
and pluralism. "The Permanent Mission of Fiji to the United Nations was pleased to
meet with the Hindu American Foundation (HAF) and supports HAF's human rights work
in promoting pluralism and tolerance amongst the world's religions," said Smith.
While the Fijian leaders have assured the protection and safety of Hindus, there were
reports of sacrilege of Hindu temples.xci Arya Pratinidhi Sabha president Kamlesh Arya
said there had been more than 50 cases of temple sacrilege between January and
September 2007.xcii
Hindus in Fiji constitute 34% of the population and their numbers are steadily declining
due to heavy migration to United States, Australia and New Zealand. The year 2007,
however, represented a new and positive turn in the human rights condition of Hindus
in Fiji. While Hindus continue to face challenges, and there were reported attacks on
Hindu temples, the promise and assurances of the leaders seemed genuine.
Although Fiji has not taken any action toward ratifying or signing the U.N. International
Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (CCPR), it has agreed to the International
Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination. The government
must do more to uphold the convention as Hindus and Muslims continue to be targets
of Fijian Christian nationalists. As noted earlier, the condition of Hindus improved in Fiji
in 2007 and credit for the improvement has been given to Interim Prime Minister
Bainimarama’s initiative in strict enforcement of laws and public guarantees of
protecting Hindus.
Population: 7,718,700xcv. The overall population in the Indian state of Jammu and
Kashmir was estimated in 1981 at 7.7 million with Muslims (64.3%), Hindus (32.1%),
Sikhs (2.16%), Buddhist (1.17%) and others, including Christians (0.26%).
Religions: Exact figures unavailable; majority Muslim with a large Hindu minority and
smaller Sikh and Buddhist communities; close to 400,000 Hindus and Sikhs currently live
as refugees in other parts of India.
Location: Northern India, bordered by Pakistan on the west and China on the east
Introduction
Kashmir, known for its idyllic beauty, has historically been inhabited by Hindus and
Buddhists, and was ruled by Hindu kings until 1339. During the next century, there was
a struggle for supremacy in the region between various rulers of different ethnic and
religious backgrounds. The Muslim period stretched from about 1561 to 1819, at which
The Princely State of Kashmir, which was ruled by the Dogra king Hari Singh at the time
of partition, joined the Indian Union after Pakistan’s armed forces orchestrated an
invasion of Kashmir using Pashtun “tribesmen” and regular military personnel.
Following the Pakistani offensive, Hari Singh signed the Instrument of Accession
formalizing Kashmir’s legal accession to India.xcvii The Instrument of Accession was the
standard legal mechanism used by the Princely States of British India to join either India
or Pakistan at the time of independence in 1947.xcviii The accession was also approved
by the largest and most popular Kashmiri political party, the All Jammu and Kashmir
National Conference, led by the charismatic Muslim leader Sheikh Mohammed
Abdullah.
Once Kashmir legally joined India, Indian forces were deployed to stop the advancing
Pakistani military, leading to an all out war between the two countries.xcix
India then sought the intervention of the United Nations (UN), and the UN Commission
for India and Pakistan (UNCIP) was established to examine the situation. In April 1948,
the UN Security Council passed Resolution 47, which required (1) the demilitarization of
the region and (2) a plebiscite to decide the future of the princely state. The Resolution,
however, clearly required that Pakistan must first withdraw all its military personnel and
“tribesmen” from the state, as a necessary pre-condition to holding a plebiscite.c
According to the UNCIP’s findings in August 1948, Pakistan not only failed to abide by
the Resolution, but actually increased its military presence in Kashmir.ci
Despite Pakistan's military aggression and flagrant violation of Resolution 47, the
Security Council failed to take appropriate action against the government of Pakistan.
Subsequently, local elections were held in Indian Kashmir in 1951, where Sheikh
Abdullah’s National Conference won a resounding victory. And in 1956, the Jammu and
Kashmir Constituent Assembly voted to approve the merger of Kashmir with India.civ
The former princely State of Jammu and Kashmir has a total area of 85,807 sq. miles,
and is now divided between three countries.cv Pakistan occupies approximately 28,160
sq. miles, known as Pakistan occupied Kashmir (POK) or the paradoxically named Azad
(free) Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) , and the Northern Areas. POK comprises eight
administrative districts (Muzzafarabad, Mirpur, Neelum, Kotli, Poonch, Sudhanoti,
Bhimber and Bagh) with an area of 5,134 sq. miles and an estimated population of 3.5
million.cvi The people of PoK are mostly Sunni Muslims speaking a mix of Punjabi, Pahari
and Pushto. There are virtually no Hindus left in PoK. The Northern Areas have a Shia
Muslim majority population with significant numbers of Ismailis and Nurbakshis (a Sufi
sect). Shia-Sunni tensions have frequently run high here and there have been periodic
riots.
China controls a total of 16,500 sq. miles, of which 2,000 sq. miles in the Shaksgam
Valley was ceded to China by Pakistan in a 1963 boundary settlement (which India does
not accept). The remaining 14,500 sq. miles, known as Aksai Chin was seized by China
during the 1962 Indo-China war. Chinese occupied Kashmir is predominantly
Buddhist.cvii
And finally, the remaining territory forms the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir, which
is divided into three main parts: Kashmir Valley, Jammu, and Ladakh. According to
estimates, the state's population is 7.7 million, with Muslims (64.3%), Hindus (32.1%),
Sikhs (2.16%), Buddhist (1.17%) and others, including Christians (0.26%).cviii
The Kashmir Valley has six districts with an area of 6,157 sq. miles and a population of
just over four million. The main language is Kashmiri with Gojari being spoken to a
lesser extent. Most Valley Muslims are Sunni with concentrations of Shias in certain
areas. The Jammu region also includes six districts with an area of 10,151 sq. miles and
a population of 3.6 million. In Jammu, Hindus comprise 66.3% of the population,
Muslims 29.6%, and Sikhs 3.68%. Ladakh, which includes the districts of Leh and Kargil,
has an area of 37,337 sq. miles and a population of 171,000. Buddhists comprise a
slight majority in Ladakh (51%), with a substantial Muslim population of 46%, and
Hindus, Sikhs, and others at 3%.cix
The Islamic militants in Kashmir were recruited, trained, funded and given refuge by
Pakistan’s military and powerful Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) agency. According to
noted Pakistani scholar Husain Haqqani, the violence in Kashmir was “rooted in the
ideology of Pakistani Islamists, carefully nurtured for decades by the Pakistani
military.”cxi In fact, the founder and former head of the outlawed Lashkar-e-Taiba
affirmed that “killing Hindus” was the best solution to resolve the six-decades-old
dispute between Pakistan and India over Kashmir.cxii Kashmiri terrorists also have ties
with Al-Qaeda operating in the Pakistan-Afghanistan border areas, which continues to
be the center of Islamist terror networks, fundamentalism, drug trafficking, illicit trade
in small arms and international terrorism.cxiii
Considering the Pakistani military’s obsession with jihad in Kashmir, the explosion
of Islamic fundamentalism, and the failure of the current civilian government to
articulate a clear commitment to ceasing sponsorship of terror in Kashmir, the
unreliability of General Musharraf, the future of Hindus in Kashmir remains tenuous.
In April, the 3rd Round Table Conference on Jammu and Kashmir hosted by Indian Prime
Minister Manmohan Singh, and involving a number of Kashmiri groups and political
parties, was held to discuss the current situation in the state. The Conference adopted a
The security situation in Kashmir also remained tense, as Islamic extremists targeted
innocent civilians throughout the state. Moreover, the Hindus displaced by the violence
in 1989 have still not been able to safely return to their homes, eighteen years later. In
addition, many of these displaced Hindus continue to live in abysmal conditions in
refugee camps in Delhi and Jammu, with little hope for the future.
Attacks on Civilians
Pakistan-sponsored terrorists killed and injured a number of civilians during 2007.
There were a total of 162 civilian fatalities from terrorist violence, with a far greater
number of people injured. This figure was slightly down from 2006, when 349 civilians
were killed by Muslim extremists.cxvii In one particularly gruesome incident on March
30, four militants raided Panglar village in Rajouri district and forced a number of
poor Hindu laborers out of their homes. The militants then lined the villagers up and
opened fire on them, killing five and wounding four. Recently, Indian security posts had
been withdrawn, as part of a demilitarization plan, from Panglar, and other remote
mountainous villages in Rajouri and Poonch districts. Many of the Hindus living in these
villages fear further terrorist violence, unless Indian forces return to the area.cxviii
There were a number of barbaric attacks targeting Hindus in 2007, including the
following:
• On January 6, 2007 two people were killed and 45 others including four soldiers
were wounded in a powerful bomb blast in Pulwama district of Jammu and
Kashmir. According to the police, terrorists tossed a grenade at a passing vehicle
of the Rashtriya Rifles (RR) police force in the busy main market at Shopian.cxix
• On March 30, 2007 terrorists shot dead five Hindu road workers and wounded
three others. Police officials said that two Muslim terrorists “in camouflage
fatigue” stormed into the workers’ camp near Rajouri district and opened
indiscriminate fire.cxx
• Fourteen people were injured when Muslim terrorists hurled grenades at a base
camp of Amarnath pilgrims at Baltal, about 60 miles away from the capital
Srinagar, on July 17, 2007.cxxi
• On July 21, 2007 terrorists attacked Hindu pilgrims with hand grenades
wounding 11 people in Pahalgam, a town on the pilgrimage route to the
Amarnath shrine. The Islamic terrorists threw a grenade into a kitchen set up to
According to data compiled by the South Asia Terrorism Portal there were a total of 777
deaths in Kashmir because of terrorism related violence. Of these 164 were civilian
deaths, 121 were security and police personnel, and 492 were terrorists.cxxiv
Internal Displacement
Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) are defined as “persons or groups of persons who
have been forced or obliged to flee or to leave their homes or places of habitual
residence, in particular as a result of or in order to avoid the effects of armed conflict,
situations of generalized violence, violations of human rights or natural or human-made
disasters, and who have not crossed an internally recognized state border.”cxxv
By far the greatest tragedy to befall Kashmiri Hindus was their forced displacement from
Kashmir. Over 95% of the Hindu population in the Kashmir Valley (350,000
people) became internally displaced between 1989 and 1991, as they were forced to
flee their historic homeland by Muslim extremists. There was an organized and
systematic campaign to cleanse Hindus from Kashmir, including massacres,
rapes, threats and intimidation. Public announcements were placed in newspapers,
sermons made in mosques, and posters hung on houses, ordering all Kashmiri Hindus to
leave the Valley, and threatening violence if they did not.cxxvi
After that initial displacement, 160 of the remaining 700 Hindu families in the Valley
were also forced to leave after increased violence and attacks occurred between 2003
and 2004.cxxvii
In order to accommodate the large numbers of Hindus fleeing the Valley, the Indian
government set up semi-permanent camps for the displaced in Jammu and New Delhi.
These camps, however, are overcrowded, and lack adequate facilities and basic
necessities. For instance, there is no regular supply of drinking water, a shortage
of medicines, and poor sanitation. Additionally, the education and employment
opportunities are severely lacking. As a result of the substandard conditions, the
Kashmiri Pandits, after years of displacement, have faced serious health problems,
including high incidence of disease, depression, stress-related problems, and a high
death rate.cxxviii
Islamic militant groups have rejected the Pandits’ right to return, and have issued
threats against Hindus if they return. For example, one extremist group publicly stated
that, “We impose a ban on the return of Kashmiri Pandit migrants to the Valley.” This
indicates that the security situation in the Valley remains tenuous, and Hindus cannot
yet safely return to their homes.cxxx
These attacks continued in 2007, with two incidents occurring within a one week
period in July. Both terrorist attacks targeted pilgrims en route to the Amarnath cave
shrine. The first attack occurred when Islamic insurgents launched grenades at the
entrance of the Baltal base camp, which provides accommodations for Hindu devotees
visiting the shrine. In that attack, one person was killed and 16 were injured. The
second attack, which injured 11 people, was at a community kitchen set up to feed
Hindu pilgrims in the town of Pahalgam.cxxxi
Hindu Temples have also been targeted by Islamic extremists, as over 200 temples have
been destroyed or damaged since the start of violence in 1989. In addition, over
100 religious premises have been illegally occupied by Muslims in the Kashmir
Valley, following the mass exodus of Hindus. For instance, according to a fact-finding
mission, the cremation site and temple land of Karihama-Gutingu in Kupwara district,
Batpura and Kapalmochan temples in Shopian district and Shiv temple at Thejiwara,
have all been illegally seized.cxxxii
Constitution of India
Despite India’s secular Constitution, Hindus in Jammu and Kashmir have been constant
targets of violent Islamist militants. Article 15 prohibits discrimination “against any
citizen on grounds only of religion, race, caste, sex, place of birth or any of them.” Life
and personal liberty are protected by Article 21, which maintains that “No person shall
be deprived of his life or personal liberty except according to procedure established by
law.”cxxxiii Life and liberties of the Hindus in the Kashmir Valley have not been protected
or preserved by the Indian Government. As noted above, militants in the Valley have
ruthlessly murdered Hindus, and the continual threat of death hinders their return to
their homeland. Article 38 states, “The State shall strive to promote the welfare of the
people by securing and protecting as effectively as it may a social order in which justice,
social, economic and political, shall inform all the institutions of the national life.”cxxxiv
Once again, the Indian Government has failed to secure the promise of Article 38.
Neither have the Hindus in Kashmir been protected nor have the Hindus who fled the
region been provided with adequate support or security. The approximately 350,000
individuals who fled the Kashmir Valley live in refugee settlements dispersed throughout
India in abysmal conditions. These Kashmiri Hindus are living as refugees in their own
country despite a constitutional promise to protect their welfare, rights, and liberties.
International Law
Pakistan’s direct support of militancy and/or proxy terrorism in Indian Kashmir is a
violation of U.N. Covenants governing terrorism, such as the International Convention
for the Suppression of Terrorist Bombing, and the International Convention for the
Suppression of the Financing of Terrorism.cxxxv A number of these Pakistan-
based groups have been labeled as terrorist organizations by the United Kingdom and
the United States. For instance, the UK has banned five militant organizations --
Harakat-ul-Jihad-ul-Islami, Jundallah, Khuddam ul-Islam, Lashkar-e Jhangvi (LeJ) and
Sipah-e Sahab Pakistan (SSP).cxxxvi The United States has also designated LeJ, Harakat ul-
Mujahidin (HuM), Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) and Lashkar-e-Tayyiba (LT) as terrorist
organizations.cxxxvii
India’s accession to the UN’s International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (CCPR)
occurred on July 10, 1979 and its ratification of the International Convention on the
Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination took place on March 2, 1967.cxxxviii Once
again, the Indian government upholds neither of these UN covenants. Most
importantly, Article 27 of the CCPR, which protects the rights of “ethnic, religious or
Population: 24,821,286 (July 2007, est.). Malaysia has a young population today with
approximately 34% of the population under the age of 15 years. cxliv
Religions: Muslim 60.4%, Buddhist 19.2%, Christian 9.1%, Hindu 6.3%, Confucianism,
Taoism, other traditional Chinese religions 2.6%, other or unknown 1.5%, none 0.8%
(2000 census). Islam is the official religion of the country.
Ethnic groups: Malay (Bumiputra) 50.4%, Chinese 23.7%, indigenous 11%, Indian 7.1%,
others 7.8% (2004 est.)
Religious Freedom
One of the major human rights issues prevalent in Malaysia is the deterioration of
religious freedom. This is due in part to the growing influence of Islamic law in the lives
of non-Muslim citizens. Although Malaysia has a parallel court system: secular courts
for non-Muslims and Sharia courts for Muslims, Hindus and other minorities have
recently been forced to deal with the Islamic courts, where they have faced severe
disadvantages. During 2007, there were several instances where non-Muslims suffered
religious discrimination through the Islamic court system. In one case, a Hindu mother,
Subashini Rajasingam, lost an appeal to prevent her husband, a recent Muslim convert,
from changing their four year old son’s religion to Islam. The highest court in Malaysia
affirmed the ruling of a lower federal court, which granted the Muslim husband a right
In another case, Revathi Massosai was ordered to spend six months in an Islamic
rehabilitation center for the purposes of “re-embracing” her Islamic faith. Though Ms.
Massosai’s had parents converted to Islam before her birth, she was raised as a Hindu
by her Hindu grandmother. In 2004, Ms. Massosai married Suresh Veerappan, a Hindu,
according to Hindu rites, but did not register the marriage, as Malaysian law does not
recognize marriage between a Muslim and a non-Muslim, unless the non-Muslim
accepts Islam. When trying to register the birth of their daughter, Malaysian officials
noticed that Ms. Massosai’s documents still bore her Muslim name. The courts ordered
her to spend six months in an Islamic center, and custody of her daughter was then
taken from her and her husband, and given to her Muslim parents. Ms. Massosai, after
her release, states that she had suffered mental and physical abuse at the center, but till
cxlviii
date, has not regained custody of her child.
Other minorities, including Christians and Buddhists, have also faced problems in the
Islamic Sharia courts. In one instance, Catholic convert, Lina Joy, tried unsuccessfully to
officially change her faith from Islam to Christianity. After nine years of litigation, on
May 30, the Supreme Court ruled that she would need permission from the sharia
courts in order to remove Islam from her identity card. Her case highlights creeping
Islamisation and the infringement of Article 11 of the Malaysian Constitution which
states that “Every person has the right to profess and practice his religion.”cxlix
In another case, the religious court has “has ordered a Malaysian woman [Siti Fatimah]
who is trying to renounce Islam to undergo three months of counseling.” She is an
ethnic Chinese woman who had converted from Buddhism to Islam because she was
marrying an Iranian man. She claims though that she never truly practiced Islamic
teachings, and has been formally trying to renounce Islam after abandonment by her
husband.cl
According to a report from the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, some of the
cases of discrimination against Hindus included the following:cli
• In February 2007, two siblings of Indian origin sought to have their religious
status changed on their birth certificates, which currently define them as
Muslims. Although they claim to be Hindus, the siblings have been unable to
change their Muslim status through Malaysia’s National Registration
• In August 2007, Islamic religious police reportedly freed an ethnic Indian Muslim
woman after four months of detention for marrying a Hindu; however, "Islamic
authorities" ordered the couple to live separately since their marriage was
considered un-Islamic.
Temple Demolition
In a continuing trend from 2006, the biggest concern of Hindus in Malaysia was the
destruction of their temples. However, because of the public outcry and international
attention to the destruction of Hindu temples, the pace of temple destruction seemed
to have slowed down in 2007. According to HINDRAF sources, at least one temple was
destroyed every three weeks in 2006.clii “The conduct of the Malaysian authorities has
been particularly offensive,” India’s former external affairs minister, Yashwant Sinha
told the Indian media. “Even the country’s official history starts with the 14th century
after the last Hindu king converted to Islam. They want to obliterate their past.”cliii
One of the most controversial temple demolitions was the demolition of the Maha
Mariamman Temple in Padang Jawa in October, 2007.cliv Built in 1873 and dedicated to
Goddess Maha Mariamman, it was the oldest Hindu temple in Malaysia. Carved images
of deities adorned the temple’s grand entrance, a 22-metre high pyramid-shaped tower.
According to Hindu activists, the temple had not received any official notice on the
demolition other than being told the night before the incident. The representative from
state government and Majlis Bandaraya Shah Alam (MBSA) verbally informed temple
authorities the night before the demolition that they would be given few days to move
• On 5/15/2007 -- the JKR Sri Muniswarar Hindu Temple, Jalan Kapar, Klang
• On 6/13/2007 -- the Sri Kaliaman Hindu temple in Midlands estate, Shah Alam
Mistreatment of Hindus
The Indian Hindu minority suffers from economic, social and educational discrimination,
while the majority Malaysian Muslims (bumiputras) benefit from an affirmative-action
policy that provides discounts on housing, quotas on educational institutions,
preference for government jobs, selection of government run mutual funds available
only for bumiputra purchase, and projects that require tenders to be bumiputra owned.
Likewise, companies listed on the Kuala Lumpur Stock Exchange, including foreign
companies, must have bumiputras with at least 30% minimum equity in order to satisfy
listing requirements. This further unevens the distribution of wealth, thereby leaving the
Hindu minority at an increased economic disadvantage.
In November, HINDRAF arranged a rally in the capital “seeking reparations from the UK
for bringing Indians to Malaysia as indentured labourers a century ago”clv and improved
living conditions for the Hindu community. The government banned the rally, and on
November 23, detained three Hindraf leaders under the charge of sedition. Nearly
10,000 protestors attended the November 25 Kuala Lumpur rally. The government
responded by virtually locking down Kuala Lumpur and firing tear gas, chemical laced
water cannons and baton charges. Hundreds were beaten and arrested including several
hundred gathered at the Batu Caves temple complex, one of the most sacred Hindu
shrines in the country. Five leaders from Hindraf (P. Uthayakumar, M. Manoharan, R.
Kenghadharan and V. Ganabatirau, and T. Vasantha Kumar) were arrested under the
Internal Security Act (ISA), a law which allows for indefinite detention without trial. After
100 days of incarceration, formal charges have yet to be brought. These men have not
been granted food according to their medical or religious requirements, medicine, time
outside their cell and only limited visits by family members.
Initially, the government charged 31 men with attempted murder, later dropped those
charges.
c) Threat of arrest and criminal prosecution of venue owners for aiding in holding
events.
e) Placing hundreds of riot police fully armed near the temple premises, etc.
Malaysia has not taken any action toward signing or ratifying the United Nation’s
International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights or the International Convention on
the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination.
Malaysia’s Constitution upholds Islam as “the religion of the Federation,”clvi but provides
for the practice of other religions “in peace and harmony.” Part II of the Constitution
defines the fundamental liberties of people, which include the right to equality before
the law; the right to freedom of speech and peaceful assembly; and the right to “prove
and practice his religion.” The Constitution also guarantees that every religious group
may “manage its own religious affairs, establish and maintain institutions for religious or
charitable purposes, and acquire and own property and hold and administer it in
accordance with law.” Furthermore, religious groups hold the right “to establish and
maintain institutions for education of children in its own religion” although the
Federation retains the right to “establish or maintain or assist in establishing or
maintaining Islamic institutions.” Additionally, the Constitution mandates that no
individual is “required to receive instruction in or take part in any ceremony or act of
worship of a religion other than his own.” Clearly, state-sponsored temple destruction
Area: 803,940 sq km
Religions: Muslim 97% (Sunni 77%, Shi’a 20%), other (includes Christian and Hindu) 3%
Ethnic groups: Punjabi, Sindhi, Pashtun (Pathan), Baloch, Muhajir (immigrants from
India at the time of partition and their descendants)
Languages: Punjabi 48%, Sindhi 12%, Siraiki (a Punjabi variant) 10%, Pashtu 8%, Urdu
(official) 8%, Balochi 3%, Hindko 2%, Brahui 1%, Other 8% (mainly English and
Burushaski)
Location: Southern Asia, bordering the Arabian Sea, between India on the east and Iran
and Afghanistan on the west and China in the northclvii
The modern Pakistani state was created by partitioning the subcontinent in 1947,
following the British withdrawal from India. Partition and the accompanying violence
forced millions of Hindus and Sikhs to flee Pakistan for the safety of India. As a result,
the number of Hindus in Pakistan began to rapidly decline. For instance, at the time of
Partition in 1947, the Hindu community in Pakistan was approximately 25%, and in
1998, it was down to only 1.6%.clix In the city of Karachi alone, the Hindu population
decreased from 51% in 1947, to only 2% in 1951, while the Muslim population in the city
went from 42% to 96% during that same period.clx
At independence, Pakistan proclaimed itself an Islamic republic. Since then, Islam has
become a central part of the country's national ideology and legal framework.
Although the Constitution provides for freedom of religion, that freedom is severely
limited and “subject to law, public order, and morality.” Consequently, actions or
speech deemed derogatory to Islam or Prophet Mohammed are not protected.
Moreover, the Constitution requires that laws be consistent with Islam and imposes
elements of Koranic law on both Muslims and non-Muslims alike.clxi
During the last several years, the rights of Pakistani minorities have deteriorated at an
alarming pace. I. A. Rehman, Director of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan,
associates this erosion with the continued Islamization of the country initiated
by former President General Zia-ul-Haq in the 1980s. Consequently, minorities live in
constant fear of threats to their lives and property, desecrations of their places of
worship, and punishment under the Blasphemy Act.clxii Nuzzhat Shirin of the Aurat
Foundation adds: “It’s Muslims winning by intimidation. It’s Muslims overcoming a
culture by threatening it, by abducting young girls so that an entire community moves
out or succumbs to the Muslim murderers.”clxiii Pakistani Bishop T. Nasir renounced his
Pakistani nationality to protest deteriorating human rights conditions. In an
emotionally-charged plea to President Musharraf, he stated he experienced “extreme
Hindus in Pakistan
Hindus make up a small and vulnerable religious minority in this officially Islamic
country. According to the Minorities at Risk (MAR) group, “Hindus are most
concentrated in the Sindh province of southeast Pakistan.”clxvi The report explains that
before the partition of India in 1947, “most Hindus in present-day Pakistan were urban,
highly educated and economically advantaged. However, most middle-class and upper-
class Pakistani Hindus immigrated to India after the 1947 partition of the sub-continent.
Those who remained tended to be poorer and rural. Lacking the resources to organize
politically (large numbers are bonded labor), Hindus have remained politically and
economically marginalized in Pakistan.”clxvii
Hindus are the target of kidnappings, rape, and intimidation in Pakistan. There are
also reports of desecration and destruction of Hindu temples and lands, theft/looting of
Hindu property, discrimination, abuse, and abduction of Hindu females. Additionally,
many Pakistani Hindus suffer under the cruel and inhumane bonded labor system.
Until recently, Pakistani Hindus had not organized politically. From the 1990s onwards
however, Hindus became more assertive and joined alliances with other religious
minorities. In 2002, they joined Christians and other groups to form the All Pakistan
Minorities Alliance (APMA). Moreover, organizations such as the Pakistan Hindu
Welfare Association and coalitions of Hindu panchayats (local councils of elders) have
led in political organizing.clxix
Hindus and other minorities achieved a rare political victory in 2002 with the removal of
separate electorates for Muslims and non-Muslims. The separate electorate system had
marginalized non-Muslims by depriving them of adequate representation in the
assemblies. The Pakistan Hindu Welfare Association was active by convening a national
conference on the issue in December 2000. And in 2001, Hindus, Christians, and
Ahmadis successfully conducted a partial boycott of the elections, culminating in the
Islamist groups and parties also made substantial gains in power and influence,
particularly in the North West Frontier Province (NWFP) and the Federally Administered
Tribal Areas (FATA) on the border with Afghanistan. This led to the implementation and
enforcement of strict Islamic Sharia law in substantial parts of these areas. For instance,
lawmakers in NWFP recently approved the Hisbah Act (Sharia legislation) to establish a
commission to suppress vice, similar to the Saudi and Taliban models. The Act
also included the creation of a separate police force to execute and impose its orders.
Mushtaq Ahmed Ghani, legislator from the opposition Pakistan Muslim League-Q party,
fears that “this bill will encourage steps for the Talibanization of the province.”clxxvii In
addition, there has been a recent explosion of Islamic schools, known as madrasas in
the past fifty years. Current estimates show that there are over 10,000 madrasas in
Pakistan, whereas in 1956 there were only 244. Many of these schools teach extreme
and intolerant interpretations of Islam to children as young as five years old.clxxviii
Hudood Ordinance
The Hudood Ordinance in Pakistan is a medieval law used to oppress and intimidate
women, and has been used to imprison thousands of women who report rapes. Under
the ordinance, in order to prove rape charges, a female rape victim is required to
present the testimony of four male witnesses. If she is unable to do so, she may then be
punished for committing adultery.clxxxiii This law effectively silences rape victims since
they face the possibility of being charged with adultery, as it is highly unrealistic to
expect a woman to produce four male eye-witnesses to the crime.
The Women’s Rights Bill, introduced in November 2006, slightly amended the Hudood
Ordinance by reducing the required male eye-witnesses for a rape conviction from four
to two. Although this was a positive step forward, the new Women’s Rights Bill still
In addition to the Hudood Ordinances, the Qisas (retribution) and Diyat (compensation)
Ordinances allow an honor killing to be forgiven by the victim’s relatives in exchange for
monetary compensation. Moreover, the compensation for an honor crime against a
woman is half that for a male victim.clxxxv
Rape/Kidnappings/Forceful Conversions
A worrisome trend in Pakistan, particularly in Sindh province, is the abduction and
forced conversion to Islam of Hindu girls. According to a report prepared by the Asian
Centre for Human Rights (ACHR): “It is a crime for the Hindus to have land and beautiful
daughters. Kidnapping, rape and forcible marriage of Hindu girls is a common practice.
In case of arrest, the accused can get away by producing a certificate issued by any
Muslim seminary that the kidnapped girls have voluntarily adopted Islam and the
accused have married the girls. The courts generally do not consider the fact that most
of the girls are minor and simply accept the certificate of conversion without any
investigation. It has been reported that more than 15 families are forcibly converted
from Hinduism to Islam in Sindh province every year. Often, young Hindu girls were
kidnapped and forcibly married.”clxxxvi Several Islamic seminaries in Sindh incite
their Muslim students to convert Hindu girls, telling them that it is the equivalent of
“Haj-e-Akbari,” or the greatest religious duty for Muslims.clxxxvii Wasim Shahzad, the
Minister of State for Interior, believes that kidnappings and forced conversions, “are
taking place to force the Hindus to leave Pakistan where they have been living for the
past 5,000 years.”clxxxviii
A recent case that vividly illustrates the problems faced by Hindu girls was the abduction
and forced conversion of a 17 year-old Hindu girl, Deepa, in Tharparkar district of Sindh
province. Deepa, who received private tutoring from a Muslim teacher, Ashraf
Kashkheli, was kidnapped by Kashkheli on the night of December 31, 2006. After
kidnapping Deepa, Kashkheli reportedly took her to an Islamic school, forcibly converted
her to Islam, and then married her. The owner of the madrasa, Ayube Jan Sarhandi,
gave Kashkheli safe passage out of the area and provided a certificate stating that
Deepa had voluntarily accepted Islam. Deepa’s parents and the Hindu community,
however, allege that she was forced to convert and marry Kashkheli.clxxxix Moreover, the
Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) confirms that such occurrences are typical
When Deepa’s parents tried to file a criminal complaint, the local police declined to
register the case. Moreover, the Chief Minister of Sindh’s political advisors pressured
the family not to register a complaint with the police, since the owner of the madrasa,
Sarhandi was politically connected. Deepa’s whereabouts are still unknown.cxci
In addition to kidnappings and forced conversions, Hindu women are also vulnerable to
rape and sexual assualt. A disturbing example was the gang rape of three Hindu women
in the village of Ghulam Ali Khwar in Larkana district of Sindh in late February 2007.
During the incident, eight armed men attacked a Hindu residence, held the family at
gunpoint, and raped the three women, before leaving with stolen property.cxcii Former
Prime Minister, the late Benazir Bhutto condemned the episode and criticized
the government for its inaction in bringing the culprits to justice.cxciii This horrific
event followed similar incidents earlier in the month in Ghotki, where two women,
Nasima Labano, and Nasima Girgej, were also raped.cxciv
Temple Attacks/Encroachment
The demolition and encroachment of Hindu temples in Pakistan is an ongoing problem,
and is often accomplished with the tacit support of government authorities and police.
In October 2006, a Hindu residential compound and historic temple to Lord Shiva in
Lyari town, Karachi, were forcibly seized by a group of Muslims. The Muslims
evicted several of the Hindu families living in the compound, used the premises to
slaughter cows, and converted the temple into a Muslim place of worship. Instead of
protecting the Hindu residents of the compound, local police actively participated in the
evictions and desecration of the temple. Moreover, government authorities also failed
to assist the evicted Hindu families.cxcvii
Hindu pilgrims visiting temples throughout the country have also come under attack
from Muslim extremists. For example, two Hindu pilgrims were killed and seven
wounded after gunmen attacked a caravan of Hindu pilgrims in Sindh in May 2006.cxcix
Besides Hindu temples, Pakistan also has several ancient Buddhist stupas and statutes.
One of these Buddhist sites recently came under attack in the Swat Valley when Islamic
militants, led by Mullah Fazlullah destroyed the head, shoulders, and feet of a 40 meter
tall statute of Buddha. This attack was reminiscent of the destruction of the Bamiyan
Buddha statutes in Afghanistan carried out by the Taliban in 2001.cc
• Grade IV: “The religion of Hindus did not teach them good things, [and the]
Hindus did not respect women.”
• Grade VI: “The Hindu setup was based on injustice and cruelty.”
• Grade VII: “Hindus always desired to crush the Muslims as a nation [and] several
attempts were made by the Hindus to erase Muslim culture and civilization.”
• Grade VIII: “Before Islam people lived in untold misery all over the world.”
Social Persecution
The frequent abductions of Hindus, has left the Hindu community in Pakistan in a
continuous state of fear and insecurity, with little protection from law enforcement.
According to Mukesh Kumar, Pakistan People’s Party Member of Provincial Assembly, at
least one Hindu is kidnapped every month. During a three month period from the
beginning of 2007 until March 15, there were three Hindu kidnappings in the city of
Kashmore alone. The failure of government authorities to protect Hindus has forced
many to pay local gangs “protection money” to avoid being kidnapped for ransom.
Often times, however, a family is unable to pay “protection money” and cannot afford
the demanded ransom, resulting in the abducted victim being murdered.ccv
A recent incident that demonstrates the problem was the kidnapping and gruesome
murder of 22-year old Garish Kumar. Garish, a Hindu electrical engineer was originally
kidnapped from his home in Hyderabad, Sindh province on August 17, 2006. Kumar’s
mutilated body was recovered from a madrasa in Kotri, Sindh on February 6, 2007.ccvi
Members of an Islamic militant group, Hizb-ul-Mujahadeen, confessed to the crime and
also admitted that they targeted Kumar because he was Hindu. Despite their
confession, however, no action has been taken against Hizb-ul-Mujahadeen, and it
continues to operate freely in Pakistan. Hizb-ul-Mujahadeen is also one of the terrorist
organizations operating in the Jammu and Kashmir state of India with the support of the
Pakistani government.ccvii
Two other Hindus, Cheetan Kumar (45 years-old) and Gordhan Das, known as G.M.
Bhagat (55 years-old), were abducted in late 2006 in Umer Kot district of Sindh
province. The circumstances surrounding the abduction of these two men were almost
identical to that of the abduction of Garish Kumar, as both involved a white double
cabin jeep (with the same registration number), followed by a red Toyota car. According
to local residents, these same vehicles have been linked to several other kidnappings
and disappearances in the area.ccviii
Religious minorities, especially Hindus, are also more vulnerable to land-grabbing and
forced evictions. These evictions and illegal land seizures are often done at the behest
of government authorities and with the cooperation of local police. On May 4th, 50
Hindu families living in Naukot Village in Thar District of Sindh were forcibly evicted from
their land by local police. The illegal eviction was reportedly done on the orders of the
Chief Minister of Sindh province, in order to accommodate a public rally for General
Musharaf in the area.ccxii
Hindus also face economic discrimination and are poorly represented in government
jobs. With the exception of former Supreme Court Justice Rana Bhagwandas, Hindus
rarely hold top civilian or military positions.ccxiii According to a census of federal civil
servants taken in 2006, only 0.21% of civil service positions were held by Hindus. This is
well below their overall population, which is approximately 1.6%.ccxiv
Discriminatory Laws
Islam has become institutionalized in Pakistan and permeates the legal framework
of the country. For instance, Article 2 of the Constitution proclaims that Islam is “the
State religion of Pakistan,” and recognizes that the Koran and Sunnah are the highest
sources of law, not to be contradicted by secular laws.ccxv Furthermore, Article 41(2)
expressly provides that an individual must be Muslim in order to hold the office of
President of Pakistan.ccxvi
The Constitution also provides that high office holders must take the oath of office by
invoking an Islamic prayer, whether or not they are Muslim. This occurred on March 24,
2007 when a Hindu judge, Rana Bhagwandas, was sworn in as acting Supreme
Court Chief Justice, following the suspension of sitting Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad
Chaudhry.ccxvii The Hindu judge was required to take the Islamic oath “In the name of
Allah, the most Beneficent, the most Merciful,” and ended with “May Allah Almighty
help and guide me, (A’meen).”ccxviii The Constitution and other statutory laws favor
Blasphemy Laws
The blasphemy laws, which are part of Pakistan's Penal Code, impose severe
punishments for insults to the Prophet Mohammed or desecration of the Koran.
Section 295-C of the Penal Code, provides the harshest penalty by mandating the death
penalty for the use of derogatory remarks about the Prophet Mohammed.ccxix These
archaic laws have harmed all sections of Pakistani society, but have had the greatest
impact on religious minorities, particularly Hindus, Christians, and Ahmadiyas. There are
currently dozens of blasphemy cases pending in the court system, while the accused
languish in jail under oppressive conditions.ccxx
The blasphemy laws have often been misused and employed as a means to target and
harass non-Muslims. For instance, from January 1 to June 1 2007, out of 25 alleged
blasphemy cases, 16 involved Christians. On January 26, 2007 criminal cases were
registered against five Ahmadi children, some as young as eight years old.ccxxi In 2006,
44% of the registered blasphemy cases involved non-Muslims, and in 2005, 33% of the
accused were non-Muslims, of which six percent were Hindu. Considering
that Hindus, Christians, and Ahmadiyas collectively account for only four percent of the
population, they have been disproportionately targeted.ccxxii Furthermore, these laws
inherently discriminate against minorities, and severely restrict freedom of thought and
religion.
Bonded Labor
The bonded labor system in Pakistan systematically enslaves an estimated 1.7 million
people, many of whom are young children. Poor Hindus constitute the majority of
bonded laborers, particularly in rural parts of Sindh, where they work for Muslim
landowners. Although the system is found primarily in Sindh, it is also practiced in parts
of Punjab province.ccxxv The U.S. Department of Labor maintains that the debt
bondage system in Pakistan operates by “giving advances of peshgi” (bonded money) to
a person. As long as all or part of the peshgi debt remains outstanding, the
debtor/worker is bound to the creditor/employer. In case of sickness or death, the
family of the individual is responsible for the debt, which often passes down from
generation to generation. In the case of children, the peshgi is paid to a parent or
guardian, who then provides the child to work off the debt.”ccxxvi The system is
characterized by patterns of abuse, detention, and exploitation.ccxxvii
In 1992, Pakistan passed the Bonded Labor (Abolition) Act, outlawing all forms of
bonded labor and forgiving any outstanding debt owed by laborers to their
employers.ccxxviii Despite this legislation, local government officials have
been uncooperative in ending the practice and securing the release of bonded laborers.
The police often refuse to register complaints against abusive landowners. Although
human rights groups, particularly the HRCP, have helped release thousands of debt
laborers, the laborers are frequently recaptured by their landlords.ccxxix Notwithstanding
these efforts by human rights organizations, and the passage of the Bonded Labor
(Abolition) Act, the practice of debt labor continues to thrive and plague poor Hindus
and other marginalized segments of Pakistani society.
The Pakistani government has been unable and/or unwilling to crack down on the
aforementioned organizations. This is primarily due to the fact that they serve as
strategic weapons against India. Although Islamic extremists now pose a serious threat
to the stability of Pakistan itself, members in the government, military and intelligence
services, continue to nurture and protect militant groups.ccxxxvii
Constitution of Pakistan
Pakistan’s Constitution (Articles 20, 21, and 22) guarantees religious freedom and
safeguards to its citizens.ccxxxviii For example, Article 20 states that, “Every citizen shall
have the right to profess, practice and propagate his religion; and every religious
denomination and every sect thereof shall have the right to establish, maintain and
manage its religious institutions.”ccxxxix However, Article 19 of the Constitution asserts
that, “Every citizen shall have the right to freedom of speech and expression, and there
shall be freedom of the press, subject to any reasonable restrictions imposed by law in
the interest of the glory of Islam or the integrity, security or defense of Pakistan,”
thus making religious freedom subordinate to the supremacy of Islam.ccxl Despite the
assurances provided in Articles 20-22, Article 19 establishes justification for the
persecution of Hindus, Christians, and Ahmadiyyas including destruction
and desecration of their places of worship, and punishment under the blasphemy laws.
Article 25 of the Constitution maintains that “All citizens are equal before law and are
entitled to equal protection of law…There shall be no discrimination on the basis of sex
alone.”ccxli Despite the constitutional guarantee of equal protection, women regularly
Article 35 mandates, “The State shall protect the marriage, the family, the mother and
the child.”ccxlii Article 36 states, “The State shall safeguard the legitimate rights and
interests of minorities, including their due representation in the Federal and Provincial
services.”ccxliii In reality, however, neither families nor minorities are being protected by
Pakistan as kidnappings and forced conversions of Hindu girls continue to occur.
International Law
Curiously, Pakistan has taken no action toward signing or ratifying the UN’s International
Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (CCPR), although it is still accountable for its
provisions under customary international law. Several of the Articles encompassed in
the CCPR have been repeatedly violated by Pakistan. For instance, Article 18 protects
the basic “right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion."ccxliv The Blasphemy
Laws and their application to minorities, clearly violate this article. Moreover, under
Articles 26 and 27, religious minorities are guaranteed equality before the law, and
freedom of religion without discrimination.ccxlv Contrary to Article 26 and 27, however,
the Constitutional preference for Islam, religious identification laws, and depiction of
Hinduism in school textbooks, all promote discrimination against Hindus. Additionally,
the forced marriage of kidnapped Hindu girls to Muslim boys clearly contravenes Article
23(2), which states: “No marriage shall be entered into without the free and full consent
of the intending spouses.”ccxlvi
Other international covenants and human rights treaties are also relevant to the
situation in Pakistan. For instance, the Declaration on the Elimination of All Forms of
Intolerance and of Discrimination Based on Religion or Belief, applies to Pakistan's
treatment of its religious minorities, particularly Hindus. The Declaration mandates that
every person has the right to practice the religion of his/her choice, and should not be
subject to discrimination based on his belief system.ccxlvii The institutionalization of Islam
by the government, however, has led to the social, economic, and political
discrimination of Hindus and other religious groups. Moreover, contrary to the
Declaration, Hindus have been subjected to violence, conversions, and other acts of
intolerance at the hands of Muslim extremists.
The Slavery Convention of 1926 strove to bring about “the complete abolition of slavery
in all its forms”.ccl Similarly, under the Abolition of Forced Labor Convention, countries
are required to take all necessary steps to suppress and completely abolish the practice
of debt bondage or any other type of “forced or compulsory labor”.ccli Both of these
conventions apply to the widespread use of bonded labor in Pakistan. The Pakistani
government has violated the tenets of the Forced Labor Convention by failing to take
adequate measures to end the bonded labor system. Although the practice
was officially outlawed in 1992 through the Bonded Labor (Abolition) Act, government
officials have refused to enforce it and are often complicit in allowing the practice to
continue. Moreover, since debt bondage is the modern equivalent of slavery, Pakistan’s
actions have also violated the Slavery Convention.
Regardless of whether Pakistan has signed or ratified all of the above human rights
treaties, it is still bound by their provisions under customary international law.
Customary international law holds nations accountable for the protection of basic
universal human rights.
HAF further recommends that the US engage in increased dialogue with Pakistan on the
issues of human rights and religious freedom. Additionally, a fact-finding mission should
be organized by the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom
(USCIRF) to investigate the desperate status of Hindus and other minorities.
International human rights organizations must also take a more active role
in highlighting the plight and suffering of the Hindu community in Pakistan.
Finally, HAF calls directly on the government of Pakistan to take immediate steps for
the protection of Hindus from rape, kidnapping, and forced conversions. School
textbooks must be modified so that they do not promote lies about Hinduism, and
hatred against Hindus and other minorities, and instead promote tolerance and
pluralism.
Religions: Russian Orthodox 15%-20%, other Christian 2%, Islam 10-15% (2006 est;
includes practicing worshippers only)
Location: Northern Asia (that part west of the Urals is included with Europe); bordering,
the Artic Ocean, between Europe and the North Pacific Ocean. ccliii
Introduction
The origin of the Russian state coincides with the arrival of Scandinavian traders and
warriors, the Varangians.ccliv Christianity was made the state religion by Vladimir I (980 –
1015), who adopted (988 -- 989) the Greek Orthodox rite. Founded in the 12th century,
the Principality of Muscovy was able to emerge from over 200 years of Mongol
domination (13th -- 15th centuries) and to gradually conquer and absorb surrounding
principalities.cclv During the rule of Peter I, Russian hegemony spread to the Baltic Sea,
and country was named Russian empire.cclvi First forms of reform to the Orthodox
The treatment received by the small group of Hindus in Russia has been discriminatory
and Hindus have been harassed. For example, the Hare Krishna’s (ISKCON) have been
struggling to build a temple in Moscow. The first Hindu temple was opened in 1990 by
the Moscow Krishna Group in a dilapidated building rented from the city and repaired
by the devotees.cclxi Since 1991, the Russian Hindu community has approached city
officials in Moscow to build a temple due to the lack of space and poor conditions.cclxii
The government refused bowing down to pressure from the Russian Orthodox Church;
however, it promised the Hare Krishnas five acres of land in a Moscow suburb to build a
temple.cclxiii The Hare Krishnas now reside in a temporary iron corrugated shed with no
heating, water, electricity, and sewerage, after the building they rented that was on
“city government” was destroyed. The 15,000 strong Hare Krishnas have no house of
worship.cclxiv The Russian governmental officials have not kept their word to this day.
The legislation that has been passed through which the administrative processes have to
be carried out is flawed, and allows the on-going violations to continue as the central
government is doing nothing to stop what is happening at the level of local
governments. The lack of federal governmental oversight encourages the violations to
continue. The Office of Federal Human Rights Ombudsman Vladimir Lukin receives 200-
250 religious freedom complaints every year, out of which 75% represent genuine
violations of religious freedom of rights guaranteed under the law.cclxv Contradictions
Aside from these types of human rights violations, government legislation like the 1997
law “On Freedom of Conscience and Associations” – the law stipulates that the Russian
Orthodox Church as the pre-eminent religion in the region – is discriminatory in nature.
The law recognizes Judaism, Islam, and Buddhism but all other faiths not mentioned in
the document face strict curbs that restrict their legal rights, missionary work, and
educational activities; any religion not established over 15 years in Russia cannot publish
books or invite spiritual leaders.cclxviii The components of the law give the local
governments more authority and allow them more jurisdiction, thus enabling them to
discriminate groups through the abuse of this law.
Another law that often impedes religious freedom is the 2002 Law on Extremism which
allows for criminalizing a broad spectrum of activities.cclxx Some government officials
and law enforcement agencies have spoken of protecting the “spiritual superiority” of
the country by discouraging the growth of “sects” and “cults” alluding to new religious
movements.cclxxi However, the most powerful law is the 1997 law which gives officials
the authority to ban religious groups and thereby prohibit all of the activities of a
religious community.
Today, the Hare Krishnas are fighting to build a temple on land promised by city officials
in Moscow. They have experienced tremendous difficulties in the past, and at one
moment during the communist era the Hare Krishnas were sent to labor camps. Mikhail
Gorbachev set them free under strong international pressure.
Constitution of Russia
The Constitution of the Russian Federation enshrines human rights of all citizens living in
the country irrespective of race, religion, and sex. Article 14 (clause 1) states, “The
Russian Federation shall be a secular state. No religion may be instituted as state
sponsored or mandatory religion.”cclxxii Article 14 (clause 2) further proclaims that,
“Religious associations shall be separated from the state, and shall be equal before the
law.”cclxxiii Furthermore, Article 13 (clause 5) explicitly states, “The establishment and
the activities of public associations, whose aims and actions are directed at forcible
alteration of the fundamentals of constitutional governance and violation of the
integrity of the Russian Federation and undermining of the security of the state, the
forming of armed units, the incitement of social, racial, national and religious strife shall
be prohibited.”cclxxiv
The way the Russian Federation favors the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC) is further
illustrated by the preferential treatment towards the faith resulting in the alienation of
other faiths. This support to the ROC is therefore unconstitutional. In addition, Article
19 (clause 2) states, “The state shall guarantee the equality of rights and liberties
regardless of sex, race, nationality, language, origin, property or employment status,
residence, attitude to religion, convictions, membership of public associations or any
other circumstance. Any restrictions of the rights of citizens on social, racial, national,
linguistic or religious grounds shall be forbidden.”cclxxv The Russian Federation
undermines the constitution when it restricts the rights of religious minorities in the
region such as the denial of land to the Hare Krishnas which was promised to them by
the local Duma in Moscow to build a temple. Article 28 mentions, “Everyone shall be
guaranteed the right to the freedom of conscience, to the freedom of religious worship,
including the right to profess, individually or jointly with others, any religion, or to
profess no religion, to freely choose, possess, and disseminate religious or other beliefs,
and to act in conformity with them.”cclxxvi This right is undermined by the 1997 Law of
Conscience which states that a religious institution needs to be at least 15 years old
before it can start to publish material for dissemination.
We can conclude therefore that Russia has been overall negligent in stopping the on-
going violations of human rights of religious minorities.
International Law
In addition to the rights established in the Constitution of the Russian Federation, there
are other rights that are guaranteed to the citizens of Russia. The country has ratified
the International Covenant on Civil & Political Rights (ICCPR) on October 16, 1973.cclxxix
Article 2 of ICCPR states, “Each State Party to the present Covenant undertakes to
respect and to ensure to all individuals within its territory and subject to its jurisdiction
the rights recognized in the present Covenant, without distinction of any kind, such as
race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin,
property, birth or other status.”cclxxx Furthermore, Article 20 says, “Any advocacy of
national, racial, or religious hatred that constitutes incitement to discrimination,
hostility or violence shall be prohibited by law.”cclxxxi Both articles in this covenant can
draw similarities to Article 13 of the Russian Federation Constitution. Article 18 of the
Covenant states that, “Everyone shall have the right to the freedom to have or to adopt
a religion with others in public or private to manifest his religion or belief in worship,
observance, practice and teaching.”cclxxxii This is parallel to Article 19 and 28 of the
Constitution of the Russian Federation. The discriminatory treatment meted out to
religious minorities in the Russian Federation, including the Hare Krishnas, shows that
the Russian government has failed to fulfill the promises guaranteed under the ICCPR
covenant which it has signed.
The Russian Federation also ratified on February 4, 1969 the International Convention
on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination.cclxxxiii Article 1 of this convention
describes “racial discrimination”, to mean “any distinction, exclusion, restriction, or
preference based on race, colour, descent, or national or ethnic origin which has the
purpose or effect of nullifying or impairing the recognition, enjoyment, or exercise, on
an equal footing, of human rights and fundamental freedoms in the political, economic,
social, cultural or any other field of public life.”cclxxxiv Article 13 and Article 19 of the
Russian Federation Constitution are similar to this. Meanwhile, Article 2 of the treaty
mentions that, “State Parties condemn racial discrimination and undertake to pursue by
all appropriate means and without delay a policy eliminating racial discrimination in all
its forms and promoting understanding among all races.”cclxxxv In particular, Clause C
According to the State Department, “Some local and municipal governments prevented
minority religious groups from obtaining venues for large gatherings and from acquiring
property for religious uses.”cclxxxix This and other such actions should be strictly
forbidden and the guilty punished. Russia has had a long relationship with Hinduism
and Indian religions, and a recent find of an ancient Vishnu murti in the Volga region
raises the interesting prospect of an older and deeper religious connection between the
two countries.ccxc HAF urges Russian authorities to stem the tide of religious
fundamentalism and discrimination and enable Russians to enjoy the guaranteed
freedom of religion.
Religion: Exact numbers are not available. Saudi government claims all citizens are
Muslim, of these 85 percent are Sunni and 15 percent are Shiite. Non-Muslim migrant
workers within the state unofficially practice mainly Hinduism or Christianity.ccxci
Ethnicity: 90 percent are ethnically Arab, 10 percent are Afro-Asian. This does not
include the 7 million migrant workers who are predominantly South Asian in descent.
Languages: Arabic
Location: Middle East, bordering the Persian Gulf and the Red Sea, north of Yemenccxcii
History
In the late eighteenth century, Saudi tribal ruler Muhammad bin Saud, and Wahhabi
cleric Muhammad Abd Al-Wahhab, merged to form a new political union on the Arabian
Peninsula.ccxciii Over the course of the next century, the Saud family struggled to
Vast reserves of oil were discovered in March 1938. This triggered development
programs in the late 1940s bankrolled by Western states, particularly the United States.
Today, Saudi Arabia is the leading petroleum producer and exporter. Oil constitutes 75%
of government revenues and 90% of all exports.ccxcv
Crown Prince Abdullah has led the country since the King Fahd, suffered a stroke in
1995. The monarch appoints the two legislative bodies, including the Council of
Ministers and the Majlis-al-Shura (Consultative Council). The king also appoints emirs to
administer the state’s regions. Political parties are forbidden and traditionally neither
men nor women possess the right to vote.ccxcvi In October 2003, the government
allowed elections for half of the members of the 2004 municipal councils, but elections
were not held until 2005.ccxcvii Only male citizens over the age of 21, with the exclusion
of military personnel, were allowed to participate.
The demographic composition of Saudi Arabia has transformed dramatically in the past
twenty years. Though ninety percent of Saudis are ethnically Arab, the globalized era
has rendered an increasingly pluralistic society. King Faisal abolished slavery in 1962,
creating a great demand for workers. There are 7 million migrant workers, 1.5 million
Indians, 1.5 million Bangladeshis, 1.2 million Filipinos, 1 million Pakistanis, 1 million
Egyptians, 600,000 Indonesians, 400,000 Sri Lankans, 350,000 Nepalese, 250,000
Palestinians, 150,000 Lebanese, and 100,000 Eritreans.ccc There are approximately
100,000 American and European workers in Saudi Arabia as well. Foreigners comprise
67% of the workforce and hold 90 to 95% of private-sector jobs.ccci
The Government follows the Wahhabi branch of the Hanbali Sunni school and is not
tolerant of other sects of Islam. The Government in theory allows Shia Muslims to adopt
their own version of Sharia in judicial decisions. However, there are only two Shia judges
in the state. The Sunni courts can overrule their judgments at any time.cccii
The Ministry of Islamic Affairs is the administrative authority of all Saudi mosques and
imams. The ministry pays imams and mosque workers. The Commission to Promote
Virtue and Prevent Vice was established to insure public morality and reports to Royal
Diwan.ccciii The Government also does not allow non-Muslim clergy to enter the country
with the intent of conducting religious services.ccciv
The Commission to Promote Virtue and Prevent Vice (CPVPV) possesses authority to
arrest and detain persons. The mutawwa’in are not allowed to legally detain individuals
for more than 24 hours, arrest individuals without police accompaniment, adopt
surveillance tactics or institute arbitrary punishment. However, the Saudi government
has investigated several incidents in which the mutawwa’in have transcended these
Additionally, there have been several reports of mutawwa’in raids on private residences
and deportations of alleged non-Muslims. Some of those convicted received lashes prior
to deportation.cccvi Human rights group also reported continued harassment by the
religious police, including warnings and short-term detentions. As a result, the country
been noted by the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) as a
“Country of Particular Concern.”
Religious vigilantes act without orders to harass, assault, and batter non-Muslims.
Incidents of abuse are most frequent in the central Nejd region.
The only recognized holidays are Eid al-Fitr and Eid-al-Adha, and a secular Kingdom’s
National Day. The government allows observance of the Shia holiday of Ashura in only a
few limited cities. Public movie cinemas are prohibited. Literature is heavily censored.
Lack of religious freedom is added to the litany of abuses domestic workers face in Saudi
Arabia.cccx It is a destination country for workers from South and Southeast Asia. The
largest Indian expatriate community is in Saudi Arabia. Eight-five percent of Indians
work in unskilled or blue-collar jobs. Such workers face physical and sexual abuse,
restriction of movement, and punitive immigration laws.cccxi
Abuse specific to South Asians is prevalent. The Saudis arrested eight Christians from
India in May 2005. The previous month, 40 Pakistani Christians were arrested after
hosting a joint Catholic-Protestant meeting in a home.cccxii In early August, the
government of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh warned Indians traveling to Saudi
Arabia not to carry religious scriptures, photographs or icons. The Indian Ambassador in
Riyadh said, “Indian nationals should be strictly briefed against organizing group
religious activities in private residences or undertaking missionary or preaching
activity.”cccxiii
Treatment of Hindus
Islamic law characterizes Hindus as polytheists. This puts Hindus in the same category as
those who practice “black magic” or “sorcery.”cccxiv This provides for greater
discrimination than against Christians and Jews who are classified as “People of the
Book.” The “Hanbali” interpretation of Shari’a found that once fault is determined by a
court, a Muslim male receives 100 percent of the amount of compensation determined,
a male Jew or Christian receives 50 percent, and all others (including Hindus, Buddhists
and Sikhs) receive 1/16 of the amount a male Muslim may receive.cccxv
Members of the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice, or
Mutawaa’in, destroyed a room converted into a Hindu temple on March 26, 2005 in
Riyadh. The makeshift temple was found accidentally when they were raiding flats
suspected of manufacturing alcohol and distributing pornographic videos. The caretaker
who was found at the site ignored orders to cease worship. He was deported with two
other men who were present and ready to worship. This incident was confirmed by
several news agencies, including the Arab Al-Hayat.cccxvi
A Western Op-Ed columnist from Saudi Arabia exclaimed in 2006 that he experiences
“no religious freedom at all; no priests, no Christian churches are allowed, no Anglican,
In March 2007, local media noted that the CPVPV interfered with that month's Riyadh
Book Fair which included with texts from various faith traditions.
In May 2007, an Indian maid was injured severely after jumping out of her fourth-story
apartment in Jeddah in an attempt to escape a mutawwa’in raid.
Saudi Arabia consistently ranks low on international human rights lists. It is 72 out 111
on the Economist’s Worldwide Quality-of-Life Index in 2005.cccxix Transparency
International Corruption Perceptions index ranked it 70 out of 163.cccxx The United
Nations Human Development Index ranked Saudi Arabia 76 out of 177.cccxxi
More recently, the government reiterated its policy to combat extremism within the
country and abroad. It has committed to reviewing educational materials to remove
degrading references to other faith traditions. It is monitoring sermons at government
sponsored mosques and states intent to dismiss imams whose preaching promotes
extremism. In response to growing concerns about the mutaww’in and CPVPV the
government has permitted significant media criticism.
The Saudi Government has appointed more Shi'a judges to the Ja'afari courts in the
Eastern Province and one Shi'a and one Sulaimani Ismaili Shi'a to the board of the
Government's Human Rights Commission (HRC). According to the US State Department
Report on International Religious Freedom 2007, there were fewer reports of
confiscation of religious materials at the airports in Jeddah and Dhahran, and fewer
mutawwa'in raids of religious gatherings in the Western Hijaz region and in the Eastern
Province. Additionally, larger public and private celebrations of Shi'a holidays were
permitted in the Eastern Province.
Saudi officials have also hosted summits on education. The Sixth National Dialogue
Forum, entitled “Education: Reality and Promises” included a “road map” for
educational reform, including textbook revision, and teaching curriculum. In February
2007, the government launched the King Abdullah Project for the Development of Public
Education, a $2.4 billion, 6-year program to improve public education. Included in this
transformation is a goal to revise textbooks and make materials more inclusive. In
March 2007, the civil service announced it would dismiss teachers who espoused
extremist view in the classroom. In April 2007, King Abdullah announced that the
Government would allocate more freedom to private school development.
The United States government must insist on a better human rights record. Senior U.S.
officials have begun such a dialogue with Saudi leaders on key policies regarding
religious practice and tolerance. The US-Saudi Strategic Dialogue includes among its
working groups the promotion of religious freedom. However, more must be done. The
political and religious dynamic in the region can only change when Saudi Arabia is
pressured to change its Islamist agenda. Saudi Arabia must end its support for terrorism
and fundamentalist Islam, promote basic civil and religious rights for its citizens and
guest workers, and reform its education system in order to remove inaccuracies and
hatred about other religions. It should instead promote tolerance and pluralism.
Area: 65,610 sq km
Ethnic groups: Sinhalese 73.8%, Sri Lankan Moors 7.2%, Indian Tamil 4.6%, Sri Lankan
Tamil 3.9%, other 0.5%, unspecified 10% (2001 census provisional data)
Religion: Buddhist 69.1%, Muslim 7.6%, Hindu 7.1%, Christian 6.2%, unspecified 10%
(2001 census provisional data)
Location: Southern Asia, island in the Indian Ocean, south of India cccxxiii
The Sri Lankan civil war is an ongoing conflict that has been taking place since 1983
between the majority Sinhala Sri Lankan government and the LTTE. The LTTE is fighting
for an independent state (Tamil Eelam) in the North and East regions of the island. A
cease-fire was declared by both parties in December 2001. Norwegian-brokered peace
talks led to a ceasefire agreement between the government and Tamil rebels in late
2002, but both the government and Tamil rebels violated the truce. Renewed hostilities
broke out again in late 2005 with increasing intensity. Both sides claimed that they
were willing to abide by the ceasefire agreement, eventually leading to a settlement.
Throughout the years, both parties have committed extrajudicial killings, abductions,
participated in communal violence, and intentionally attacked civilians.cccxxiv
The Sri Lankan government ended its truce with the LTTE on January 2, 2008, causing
great concern among international arbiters. The civil war has taken a heavy toll on this
island nation, killing nearly 5,000 people since early 2006, and a total of 70,000 deaths
since the war erupted in 1983. Moreover, the fighting has left hundreds of thousands of
civilians, primarily Tamils, displaced from their homes, while more than 100,000 were
forced to flee in March 2007 alone.cccxxv
History
The Sinhalese arrived in Sri Lanka in the 6th century BCE, probably from Northern India.
Buddhism was introduced around mid-third century BCE, and a great civilization
developed at the cities of Anuradhapura (from circa 200 BCE to circa 1000 CE) and
Polonnaruwa (from about 1070 to 1200 CE). In the 14th century, a south Indian dynasty
seized power in the north and established a Tamil kingdom. Occupied by the
The original inhabitants of the island were believed to be the aboriginal Veddahs. The
Sinhalese believe they are descendants of King Vijaya who came from Eastern India with
a small army and conquered the island and settled there around the 6th century BCE.
Between 237 BCE to 1070 CE, Sri Lankan Buddhists and various Indian kings, mainly
Tamils, fought each other. Indian kings and Hinduism dominated most of the time
during this period. King Vijayabahu drove the Cholas, a South Indian Hindu dynasty, out
of Sri Lanka and re-established the pre-eminence of Buddhism on the island.
Subsequently, it became mandatory for the Sinhalese king to be a Buddhist. Later the
country was divided and ruled by separate kings until the Europeans conquered the
island.cccxxvii
The Portuguese arrived in 1505 and controlled most of the island by 1595. In 1658, the
Dutch, assisted by the king of Kandy, forced Portugal out. The British expelled the Dutch
in 1796 and conquered the entire island in 1815 after defeating the king of Kandy. The
country was named as Ceylon with Colombo as the capital.
The Europeans established tea, coffee, sugar, cinnamon, rubber and indigo plantations
on the island, and the British brought nearly one million Tamil laborers from India to
work in the tea plantations.
In the 1900s the Ceylonese started a struggle for independence from the ruling British.
On February 4, 1948 the country won its independence. In 1970, the name was
changed to Sri Lanka and it became a republic in 1972.
By 1948, there were more English-language schools in the Tamil-dominated Jaffna city
than in the rest of the island. A disproportionate number of Tamils occupied positions
of prominence in post-independence Sri Lanka, such as doctors, and lawyers in the civil
service. This led to Sinhalese resentment and a perception that the British gave
preferential treatment to the Tamils.cccxxviii
Sinhala Buddhist revivalism and nationalism had its origin in the late 19th and early 20th
centuries. Even before Sri Lanka became independent, Buddhist activists and
ideologues -- monks and laypersons, educators and politicians -- accused the British of
“betraying” Buddhism and spoke of a need to restore Buddhism to its rightful place in
the life and governance of the country.cccxxix
Sinhala Buddhist revivalism and nationalism was supported by and served the interests
of a rising Sinhala Buddhist middle class and businessmen, some of whom were
implicated in the anti-Muslim riots of 1915, which were directed against Muslim
shopkeepers and businessmen.cccxxx
The Jaffna Association (JA) was the only political organization of Jaffna Tamils. They
wanted self-determination for Tamils in the North and East of the island. The JA was
involved directly in much of Jaffna’s social and economic development, and Tamil
political aspirations. In 1915 the British agreed to nominate a JA leader as the Tamil
member of the Legislative Council. In 1919 the Ceylon National Congress (CNC) was
formed for obtaining greater autonomy for the people.
Initially, the Jaffna Association wanted to negotiate separately with the British to
protect minority rights. However, Sir P. Arunachalam, a good friend of JA leaders,
persuaded Tamils to forge a united front with the Sinhalese to achieve more authority
for the entire island. The Sinhalese assured the Tamils of an agreed number of
conditions, including Tamil Eelam, but refused to keep their promises. This led to a
feeling of disillusionment and betrayal among the Tamil Leadership, and in 1921 the
Tamils formed the Tamil Mahajana Sabham (TMS).
In the 1990s Tamils were driven out from Weli Oya or Manal Aru in the Northern
Province, and the Sinhalese settled there; security was provided by the Special Task
Force.cccxxxiii
The Official Language policy forced through the “Sinhala only Act” of 1956 replaced
official English with Sinhala, and excluded Tamil. As a result, countless Tamils serving in
government employment, who were well versed in English but not in Sinhalese, became
unemployed. In practice, the business of government continues to be carried out in
English, though the Sinhalese version is preferred.cccxxxiv
The 1958 riots can be seen as the beginning of the Sri Lankan Civil War. While the
“Sinhala Only” Act passed in 1956, Prime Minister Bandaranaike worked with the Tamil
Federal Party Chief Chelvanayakam to make Tamil the administrative language in the
Tamil-speaking north and east regions through the Bandaranaike-Chelvanayakam Pact
of 1957. However, Bandaranaike reneged under pressure from Sinhalese nationalists.
The Federal Party politicians launched a peaceful protest against this decision, and
planned to hold a convention in Vavniya. To disrupt the convention, on May 22, 1958,
Sinhalese mobs attacked the convention participants traveling by trains.
In 1970, the government began to suppress Tamil culture by banning the importation of
Tamil language films, books, magazines, and journals from India. Additionally, Tamil
political organizations, such as the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagham (DMK) and the Tamil
Youth League (TYL) were banned. Foreign exchange programs for Tamil students going
to Indian universities were stopped, and external degree programs, including those of
London University, were abolished.cccxxxvi The official name of the country was also
changed from Ceylon to Sri Lanka, which had Sinhalese origins. All of these steps
alienated large segments of the Tamil population.
The idea of a separate nation -- Tamil Eelam – emerged in 1972 with the formation of
the Tamil United Liberation Front (TULF). TULF was prohibited from contesting
parliamentary elections.
Between May 31 and June 2, 1981, a Sinhalese mob went on a rampage, burning the
market area of Jaffna, the office of a Tamil newspaper, the home of the Member of
Parliament for Jaffna, the Jaffna Public Library, and killing four people. The destruction
of the Jaffna Public Library was the incident that appeared to cause the most distress to
the people of Jaffna, as it was South Asia's largest library at the time. The 95,000
volumes in the Public Library destroyed by the fire included numerous culturally
important and irreplaceable manuscripts. Later, in 1991 the then president of Sri Lanka
publicly admitted that his party members, Lalith Athulathmudali and Gamini
Dissanayake, were directly involved in the burning of the library.cccxxxvii
The next significant event was the “Black July” riots, which began after 25 years of
negotiations for autonomy for Tamil speaking areas under a federal framework failed.
Started on July 23, 1983, the riots led to the killing of between 1,000 and 3,000 Tamils.
More than 18,000 homes and numerous commercial establishments were destroyed,
and hundreds of thousands of Tamils fled the country to India, Europe, Australia and
Canada. The widespread violence led thousands of Tamil youths to join various Tamil
militant groups, including the LTTE.
Over the next 25 years, there would be many more casualties, ceasefires, undermined
ceasefires, a failed peacekeeping mission during the Rajiv Gandhi-led Government of
India, and the introduction of suicide bombings as a lethal weapon for the first time in
modern history. A suicide mission, allegedly by an LTTE sympathizer took the life of
Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi in 1985.
Specific instances of human rights abuse are hard to identify in this complex battle over
hearts, minds, and land. Some of the government actions, in their bid to defeat the
LTTE, have the characteristics of intentionally targeting the Tamil minority. A Human
Rights Watch (HRW) report in August accused the Sri Lankan government of increased
human rights abuses. The 129-page report documents the “shocking increase in
violations” by government forces, and says that ethnic Tamils have borne the brunt of
these violations.cccxl The following include examples of human rights violations occurring
in 2007:
• On February 7, 2007, members of the LTTE killed the Head Priest of a Hindu
temple at Sandiveli Pullair Kovil in Batticaloa.cccxli
• On June 7, 2007 police evicted Tamil men, women, and children lodged in low-
budget hostels, and bused them off under armed escorts. The action followed
• The police arrested more than 1000 Tamils in response to the suicide bombings
carried out in Colombo on November 28, 2007. According to the Amnesty
International, “Tamils were bundled in bus loads and taken for interrogation”.
More than 400 of those arrested, including 50 women, were taken to the Boosa
Camp near Galle in the south, a facility that is reportedly overcrowded, lacking
proper sanitation facilities and adequate drinking water. cccxlv
Forced Dissapearances
Forced abductions and disappearances at the hands of security forces and pro-
government militias are one of the major human rights abuses prevalent in Sri Lanka.
According to international law, “an enforced disappearance occurs when state
authorities detain a person and then refuse to acknowledge the deprivation of liberty or
the person’s whereabouts, placing the person outside the protection of the law.”cccxlvi
Between 1988 and 1990 alone, there were reportedly more than 27,200 cases of
disappearances. Moreover, 16,305 cases of past abductions are still being investigated
by the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka (HRCSL).cccxlvii In addition, a report by
Human Rights Watch (HRW) claims that there were at least 1,000 forced disappearances
in 2006, and 300 in the first four months of 2007 alone. The vast majority of victims are
young Tamil men suspected of having ties to the Tamil Tigers.cccxlviii
International mediation and good faith efforts seem to have led to dead ends, and
unless the Sri Lankan government makes serious efforts to devolve rights to the
minorities, and protect minority interests, the brunt of the violence and displacement
will be faced by the Tamil and Hindu minorities. There can be no military solution to
ethnic conflicts.
In 1970 the Federal Party submitted proposals to the Ministry of Constitutional Affairs
for: A federal form of government with an autonomous Tamil state, an autonomous
Muslim state and three autonomous Sinhala states; The Tamil Language Regulations of
1966 to be incorporated into the Constitution; Mother tongue to be the compulsory
It is important to recognize that unless the LTTE eschews terrorism the solution to the
conflict will be postponed. Without pressure from international arbitrators, the war of
attrition will continue in Sri Lanka and it is imperative that such pressure be brought to
bear upon the more than three decades old conflict.
Area: 5,128 sq km
Religions: Roman Catholic 26%, Hindu 22.5%, Anglican 7.8%, Baptist 7.2%, Pentecostal
6.8%, Muslim 5.8%, Seventh Day Adventist 4%, other Christian 5.8%, other 10.8%,
unspecified 1.4%, none 1.9% (2000 census). Almost all Hindus are of Indian descent.
Ethnic groups: Indian (South Asian) 40%, African 37.5%, mixed 20.5%, other 1.2%,
unspecified 0.8% (2000 census)
Location: Caribbean, islands between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean,
northeast of Venezuelaccclv
Historyccclvi
The Republic of Trinidad and Tobago is an archipelagic state in the southern Caribbean.
The country consists of two main islands, Trinidad and Tobago, and 21 smaller islands.
Originally settled by Amerindians of South American origin at least 7,000 years ago,
Trinidad and Tobago was occupied by Arawakan-speaking and Cariban-speaking peoples
at the time of European contact in 1498. A history of slavery and indentureship has left
the country with a mixture of African, Indian, mixed-race, European, Middle Eastern and
Chinese people. All these groups have left an imprint on the national culture.
Britain consolidated its hold on both islands during the Napoleonic Wars, and they were
combined into the colony of Trinidad and Tobago in 1899. As a result of these colonial
struggles, Amerindian, Spanish, French and English place names are all common in the
country. African slaves and Chinese, Portuguese, Indian, and free African indentured
laborers arrived to supply labor in the nineteenth and early twentieth century.
Emigration from Barbados and the other Lesser Antilles, Venezuela, Syria, and Lebanon
also impacted on the ethnic make-up of the country.
Trinidad and Tobago elected for independence in 1962. In 1976 the country severed its
links with the British monarchy and became a republic within the Commonwealth.
Trinidad and Tobago is a democratic republic. The Head of State of Trinidad and Tobago
is the President, and the Head of Government is the Prime Minister. The President is
elected by an Electoral College consisting of the full membership of both houses of
Parliament. The Prime Minister is appointed by the President.
In the recent past, there have been three elections in three years contested by the two
main ethnic-based parties, the United National Congress (UNC) and the People’s
National Movement (PNM). Indians largely support the UNC led by Basdeo Panday,
while Africans mainly support the PNM headed by Patrick Manning. The party lines are
not completely polarized along racial lines. In most recent elections, the PNM fielded
Indian candidates for election. The main financial backer of the UNC is an Afro-
Trinidadian.
In 2002, the PNM won with 51% of the vote. This allowed Manning to replace Panday as
Trinidadian Prime Minister. The most recent elections in November 2007 were also won
by the PNM under Manning.
Legally, the Constitution of Trinidad and Tobago guarantees the right to equality of
treatment and freedom of religious belief and observance. Furthermore, the
government limits the number of foreign missionaries allowed in the country to 30 per
denomination at any given time. In response to wariness of a repeated colonial
experience, missionaries must meet strict entry standards and cannot remain in the
country for more than three years per visit. There are no reports of forced religious
conversion.
The Government established public holidays for every religious group with a large
following. The Government grants financial and technical assistance to various
organizations to support religious festivals and celebrations, including Indian Arrival Day.
The Government supports the activities of the Inter-Religious Organization (IRO). The
IRO is the interfaith coordinating committee for public outreach, governmental and
media relations, and policy implementation. It also provides the prayer leader for
several official events, such as the opening of Parliament and the annual court term.
Ministers, Members of Parliament, and public figures represented every religious group
and denomination and the broad spectrum of religious beliefs in the country.
Religious groups possess same rights and obligations as most legal entities. They can
own land and hire employees.
The Government subsidizes both public and religiously affiliated schools. It permits
religious instruction in public schools, setting aside a time each week when any religious
organization with an adherent in the school can provide an instructor. Attendance at
these classes is voluntary, and the religious groups represented are diverse. Parents may
enroll their children in private schools for religious reasons. As a result, there are
thriving Hindu, Muslim and Christian schools for K-12.
Despite legal protections and the value of religious pluralism, Hindus (as Indians) in
Trinidad and Tobago experience discrimination.ccclvii This can be grouped in terms of
political representation, resource distribution and the employment market. Social
discrimination is also evident in terms of media portrayal, cultural celebrations and the
education system. Last, there seems to be excessive violence towards Hindus and police
complicity in such attacks.
Dr. Eric Williams, the country’s first Prime Minister referred to Indians as the
“recalcitrant minority.” The racial and religious animosity between black (Christian and
Muslim) and brown (Hindu, Indian) has been exacerbated over the years, and is
manifest in media and government.
Prominent Hindu leader and Secretary General of the Hindu Maha Sabha, Sat Maharaj,
exclaimed in 2006 that “This year marks 50 years since Trinidad and Tobago attained the
right to internal self-government (1956-1986). Out of this 50-year period an Indian-
based political party held power for six years. The People’s National Movement (PNM)
ruled for 30 consecutive years without appointing a single Hindu as a government
minister. The cry of rural neglect, alienation, marginalization and discrimination affected
the political psychology of Indians as they lost hope of ever winning a general
election.”ccclviii Evidence of Maharaj’s political alienation is evident in the recently-
formed Caribbean Court of Justice in which there is not a single judge of Indian origin.
In the Police Service, the Protective Services, the Civil Service, the Statutory Boards and
Commissions, the High Commissions and Diplomatic Missions abroad, the Central bank,
and recipients of National Awards, Indians are systematically excluded. According to
one observer, the “Indo-Trinidadian community is witnessing a ‘shock and awe’
programme with this state-sanctioned policy that directs significant state resources to
one ethnic group at the exclusion of other groups. The lowering of qualifications for
state employment, house padding, the establishment of the University of Trinidad and
Tobago, the elevation of criminal elements to community leaders, the proposal of a
political union with other Caribbean islands without national consultations and state-
sponsored projects such as CEPEP and HYPE are all examples of the programme
conceived to push the Indian out of the space that is shared in Trinidad and Tobago.
Using the police force to raid the Chief Justice’s office and seize sensitive legal
documents while the Chief Justice himself was representing our country in
Czechoslovakia is viewed by us as a clear violation of the separation of powers
principle.”ccclx
The racial imbalance in the appointment of top officials is also evident. New
ambassadors of the country do not include Indian Trinidadians.
“At a state enterprise . . . about eight employees of the same ethnicity come through
the door, before one of a different ethnicity appeared. Last year, a client for whom I
was doing a discrimination case compiled a racial pie chart of the most senior and
powerful offices in the public service (heads of divisions, directors, chief technical
officers, heads of departments and permanent secretaries), using information supplied
by service commissions. Of the 105 names listed, there were only 18 Indians. Today,
there is no Indo on the executive of our police service and army.” ccclxi
There also seems to be inequity in the distribution of public funding. This is evident in
funds allocated to religious sites, public housing and even response to natural disasters.
In a recent Joint Select Committee of Parliament meeting chaired by Independent
Senator Parvatee Anmolsingh-Mahabir, the National Social Development Programme
(NSDP) was exposed as a State agency that is blatant in its discrimination against Hindus,
Muslims, Catholics and Anglicans. Predominantly Afro-Trinidadian Christian
denominations are instead favored. Senator Wade Mark lamented the fact that millions
of taxpayers’ dollars had been spent on St Peter’s Baptist Church, the Jesus Elam
There are allegations of inequities in the manner in which aid and compensation are
disbursed after natural disasters. After seasonal flooding destroyed their crops, cooks –
all of African descent - at the Breakfast Shed in the capital city of Port-of-Spain were
each given $32,000 and new premises built for them after flooding. Thirty-six million
dollars were given to the port retirees and the Toco flood victims who got immediate
help, but nothing was provided for South or Central farmers – almost 100% Hindus --
who lost millions in flood damage.
Of the 31 senior First Division Officers that were promoted in the police service only
seven were Indo-Trinidadians. Indians are a minority in these services in a country in
which they comprise half of the population. The last survey conducted by the Centre for
Ethnic Studies, found a glaring under-representation of Indians in the protective
services.
Discrimination also occurs in the celebration of religious holidays. Hindus are prevented
from holding Diwali and Ramleela (major annual Hindu festivals) celebrations in several
areas of the country. For example, the head of the Sugarcane Feeds Centre refused
permission for workers to hold their annual Diwali celebrations. In addition, Hindu
Police officers were prevented from celebrating Diwali at their workplaces in South
Trinidad. Popular Ramleela groups do not receive adequate funding, especially in
comparison to Christian events. The Tourism Development Company has devoted
millions to the celebration of Gospelfest, for instance, while neglecting Ramleela, the
largest open-air theatre in the country.
Violence directed against Indians and Hindus is also not uncommon. Indians and Hindus
are verbally and physically assaulted by mobs of non-Indians from neighboring villages
and from the northern urban areas of Trinidad where the population is predominantly
African. The Hindus of Felicity were attacked by Afro-Trinidadians from the adjacent
village of Boot Hill. Residents of Felicity were unable to commute to work and schools
after Afro-Trinidadians from Boot Hill blocked the main road leading out of Felicity with
piles of burning debris and broken bottles.ccclxvi
1. Tobago Mandir
Until recently, the Tobago House of Assembly refused to allow the Maha Sabha to
construct a mandir (temple) on land bought on the island. Churches were funded and
the Assembly promoted a gospel concert on the island while refusing to fund a kirtan
(Hindu religious concert).ccclxvii Letters to editors complaining about the overt
discrimination against Hindus had little impact on the assemblymen.ccclxviii After a five-
year struggle, the first Hindu Mandir is to be constructed in Tobago with a $250,000
grant from the National Commission for Self Help Limited (NCSH).ccclxix Construction
began in the summer of 2007.
The largest Diwali celebrations are held each year at the Diwali Nagar, Chaguanas, in
Trinidad. This event has grown from a modest affair to an international fixture in the
Hindu calendar, attracting Hindus from around the world. Each night, over a 14-day
period, thousands of Hindus and non-Hindus congregate at this famous location to
enjoy and participate in pujas (sacred ritual), concerts, art, craft, and social activities. In
2006 and in 2007, the police refused to provide additional security unless they were
This major event was granted a meager $TT 200,000 (approximately U.S. $33,000) by
the Government. This is a small amount compared to the funds available for Christian
celebrations.
3. Ramleela
Though Ramleela is the longest surviving open-air theatre in the Caribbean and it has
grown in recent times, Trinidad and Tobago refuses to embrace Ramleela as its own.
The government and media have hardly supported the festival, which is in the same
category as Tobago Heritage Festival. The National Ramleela Council (NRC) was
informed by the Ministry of Culture that the ten groups participating in Carifesta IX
would not be getting their annual grant to stage Ramleela in their village. Deosaran
Sankar, vice-president of the NRC, said the organization received $28,500 (U.S. $4,500)
from the Carifesta IX committee to stage celebrations for Carifesta. In contrast, he said
government grants other religious organizations hundreds of thousands of dollars to
defray expenses in staging their religious activities.
Non-Hindus have targeted the Ramleela festival during the past few years. In 2005,
vandals desecrated religious items and tore up props used in Ramleela celebrations at
Mc Bean Village, Couva. The sacred jhandi (flag to mark the completion of puja or
worship ceremony), tents, props and fencing had been destroyed and Hindus were
afraid to go to celebrations in Mc Bean because of the presence of hooligans during
celebrations.ccclxxi
On July 4, 2006, SDMS was victorious in its appeal to the Privy Council against the
government because of the government’s consistent refusal to award the organization a
radio license. In a landmark 19-page judgment Lord Justice Mance said “in light of the
Justice Peter Jamadar, in reference to the court case brought forth by Maha Sabha and
an Islamic group against the State regarding the Cross, stated “This general prohibition
against non-discrimination thus prohibits laws that differentiate between people on the
basis of their inherent personal characteristics and attributes. Such discrimination
undermines the dignity of persons, severely fractures peace and erodes freedom. Courts
will not readily allow laws to stand, which have the effect of discriminating on the basis
of the stated personal characteristics.”ccclxxii Unfortunately, no action has yet been taken
on the removal of the title “Trinity Cross.”
The temple administrators reported that the vandals had toppled and smashed murtis,
or the representations, of four Hindu deities — Lord Ganesha, Lord Krishna, Goddess
Durga and Lord Hanuman – and had used rocks to smash the glass window panes of the
temple. They had also attempted to burn down the structure by setting fire next to the
southern wall inside the temple.
Trinidad is a democratic state that “acknowledges[s] the supremacy of God [and] faith in
fundamental human rights and freedoms.” Chapter 1 of the Constitutionccclxxiii
recognizes an individual’s right to “equality before the law” and freedom of religion,
thought, and expression. It also guarantees the “freedom of the press” although it does
not expand upon what this freedom entails. Furthermore, the Constitution states that
Parliament may not “deprive a person of the right to a fair hearing” nor deprive a
person of the right “to be presumed innocent until proved guilty according to law.”
Trinidadian leaders should discourage racial and religious stereotypes and hate speech,
recognize Hindus and Indians as equal partners in the rule and governance of the nation,
and distance themselves from Christian fundamentalists promoting hatred against
Hindus and Hinduism, and Christianization of the government.
According to the Association for Land Reform and Development (ALRD), an NGO based
in Dhaka, the estimated total Hindu households affected has been 1,048,390, and the
estimated area of dispossessed land has totaled 1.05 million acres. About 30% -- 10 out
of every 34 -- of the Hindu households (including those that are categorized as missing
households) have been the victims of EPA\VPA. These estimates, although based on
some debatable assumptions, should be considered as sufficiently indicative of the
gravity of the law’s impact.”ccclxxiv
• Promotes the right to equal justice and protection by the law, marriage and
choice of spouse, own property, education and freedom of religion, opinion,
and thought
Part II
Part III
• Every human being has the right to life that shall be protected by law
• Everyone shall have the right to freedom of thought, conscience, and religion
• All humans are born free and equal in dignity and rights and have the right to
life, liberty and security
• All humans are equal before the law and entitled to equal protection by the law
• Everyone has the right to freedom of religion, including the right to change
religions
• Everyone has the right to work and the right to equal pay for work
Following this act, the UN called upon all Member countries to publicize the text of the
Declaration and "to cause it to be disseminated, displayed, read and expounded
principally in schools and other educational institutions, without distinction based on
the political status of countries or territories.”
2. Raj BanabiharDistrict - Murder: Bodimitra Bhikku (35) of the famous Rangamati Banbirar of the Ajker Kagoj
Rangamati. Buddhist Community was brutally killed.
01/04/07
3. Village - NaldiUpazilla - Murder: Tarun Biswas, son of Gour Chandra Biswas, and a student of Naldi Samakal
LohagaraDistrict - school was brutally killed.
Narail. 01/04/07
BHBCOP
4. Gabtali Bas Gang-rape: A Tribal woman (23) was gang raped to death by several Bhorer Kagoj
StandMirpur, Dhaka. attackers. Police recovered her body.
01/06/07
5. Village - North Attack/Kidnapping: A Hindu family was attacked by a group of armed men. Janakantha
BanishantaUpazilla - 3 Hindus were seriously injured in this attack, and admitted to the
DakopeDistrict - hospital. Later, one of them was kidnapped from the hospital by the same 01/06/07
Khulna. attackers.
6. Village - Kidnapping: Regional leader and adviser of Jana Sanghati Samity named Daily Star
GolachariUpazilla - Snack Kumer Chakma (60) was kidnapped by armed men from his home.
BagaichariDistrict - 01/07/07
Rangamati.
BHBCOP
Madhya
7. BazarUpazilla Looting: Sontosh Shilpalaya of Paritosh Banik was looted by a group of Ajker Kagoj
Gofargaon District men, who looted several valuables worth Taka 12 lakhs.
Mymensingh 01/08/07
BHBCOP
9. Village - AmuyirUpazilla Attack/Looting/Arson: 50 Hindu houses were attacked, looted and set on Janakantha
- SadarDistrict - fire by 100-armed miscreants. Himu Bala (42), Shankul (45), Gobinda,
Dinajpur. Banabala, Subal and Shampa Rani were seriously injured in this attack. 01/09/07
BHBCOP
10. Village - Char Attack/Looting/Gang-rape: About 200 Hindu families were attacked and Janakantha
AgustiUpazilla - looted by a group of Muslims led by Moslem Gazi (55). Several Hindu
GalachipaDistrict- women were gang raped, and many of the Hindus fled their homes to save 01/09/07
Patuakhali. their lives.
11. Village - GaberUpazilla Gang-rape: Sima Ghose (20), wife of Bimal Ghose was gang raped by a Janakantha
- MadarganjDistrict - group of Muslims led by Obaidullah. Later she committed suicide by
Jamalpur. hanging herself. 01/09/07
12. Village - Murder/Looting: Biplab Kumer Karmaker (20), son of Binoy Kumer Juganthar
MukundagatiUpazilla - Karmaker, a gold businessman was brutally killed by a group of men, who
BelkuchiDistrict - also looted a Motorcycle, Mobile Phone and gold ornaments from Biplab. 01/10/07
Sirajganj.
BHBCOP
13. Village- Acid Attack: Kalpana Rani, wife of Sudhin Chandra Baisha was seriously Ajker Kagoj
NekbaktaUpazilla - injured in an acid attack by several attackers led by Rowshan Ali, Maminul
JaldhakaDistrict - Islam Manju and his brother Mahabubul Islam Bablu. They threatened 01/10/07
Nilphamari. Kalpana’s family to leave the country.
14. Upazilla - Attack/Looting: The house of Anup Kumer was attacked by 7 to Sangbad
SharankholaDistrict - 8 miscreants. They looted many valuable things including gold ornaments.
Bagerhat. Rita Rani (40) and her son Kishore Kumer were seriously injured in the 01/12/07
attack.
15. Village - Land-Grab/Attack: The house of Haren Pramanik was attacked by armed Sangbad
ArambagUpazilla - miscreants led by Shahadat Hossain, Ex-Chairman, Upazilla sadar in an
SadarDistrict - Barguna. attempt to occupy his house. Maharani (40), daughter of Haren Pramanik, 01/12/07
and daughters-in-law Bijali (35) and Dipali Rani (40) were seriously injured
in the attack.
17. Village - North Murder: Subal Chandra Roy, son of Sudhir Chandra Roy was brutally killed Sangbad
Jhunagach PoniDistrict- by a group of attackers. Police recovered his body from Sonakhuli Switch
Nilphamari. Gate. 01/13/07
18. Upazilla - Attack/Arson: Several homes belonging to the Tribal community were Ajker Kagoj
RamgardDistrict - attacked and set on fire by a group of men led by the Nuru Commissioner
Khagrachari. in an attempt to occupy the homes. Baren Bikash Chakma, Sona Chakma, 01/13/07
Kamala Debi Chakma, Sumitra Debi Chakma, and Basu Chakma were
BHBCOP
seriously injured in the attack.
19. Village - Land-Grab: The house and land-property of Parimal Datta were occupied Ittafaq
BjoypurUpazilla - by a group of Muslims led by Sanu Mia, Joynal Mia and Babul Mia. They
AtparaDistrict - threatened to kill the family members of Parimal and to leave the country. 01/13/07
Netrokona.
20. Village - Kidnapping: Kingkar (14), son of Ananda Aich and a student of Sufalakati Janakantha
SufalakatiUpazilla - school was kidnapped by 4 to 5 miscreants.
KeshebpurDistrict - 01/14/07
Jessore.
BHBCOP
21. Village - Murder: Nungli Tudu (65), a Tribal woman, was brutally killed by a group BhorerKagoj
BarabaliaUpazilla - of men. Police recovered her body from a pond.
SadarDistrict - 01/15/07
Thakurgaon.
22. Village - Attack/Land-Grab: The houses of Amulya Mahantha (65) and his younger Ittafaq
BarabakUpazilla - brother Anadi Mahantha (35) were attacked by 10 to 12 Muslims led by
ChitalmariDistrict - Hamid Fakir, Mahid Fakir, Shah Alam Fakir and Alam Fakir. The miscreants 01/15/07
Bagerhat. occupied the Shrmp cultivation owned by Amulya and Anadi. Amulya
BHBCOP
Mahantha, his wife Baby Mahantha, and Anadi Mahantha were seriously
injured in this attack.
23. Upazilla - KasbaDistrict Attack on Temple: Kuthi Jagarnnath temple was attacked by the BhorerKagoj
- Bhrammanbaria. fundamentalists led by Bachir Mia. Bishwamangal Harinam Sankirtan was
foiled by them. Nitu Chandra Saha (40) was seriously injured in this attack. 01/16/07
25. TardeshiparaDistrict - Attack/Looting: The house of Mukul Kumer Mallik, Gazipur District Sangbad
Gazipur. representative of the Daily Sangbad was attacked and looted by a group
of miscreants. 01/16/07
BHBCOP
26. CheloparaUpazilla - Attack/Looting: Pradip Kumer Das (20), son of Bijendra Nath Das was Inqilab
SadarDistrict - Bagura. attacked by armed miscreants. They looted several valuables worth Taka
150,000. In the attack, businessman Jagadish Chandra was also seriously 01/17/07
injured.
BHBCOP
27. Village - Attack/Looting: The house of Naresh Chandra Das was attacked by 8 to 9 Ittafaq
BaraiparaUpazilla - armed miscreants. They looted many valuables including gold ornaments.
DighaliaDistrict - Naresh Das (55), his wife Ila Rani Das (50) and daughter-in-law Dinata Rani 01/17/07
Khulna. Das were seriously injured in the attack.
28. Village - Land-Grab/Attack: The house and land-property of Madhabi Rani, wife of Ajker Kagoj
DaibaghahatiUpazilla - late Binode Bihari Shil was attacked by a powerful Muslim man named
MorelgonjDistrict - Muhuri Nazrul Islam Dakuya. Nazrul is trying to occupy her land-property, 01/17/07
Bagerhat. and threatened to kill Madhabi and her family members.
BHBCOP
29. Village - ManatiUpazilla Attack/Looting: A Hindu house was attacked and looted by armed Ajker Kagoj
- GouripurDistrict - miscreants. Jhoshna Rani Debnath and Dilip Debnath were seriously
Mymensingh injured in the attack. 01/18/07
30. Upazilla - Attack/Looting: The house of Daneshwar Master of Char Hazari Union Ajker Kagoj
KompanigonjDistrict - Council was attacked and looted by 15 to 20 miscreants. 3 Hindus
Noakhali. including Daneshwar Master were seriously injured in the attack. 01/19/07
31. Village - Attack/Looting: The houses of Kalipada Saha, Subhash Ghose, Dr. Ajker Kagoj
HazipurUpazilla - Bidhubhusan Saha, Amit Saha and Kanai Lal Saha were attacked and
SadarDistrict - looted by a number of men. Rani Saha (36), Swanya Rani Ghose (40), Sanjit 01/20/07
Narsinghdi. (16), Pinky (9) and 5 other Hindus were seriously injured in the attack..
32. Village - NaliUpazilla - Attack/Looting: The house of Milu Saha was attacked and looted by armed Sangbad
33. Kalir BazarUpazilla - Attack/Looting: A Hindu owner of a jewelry store,`Lokhnath Jewelry,’ was Sangbad
SadarDistrict - attacked by 10 to 15 miscreants. They looted large amount of gold
Madaripur. ornaments. 01/21/07
34. M. C. CollegeSylhet. Worship Site Attacked: A Puja Mandap of Goddess Sarswati was broken Janakantha
down by the Chatradal (Muslim organization) activists. Several laborers
were seriously injured in this attack. 01/23/07
BHBCOP
35. Karamatnagar Tea Attack/Arson: The house of Nikhil Fulmali, Nakul Fulmali, Lalit Fulmali and Ittafaq
GardenUpazilla - Khudiram Fulmali was attacked and set on fire.
Baralekha 01/22/07
Mowlabibazar.
BHBCOP
36. Upazilla - Attack/Threat: The Hindu communities in Tegoria, Gunaj Para and Anduya Janakantha
DurgapurDistrict - villages were attacked by a group of Muslims led by Ex-Union Council
Rajshahi. Member Akbar Ali. They threatened to kill the Hindu community. Gopal 01/24/07
Chandra Saha (34) and Madhusudan Mantu were seriously injured in the
attack.
37. Amir Khan Temple Attack/Looting: Goddess Kali Hindu temple of Baniachang Sadar Ajker Kagoj
MahallahUpazilla - was attacked and looted.
BaniachangDistrict - 01/24/07
Hobigonj.
38. Upazilla - LamaDistrict - Land-Grab: About 1500 Bighas of land of the Tribal Mro and Marma Sangbad
Bandarban. community was occupied by Md. Gani, Abdul Jabbar and Dalda Company.
The group led by Union Parishad Chairman Moyazem Hossain and 01/25/07
Kamaluddin, with the help of the local administration, are trying to
BHBCOP
occupy land belonging to the tribals.
39. Palbari BazarUpazilla - Attack/Looting: Mahabilash Shop, Shop of Sanchay, gold shop of Sujit Inqilab
NiyamatpurDistrict - Howlader and shop of Prafullah were attacked and looted by 20 to 25
Nougaon. armed miscreants. 01/25/07
41. Village - Acid Attack: Anita Dhali (16), daughter of late Sitaram Dhali was seriously Juganthar
PuthimariUpazilla - injured in an acid attack by 4 to 5 Muslim men.
BatiagathaDistrict - 01/27/07
Khulna.
BHBCOP
42. District - Bagura. Temple Property Occupied: About 1500 Bighas of Pirgacha Kali temple, Juganthar
Shree Shree Maa Bhabani Bighrah temple property belonging to the Hindu
community was occupied by BNP members and its front organizations, 01/27/07
and a Jatiya Party office was built there.
BHBCOP
43. Village - Festival Attack: Lard Jagannath festival at the house of Ranjit Master was Janakantha
ChandpurUpazilla - attacked by a group of Muslims led by Rubel, Babar, Fakil and Mainuddin.
SenbagDistrict - Laxmi Rani Das (45), Narayan Das (42), Ratan Das (40), Nimai Das and 01/28/07
Noakhali. other Hindus were seriously injured in the attack.
44. District - Gopalgonj. Temple Attack/Looting: Images of Lord Shiblinga of the Loknath temple Sangbad
were looted.
01/28/07
BHBCOP
45. Village - Kidnapping/Attack: A teenage Hindu girl (13) was kidnapped by armed Sangbad01/29/0
ChandanpatUpazilla - miscreants led by Zillur Rahman, Abdus Salam, Jamaluddin, Fazlu Mia and 7BHBCOP
AditmariDistrict - Jhantu. The attackers threatened to kill her father, and he was seriously
Lalmanirhat. injured in the attack.
46. Manggang ParaUpazilla Murder/Kidnapping: 3 Tribal men including Paicha Aung Marma (36) and Juganthar
- ThanchiDistrict - Paichasing Marma (34) were kidnapped and brutally killed by a group
Bandarban. of armed men. 01/29/07
BHBCOP
47. Village - NaluyaUpazilla Murder: Malina Rani Das (45) was brutally killed by unknown miscreants. Ittafaq
- MonohardiDistrict -
Norsingdi. 01/30/07
48. Gosail Religious Site Attacked: Lokhnath Dham of Gosail Danga was attacked by BhorerKago
DangaChittagong City. 10 to 15 men led by Ashraf, Officer, Ispahani Real Estate. Four Hindus
were seriously injured in the attack. j01/30/07
BHBCOP
49. Village - Murder/Kidnapping: Dhuba Biswas (25) was kidnapped and BHBCOP
ChauchaUpazilla - brutally murdered by a group of men led by Siraj Molla. Police
MuksudpurDistrict - later recovered his body.
Gopalgonj.
50. Village - Murder/Kidnapping: Prafulla Kumer was kidnapped and brutally killed by BHBCOP
MirzagonjUpazilla - his abductors. Police later recovered his body.
DomarDistrict -
Nilphamari.
1. Karakhali Bazar Murder: Chandrakiran Chakma, a member of J. S. S of Hill District, was Ittafaq
Upazilla - Dighinala brutally murdered. 02/01/07
District - Khagrachari. BHBCOP
2. Village - Poyail Attack/Looting: The house of Ranjit was attacked and looted by a group of Janakantha
Upazilla - Boalmari men led by Jahangir Sheik, son of Jalil Matubbar, a BNP leader. Seven 02/03/07
District - Faridpur. Hindus were seriously injured in the attack.
3. Hotel Panama Murder: Rajan Karmaker (25) was brutally killed at Hotel Panama. Juganthar
Upazilla - Sadar 02/03/07
District - Patuakhali. BHBCOP
4. Megna River Murder/ Kidnapping: Sushil (47), a member of Hindu community, was Juganthar
Upazilla - Mehendiganj kidnapped and brutally killed by his abductors. 02/03/07
District - Barishal.
6. Village - Fazilpur Attack/Looting: The house of Naresh Chandra Mondal was attacked and Janakantha
Upazilla - Mahadebpur looted by 10 to 15 Muslims led by Dulal, Mecher, Aainal and Abed Ali. In 02/04/07
District - Nogaon. the attack, Naresh's family members were seriously injured. Later they
looted Naresh's pond and fish worth Taka about 30,000.
7. South Baishari Kidnapping: A young Tribal girl was kidnapped by Md. Putul, Md. Hossain, Sangbad
Upazilla - Badira, and Mostafa. 02/07/07
Naikkangchari BHBCOP
District - Bandarban.
8. Village - Shaldia Land-Grab/ Threat: Salek Mia, Harich Mia, Nawab Mia, Aynal Haq and Ittafaq
Abed Ali are trying to occupy the homes of 3 Hindus, Nikhil Roy, Haridas
Upazilla - Khaliazuri Roy and Jatindra Mohan Roy. They threatened to kill the members of the 02/07/07
three Hindu families, and threatened them to leave the country.
District - Netrokona. BHBCOP
9. Village - Jagannathpur Rape: A Tribal woman (35) was raped by a man, named Bazlur Rahman. Sangbad
Upazilla - Badalgachi 02/07/07
District - Nogaon.
10. Village - Induhati Murder: Gour Biswas (20) was brutally killed. Samakal
Upazilla - Muksudpur 02/08/07
District - Gopalgonj.
11. Village - Kaligati Attack/Looting: Many Hindu homes including the house of Krishna Ittafaq
Upazilla - Chitalmari Brammah were attacked by a group of men demanding money. 02/09/07
District - Bagerhat. BHBCOP
12. Village - Roycho Land-Grab: About 60 Bighas of land and the house of Paresh Roy Ittafaq
Upazilla - Sadar Chowdhury were occupied by a powerful local land-grabber named 02/10/07
District - Comilla. Emdadul Haq Jharu. Paresh fled his home in order to save his life.
13. Village - Birat Land-Grab: The house and land owned by Mihir Datta was occupied by a Bhorerkagoj
Upazilla - Nalchiti group of men. 02/11/07
District - Jhalakathi. BHBCOP
15. Village - Goyeshpur Worship Site Attacked: 3 Images at a Puja Mandap (worship site) were Ajker Kagoj
Upazilla - Nandail destroyed by Muslim fundamentalists. 02/11/07
District - Mymensingh. BHBCOP
16. P. S. - Shympur Temple Property Occupied: The property of the 364 year-old Akhra and Ajker Kagoj
Dhaka City. Temple named Shree Shree Ramkrishna Giridhari was occupied by Lablu 02/12/07
Shah and Abdur Rahman. The illegal occupiers then built two factores on
the temple land.
17. Village - Raghunathpur Land-Grab/Attack/Looting: 13 Tribal homes were attacked and looted by a Sangbad
Upazilla - Ghoraghat group of land-grabbers. Eight tribals were seriously injujred in the attack. 02/13/07
District - Dinajpur. The homes were attacked in order to illegal occupy Tribal land. BHBCOP
18. Sahapara Attack/Looting: The house of Dulal Saha, a businessman, was Janakantha
Upazilla - Sadar attacked and several valuables were looted including gold ornaments. Five 02/17/07
District - Tangail. Hindus including a woman were seriously injured in the attack.
19. Village - Kaminibasia Murder: Chittaranjan Roy (45) was brutally murdered. Ittafaq
Upazilla - Dakope 02/17/07
District - Khulna. BHBCOP
20. Village - Kamalla Temple Property Occupied: The property of the 100 years old Shree Shree Pratom Alo
Upazilla - Muradnagar Kalimata Temple was occupied by Chowdhury Rafibul Haq Shipan, 02/17/07
District - Comilla. President, Upazilla Chatra Dal (Muslim organization). He built a market BHBCOP
there.
21. Dalgram Land-Grab: A group of Muslims led by Jalil are trying to occupy the houses Sangbad
Upazilla - Kaliganj and land of Adhir Chandra and Dulal. The two Hindu men fled their homes. 02/20/07
District - Lalmonirhat.
22. Badullah Para Attack/Looting: Fishermen of Hindu community were attacked and looted Bhorerkagoj
Upazilla - Mirsarai by 8 to 10 miscreants led by Nur Hossain, Bablu and Khalil. Suresh Jaladash 02/20/07
District - Chittagong. (35), Manik Jaladash (40), Jagannath Jaladash (23), Sukumer (40), Dinesh
(30) and Sudarshan (50) were seriously injured in the attack.
23. Village - Gobindapur Land-Grab: 15 Bighas of land owned by Shachin Mohan Deb was occupied Sangbad
Upazilla - Sadar by 12 Muslim men. The family members of Shachin Mohan Deb fled their
24. Upazilla - Debidhwar Attack/Looting/Temple Attack: After the 2001 General Election, a number Sangbad
District - Comilla. of Muslim men led by Manjurul Ahasan Munshi M.P attacked and looted 02/16/07
the houses of Hindu community. Many temples, Images of Goddess and BHBCOP
God were destroyed. Many Hindus left their houses in order to save their
lives.
25. Heat Bangladesh Murder/Attack/Looting: `Heat Bangladesh’ was attacked and looted and Sangbad
Upazilla - Dakope Shital Kumer Sarker was brutally killed by the attackers. 02/21/07
District - Khulna.
26. Village - Kutubkathi Attack/Looting: The house of Rabindra Nath Mondal was attacked by 10 to Sangbad
Upazilla - Sadar 12 armed men. They looted several valuables, including gold ornaments 02/21/07
District - Jhalkathi. worth Taka about 2 Lakh. Rabindra Nath's son, Birendra Nath Mondal, was
seriously injured in the attack.
27. Village - Simultala Attack/Looting: The house of Suryakantha Singh was attacked and looted. Daily Star
Upazilla - Kamalganj Suryakantha's brother, Prafulla Kumer Singh, was seriously injured in the 02/24/07
District - Moulabibazar. attack.
28. Village - Sarmushia Land-Grab: The land of Madan Gopal was occupied by BNP party Samakal
Upazilla - Atpara activists Nazimuddin, Akdil Mia, Islamuddin, Hashimuddin, Sabuj Mia, Faju 02/23/07
District - Netrokona. Mia, Shantu Mia and Abdul Aziz. Madan Gopal fled his home in order to BHBCOP
save his life.
29. Village - Kaligati Rape: Tamalika Mondal, the daughter of Monoranjan Mondal and Inqilab
Upazilla - Chitalmari a schoolgirl was raped by Nur Islam Sheik (30). 02/25/07
District - Bagerhat.
30. Village - Lawjana Temple Property Occupied/Threat: A portion of the property of Sangbad
Upazilla - Sadar the traditional Chilabari Battala Kali temple was occupied by Joynal 02/15/07
District - Tangail. Abedin, Toyajuddin and Sanar Master, with the assistance of local BHBCOP
government authorities. They then built a Minar on the temple property,
and threatened to kill the Hindu community.
31. Village - Chapaid Land-Grab/Eviction: The Forest Department is trying to evict 158 Tribal Sangbad
Upazilla - Madhupur Coch families. 02/25/07
District - Tangail.
33. Patrakala tea Garden Kidnapping: A Tribal teenage girl, student of Bhandarigoan High School Pratom Alo
Upazilla - Kamalganj was kidnapped by a Muslim man named Parvez. 02/25/07
District - Moulabibazar.
34. District - Bagura. Land-Grab: Bogura Pourasava is trying to occupy the Satanibari, a 200 BHBCOP
year-old Jaminder Bari.
35. Upazilla - Land-Grab: The 150 year-old Gobinda Manikya Dighi was occupied by BHBCOP
Chowdhagram land-grabbers.
District - Comilla.
36. Village - Shympur Gang-Rape: The daughter of Dulal Chandra Talukder and a student in class Ittafaq
Upazilla - Sirajdikhan viii was gang raped. Dulal Chandra later committed suicide by hanging 02/26/07
District - Munshigonj. himself.
1. Shym Nagar Temple Property Occupied: Temple owned property was occupied by a Protam Alo
Upazilla - Sadar powerful Muslim named Ariful Haq Chowdhury. 03/01/07
District - Sylhet. BHBCOP
2. Green Tower Hotel, Murder: Kanchan Sen, a lawyer's assistant, was brutally killed by two men. Protam Alo
Magbazar 03/01/07
Dhaka City.
3. Dublarchar Murder: Sheta Sarker (48) was brutally killed by a group of men led by Sangbad
Upazilla - Sharankhala Kamaluddin, Vice-President, Dublarchar Fishermen Group. 03/02/07
District - Bagerhat. BHBCOP
5. Village - Shovarampur Temple Property Occupied: About 4 Bighas of property belonging to Samakal
Upazilla - Sadar the Jagarnnath Bighra temple was occupied by a man named Halim Sheik. 03/05/07
District - Faridpur.
6. Village - Harishpur Attack/Attempted Rape: A man named Sohorab Ali tried to rape a tribal Ajker Kagoj
Upazilla - Tanore woman. 03/04/07
District - Rajshahi. BHBCOP
7. North Betdova Attack: Kartik Chanda Pal, an assistant teacher at Fatema Halima High Ajker Kagoj
Upazilla - Kalihati School, was attacked and seriously injured by a group of Muslims led by 03/04/07
District - Tangail. Yahad Ali.
8. Village - Mocharkhala Attack: The house of Kuching Chakma was attacked, and several Tribals Ajker Kagoj
Upazilla - Ukkiya were seriously injured in the attack, including Kuching Chakma (44), Ya 03/06/07
District - Cox-s-Bazar. Sang Chakma (22) and Unchi Chakma (18). BHBCOP
9. F.D.C Gate Land-Grab: About 30 Bighas of land owned by Patrik Gomez was occupied Ajker Kagoj
P.S - Tejgaon by a group of miscreants led by Kutubuddin. 03/06/07
Dhaka City. BHBCOP
10. Village - Ranigaon Murder: Purnima (7), a student of Class I and the daughter of Bikash Das, Samakal
Upazilla - Atpara was brutally murdered. 03/08/07
District - Netrokona.
11. Village - Aruyail Temple Attack: 7 images of God and Goddess at a 300 year-old temple Samakal
Upazilla - Sarayil were destroyed by Muslim fundamentalists. 03/09/07
Brammanbaria.
12. Village - Shorsak Attack/Looting/Gang-Rape: The house of Manu Bakshi was attacked and Ajker Kagoj
Upazilla - Shaharashti looted by a group of armed men led by Yasin Patowari. A housewife 03/09/07
District - Chandpur. named Alpana Bakshi was also gang raped by the attackers.
13. Village - Ganeshtaki Gang-Rape: A teenage girl (14), and the daughter of Sharan Mondal was Ajker Kagoj
Upazilla - Shwarupkathi gang raped by Mamun (25) and Abdul Mannan. 03/09/07
District - Pirojepur.
15. Upazilla - Rajapur Land-Grab: The land of Dinesh (55) and Pankaj (48) was occupied by Abul Protam Alo
District - Jhalkhati. Kalam Azad, the General Secretary of the BNP in Rajapur Upazilla. 03/11/07
16. Baiyannapukur Temple Property Occupied: Temple land of Gouranga Ashram was Ajker Kagoj
Upazilla - Raozan occupied by a 03/12/07
District - Chittagong.
powerful Muslim man named Golam Rabbani.
17. District - Gaibanda. Attack/Threat: Swapna Rani Das and her son Shreekrishna Das were Ittafaq
attacked by Md. Rafiqul Islam. The attackers also threatened to kill 03/13/07
Swapna’s family members. BHBCOP
18. Village - Tatultala Attack/Looting: The homes of Dhirendra Nath Sarker, Shree Charan and Juganthar
Upazilla - Badaigram Sudip Kumer were attacked and looted by 10 to 15 armed men. Several 03/15/07
District - Natore. Hindus were seriously injured in the attack. BHBCOP
19. Village - Arjinogaon Land-Grab/Threat: Several men led by Abdus Samad Lakandar are trying Janakantha
Upazilla - Sadar to occupy the land/property of Niprenda Nath Ghose, Kamini Ghose, 03/15/07
District - Nougaon. Ratan Kumer Ghose and Bishwanath Ghose. The attackers also threatened BHBCOP
to kill them.
20. Village - Mirja Nagar Attack/Looting: The house of Ananda, Dilip, Kartik and Tarak Datta was Protam Alo
Upazilla - Keshabpur attacked and looted by a group of miscreants. 03/16/07
District - Jessore.
21. Village - Modakpara Attack/Looting: The house of Jiban Modak was attacked and looted by Protam Alo
Upazilla - Baxiganj armed men. Five Hindus, including Jiban Modak, were seriously injured in 03/16/07
District - Jamalpur. the attack.
22. Village - Subanyatali Attack/Looting: The house of Pankaj Kumar Sarker was attacked by 10 to Protam Alo
Bathuli, Delduar 12 armed miscreants. Several valuables were looted, including gold 03/16/07
District - Tangail. ornaments.
23. Village - Baghgola Attack/Looting: The house of Manindra Kumar Master was attacked and Protam Alo
Upazilla - Mirsarai looted by 15 to 16 miscreants. Hindus of the family were seriously injured 03/16/07
District - Chittagong. in the attack. BHBCOP
25. Village - Surma Attack/Gang-Rape/Festival Attacked: The house of Jitendra Shil was Ajker Kagoj
Upazilla - Madhabpur attacked by a group of Muslims led by Badsha Mia, seriously injuring 03/17/07
District - Habiganj. several Hindu family members. They also attacked a Hindu festival,
and young Hindu women were gang raped by the attackers.
26. Village - Barabari Land-Grab: About 70 Bighas of land owned by Anil Chandra Roy, Prafulla Ajker Kagoj
Upazilla - Sadar Kumar Roy, Dilip Kumar Roy, Bibhuti Kumar Roy and Milan Kumar Roy, 03/17/07
District - Rangpur. were occupied by Tabarak Ali and Ahmed Ali. BHBCOP
27. Dariapur Temple Property Occupied: The temple property of Shree Shree Kalibari Samakal
Upazilla - Adamdighi Temple was occupied by a number of men named Alamgir, who built a 03/17/07
District - Bagura. house on the land.
28. Village - Kumarpara Attack/Threat: A Hindu Para was attacked by armed Muslims led by Ajker Kagoj
Upazilla - Parbatipur Majibar Rahman and Tahabar Rahman. 9 Hindus were seriously injured, 03/18/07
District - Dinajpur. including a 9 year-old. The attackers also threatened to kill the Hindu
community. Several Hindus fled their homes in order to save their lives.
29. Unasattarpara Attack/Looting: The house of Ratna Mahajan, a school teacher was Ajker Kagoj
Upazilla - Rowjan attacked and looted by armed miscreants. Puspa Mahajan (60) and Babul 03/18/07
District - Chittagong. Mahajan (70) were seriously injured in this attack.
30. Shanpa Snaks and Murder: Bimal Biswas (28) was brutally killed by Lelin, son of Sabur Molla. Sangbad
Restaurants 03/20/07
District - Gopalgonj.
31. Village - Panchkahania Kidnapping: Gouranga Chandra Saha, a businessman was kidnapped. Ittafaq
Upazilla - Sadar 03/20/07
District - Netrokona. BHBCOP
32. Upazilla - Gafargaon Kidnapping: Jogal Kishore Roy, Headmaster Kandi High School was Ajker Kagoj
District - Mymensingh. kidnapped for ransom by a group of Muslims led by BNP leader Abdul 03/20/07
Mannan.
33. Village - Babulia Gang-Rape/Kidnapping: A teenage girl and daughter of Hiralal Das was Daily Star
34. Upazilla - Madhupur Murder: Chalesh Richil, a Tribal leader was brutally killed by a group of Samakal
District - Tangail. Muslims led by Jahirul Haq and Kamrul Muzahid of the Forest Department. 03/21/07
35. Village - Jayantarkathi Attack/Looting: The house of Narayan Chancre Das was attacked and Janakantha
Upazilla - Gournadi looted by 10 to 15 armed miscreants. Narayan (28) and his wife Anjana 03/22/07
District - Barishal. Rani (23) were seriously injured in the attack.
36. Village - Laxmipur Murder/Kidnapping: Milan Mondal, the son of Ananda Mondal, was Sangbad
Upazilla - Madhukhali kidnapped and brutally killed. Police later recovered his body. 03/21/07
District - Faridpur. BHBCOP
37. Village - Badaura Land-Grab/Threat: Land owned by Madhab Bhattachaya was occupied Ittafaq
Upazilla - Atpara by a group of Muslims led by Fazal Farim, Bakul Mia and Abdul Kadir. They 03/22/07
District - Netrokona. threatened to kill Madhab
38. Village - Rasunili Land-Grab/Attack/Threat: The house of Raghunath was attacked and Sangbad
Upazilla - Tarash occupied by a group of men led by Ahmed Ali. They threatened to kill the 03/23/07
District - Sirajganj. Tribal family members.
39. Upazilla - Sadar Looting: Rajmata, a gold shop owned by Tapan Roy and Pravati, and Sangbad
District - Gopalganj. another gold shop owned by Sukdeb Biswas were looted. 03/24/07
BHBCOP
40. Upazilla - Tarail Attack/Looting: The house of Timir Biswas was attacked and looted by a Sangbad
District - Kishoreganj. group of men led by Jabbar Mia. Jhuma Biswas was seriously injured in the 03/26/07
attack.
41. Gayalipara Attack/Looting: The house of Priyanath Gayali was attacked and looted by Sangbad
Upazilla - Mathbaria 15 to 20 armed miscreants led by Anwar Muhuri. 3 Hindus were seriously 03/26/07
District - Pirojepur. injured in the attack. BHBCOP
42. Village - Moharkona Land-Grab/Threat: The traditional Dayal Kuthir was occupied by Abdul Ittafaq
Upazilla - Nikhli Khaleque and Litan. The attackers also threatened to kill Mrinal Kanti 03/25/07
District - Kishoreganj. Saha. BHBCOP
43. Upazilla - Durgapur Land-Grab: Land owned by Sudarshan Saha, a businessman, was occupied Juganthar
03/27/07
44. Village - Noagoan Attack on Worship Site: A Hindu Puja Mandap was broken down by Protam Alo
Upazilla - Bajidpur Muslim fundamentalists led by Mosaddek Mia (30), Taiyab Ali (34), Kabir 03/27/07
District - Kishoreganj. Mia (26) and Kachu Mia of Patuli village. Nilesh Das (34), Shymal Das and
Utpal Das were seriously injured in the attack.
45. Village - Madhya Para Murder: Niva Rani (22) was brutally killed and the police later recovered Janakantha
Upazilla - Kishoreganj. her body. 03/28/07
District - Nilphamari. BHBCOP
46. Village - Bishwaserhat Land-Grab/Attack: About 4 Bighas of land owned by Manik Chandra Dey Sangbad
Upazilla - Sadar were occupied by Saidur Rahman and Abdur Rashid. 5 Hindus were 03/28/07
District - Barishal. seriously injured in the attack. BHBCOP
47. Upazilla - Trishal Attack/Looting: The house of Narayan Chandra Karmaker was attacked Ajker Kagoj
District - Mymensingh. and looted by 10 to 11 armed men. Ruma Rani Karmaker and Suman 03/30/07
Chandra Karmaker were seriously injured in the attack. BHBCOP
48. Upazilla - Sadar Murder: March Babu (30), the son of Nimai Bepari, was brutally killed. Janakantha
District - Sherepur. Police later recovered his body. 03/31/07
BHBCOP
49. Sat Matha Land-Grab: Vested property was occupied by BNP activists, who built Ajker Kagoj
Upazilla - Sadar a district BNP office on the land. 03/30/07
District - Bagura.
50. Village - Harta Land-Grab/Threat: Land belonging to the Hindu community was occupied BHBCOP
Upazilla - Ujirpur by a group of Muslims led by Jalil Bepari. They also threatened the Hindu
District - Barishal. community.
1 Upazilla - Shallah Looting: A 2 Kilogram Image of Ramkrishna of Dumda Akhra was looted. Samakal
District - Sunamganj 04/01/07
BHBCOP
3 Gazpara Rape: A young tribal girl (11) was raped by a Muslim man named Abdul Pratam Alo
Upazilla - Panchari Mottaleb. 04/01/07
Upazilla - Khagrachari
4 Village - Joddharpara Attack/Looting: The house of Parimal Majumder, a journalist, was Pratam Alo
Upazilla - Ulipur attacked and looted. Several valuables, including gold ornaments worth 04/02/07
District - Kurigram. Taka about 2 Lakh, were stolen from the home. BHBCOP
6 Upazilla - Sadar Kidnapping: Asit Biswas was kidnapped by several miscreants. Samakal
District - Gopalganj. 04/04/07
BHBCOP
7 Chakbazar Mahalla Kidnapping: Sathi Nath, a student of class XI and daughter of a Freedom Samakal
Upazilla - Sadar Fighter named Ranada Prashad Nath, was kidnapped by Alhaz Fazle Rabbi. 04/04/07
District - Faridpur.
8 Village - Sarbari Attack/Kidnapping: Dulal Halder (20) was kidnapped by several men, who Sangbad
Upazilla - Agailjhara also tried to kill him. He was seriously injured during the incident. 04/04/07
District - Barishal. BHBCOP
11 Khandakia Muslipara Attack/Land-Grab/Looting: The house of Babul Kumar Saha was attacked Sangbad
Upazilla - Lama and looted by several Muslims, who also occupied 12 bighas of land. 04/06/07
District - Bandarban.
13 Upazilla - Tala Attack/Intimidation: 55 Christian families were attacked and threatened. Pratam Alo
District - Satkhira. Bishtu Sarker and Laxmi Sarker were seriously injured in this attack. 04/08/07
BHBCOP
14 Village - Bagadoba Attack/Looting: The houses of Sabitri and Majena, two Tribal Garo women Sangbad
Upazilla - Madhupur was attacked and looted. 04/08/07
District - Tangail. BHBCOP
15 Dardari Murder: Tunu Mong (13) was brutally killed at the gate of Sunanda Juganthar
Upazilla - Lama Bouddha Bihar by several men. Police later recovered her body. 04/10/07
District - Bandarban.
16 Iliatganj Bazar Murder: Khokan Saha (38), a Hindu businessman, was brutally killed. Janakantha
Upazilla - Daudkandi 04/11/07
District - Comilla.
17 Digirpar Murder: Ram Mondal (32) of Bithi Engineering was brutally killed. Police Juganthar
Upazilla - Karaniganj later recovered his body. 04/12/07
District - Dhaka. BHBCOP
18 Village - Betgair Land-Grab: 8 Bighas of land owned by Dilip Kumar Sarker and Pranab Ittafaq
Upazilla - Sherpur Kumar Sarker, were occupied by a group of powerful men. The family 04/12/07
District - Bagura. members of Dilip and Pranab were forced to leave their house to save
their lives. The local administration failed to take any action.
19 Village - Ragunili Attack/Looting: The homes of Paritosh Sarker and Sudarshan Sarker were Sangbad
Upazilla - Tadash attacked by armed men, who also looted several valuables including gold 04/12/07
District - Sirajganj. ornaments. BHBCOP
20 Village - Taktabunia Kidnapping/Gang-Rape: Raomala Sarker (16) was kidnapped and gang Observer
Upazilla - Amtali raped by 4 Muslim men. 04/17/07
District - Barguna.
21 Merul Tekpara Attack: Ranjan Das (16), a Hindu businessman, was attacked by a group of Juganther
P.S- Baddha Muslims, and seriously injured. 04/17/07
22 P.S- Kotowali Land-Grab: 150 year old property of the Dhaka Bhramma Samaj (socio- Ittafaq
Dhaka City. religious organization) was occupied by Sikder construction company. The 04/17/07
local administration failed to take any action. BHBCOP
23 Village - Samarsingh Attack/Looting: The houses of Bimal Dafader and Paresh Nandi were Samakal
Upazilla - Goarnadi attacked and several valuables, including gold ornaments were looted 04/18/07
District - Barishal. during the attack.
24 Village - Ulipur Land-Grab: About 4 Bighas of Kali Thakurani temple property was Janakantha
Upazilla - Kalai occupied by a Muslim man, who built a house on the temple property. 04/19/07
District - Joypurhat. BHBCOP
25 Village - Ranagati Attack/Looting: The house of Aswani Biswas was attacked by 3-4 armed Juganther
Upazilla - Abhoynagar men, who looted several valuables, including gold ornaments. 04/19/07
District - Jessore.
26 Upazilla - Sadar Land-Grab/Temple Attack/Intimidation: Goddess Kali temple was illegally Bhore Kagoj
District - Noakhali. occupied and the land-grabbers threatened to kill the Hindu community. 04/20/07
The local administration failed to take any action. BHBCOP
27 Village - Dharishwar Land-Grab/Temple Attack: A 100 year old temple was destroyed and the Sangbad
Upazilla - Nikli temple land was illegally occupied by a number of Muslim men, who also 04/22/07
District - Kishoreganj. built a house on the land. The local administration failed to take any
action.
28 Upazilla - Kaptai Murder: Chitmarmay Brajramohan (42), a Tribal man was brutally killed. Ittafaq
District - Rangamati. 04/22/07
BHBCOP
29 Village - Bagdokra Attack/Looting: The house of Jagadish Chandra Singh, district Sangbad
Upazilla - Domar representative of the Daily Independent, was attacked by 10 to 12 men, 04/23/07
District - Nilphamari. who also looted several valuables, including gold ornaments.
30 Upazilla - Maheshkhali Land-Grab/Intimidation: BNP leader and Chairman Shahidullah, and other Janakantha
District - Cox-x-Bazar. Muslims threatened the Hindu Community to leave the country, and are 04/24/07
trying to occupy the land/property of several Hindus. BHBCOP
32 Dabalchara Gang-Rape/Murder: A Teenage girl (17) of the Tribal Khasia community Samakal
Upazilla - Kamalganj was gang raped to death by several men. Police later recovered her body. 04/26/07
District – Moulavibazar
33 Malapara Attack: A Hindu housewife, named Shefali Mali Chintu, was attacked and Pratam Alo
Upazilla - Kalai seriously injured. 04/27/07
District - Joypurhat. BHBCOP
34 P.S- Khilgaon Kidnapping: Chanda Debnath, a student of class XI, was kidnapped. Ittafaq
Dhaka City 04/27/07
35 Village - Shibnagar Rape: A teenage Hindu girl (16) was raped by a Muslim man named Taher Samakal
Upazilla - Sadar Mia (45). 04/28/07
District - BHBCOP
Bhrammanbaria.
36 Village - Charkai Land-Grab: One Bigha of land owned by the Hindu Community was Ajker Kagoj
Upazilla - Birampur occupied by two Muslims men, who built a house on the property. 04/28/07
District - Dinajpur.
37 Village - Bura Land-Grab: A canal and road of 15 Hindu families was occupied by a BHBCOP
Majumder Muslim man named Sultan Howlader. The local administration failed to
Upazilla - Betagi take any action.
District - Barguna.
38 Village - Kazipur Temple Attack: Two Hindu temples, a Durga temple and a Kali temple BHBCOP
District - Sirajganj. were destroyed by the local administration.
39 Village - Semda Land-Grab: A crematorium ground of the Hindu Community was illegally BHBCOP
Upazilla - Sadar occupied by several Muslims. Local administration did not take any
District - action.
Bhrammanbaria.
40 Village - Shaildaha Attack/Land-Grab/Looting: The house of Bidhan Chandra Baidya was BHBCOP
Upazilla - Chitalmari attacked and looted, and then illegally occupied.
2 Village - Islampur Land-Grab/Intimidation: Several Muslims threatened Roy Kishori Saha (56) Pratom Alo
Upazilla - Nikli in order to occupy her property. 05/01/07
Kishoregaon. BHBCOP
3 Shohardhi Uddan Attack/Looting: 3 Lakh Taka was looted from Pradip Kumar Ghose, who Pratom Alo
Shababag was also seriously injured in the attack. 05/01/07
Dhaka City
4 Radhakhali Brize Murder: A Hindu man named Ranjit (28) was brutally killed. Police later Juganthar
Upazilla - Belabo recovered his body in the Radhakhali Brize. 05/03/07
District - Narsingdi.
5 Kutab Bazar Kidnapping: A Hindu businessman named Arabindhu Saha (42) was Pratom Alo
Upazilla - Mirjapur kidnapped. 05/04/07
District - Tangail.
6 Rajiyar Bazar Attack: Biren Chandra Das (28), a gold businessman was attacked seriously Janakantha
Upazilla - Agailzara injured. 05/05/07
District - Barishal. BHBCOP
7 Village - Indrapur Land-Grab: 2 Muslims are trying to occupy the land/property of Narayan Bhorer Kagoj
Upazilla - Sadar Debnath. 05/05/07
District - Laxmipur.
8 Upazilla - Sadar Attack: Nikhil Chatterjee, a representative of the Daily Sangbad and Daily Star
District - Patuakhali. Meghnath Chandra Saha of the Daily Janata were attacked by 10 armed 05/05/07
men and seriously injured. BHBCOP
10 Village - Sadishpur Looting: Two cows owned by a Hindu family were looted by several Sangbad
Upazilla - Badalgachi Muslims. 05/05/07
District - Nougaon.
11 Asadganj Attack/Looting: The house of Swapan Datta was attacked by 10 to 12 Ajker Kagoj
Chittagong City armed men, who also looted several valuables, including gold ornaments. 05/06/07
BHBCOP
12 Village - Halaba Kidnapping: Shyam Ranjan Chakma (42) and Debapriya Chakma (50) were Observer
Upazilla - Barkal kidnapped by armed men. 05/06/07
District - Rangamati.
13 Nathpara Kidnapping/Torture: 3 young Suiper girls were kidnapped by several Bhorer Kagoj
Upazilla - Melandaha Muslims led by Dider Pasha, Chairman Malandaha Pourasava and BNP 05/06/07
District - Jamalpur. leader. The girls were also tortured. BHBCOP
15 Village - Balakdia Attack/Land-Grab: 3 Hindu families were attacked and their property was Ajker Kagoj
Upazilla - Sadar illegally occupied. Hindu women of the affected families were tortured. 05/09/07
District - Jhalakathi.
16 Dania Torture/Intimidation: Rina Bala committed suicide by hanging herself after Bhorer Kagoj
P.S- Shyampur she was tortured by several miscreants. The miscreants also threatened to 05/10/07
Dhaka City kill the members of Rina Bala’s family. BHBCOP
17 Village - Ranigaon Land-Grab/Intimidation: About 51 Bihgas of land owned by a Hindu family Samakal
Upazilla - Nalitabari was occupied by several Muslims, who also threatened to kill the Hindu 05/10/07
District - Sherpur. family members.
18 Village - Kujail Rape: A young Christian woman was raped in the Nidds International Janakantha
Upazilla - Raninagar Primary School. 05/13/07
19 Jaduyardanga Land-Grab: 5 Shrimp cultivations owned by the Hindu Community were Sangbad
Upazilla - Ashashuni occupied by several Muslim men. Two Hindu families fled the country to 05/13/07
District - Satkhira. save their lives.
20 Dasher Hatchara Attack/Looting: The house of Harish Chandra, President local fish project, Janakantha
Upazilla - Sadar was attacked and looted. Many Hindu fishermen were seriously injured in 05/14/07
District - Kurigram. this attack. BHBCOP
21 Village - Barenga Attack/Looting: The houses of Ranjan Das, Chaitannya Das and Janakantha
Upazilla - Keshabpur Bishwanath Das were attacked and looted by several Muslims. 10 to 12 05/15/07
District - Jessore. Hindus were seriously inured in the attack. BHBCOP
22 Baunia Land-Grab/Temple Attack: Several men are trying to illegally occupy a 100 Bhorer Kagoj
Dhaka City year old Goddess Kali temple. 05/15/07
BHBCOP
23 Village -Lalchandrapur Attack/Looting: The houses of several Hindus were attacked and looted by Janakantha
Upazilla - Fakirhat men led by BNP leader Sheikh Anwar Hossain Anu. Kabita Rani (43), Shipu 05/16/07
District - Bagerhat. Rani (37), Nirmal Dev (42), Kali Rani, Sushil and Nikhil Dev were seriously BHBCOP
injured in this attack.
24 Village - Goalkhali Attack/Looting: 5 Hindu houses were attack and looted by armed Samakal
Upazilla - Sirajdikhan miscreants. 05/17/07
Munshiganj BHBCOP
25 Village - Dushumi Attack/Kidnapping: Namita Ballab was kidnapped by several Muslims, who Sangbad
Upazilla - Agailzara also attacked numerous Hindu homes. 25 Hindu family members left the 05/20/07
District – Barishal homes to save their lives. BHBCOP
26 Village - Durgapur Attack/Looting: The shop of a Hindu businessman named Bishnu Barman Observer
Upazilla - Aditmari was attacked and looted. 05/20/07
Lalmanirhat
27 Upazilla - Sadar Land-Grab/Temple Attack: Temple property of the 140 old traditional Janakantha
District - Madaripur. Shree Shree Kali Temple was occupied by a number of Muslims led by 05/20/07
Abdur Rashid.
29 Sarkerpara Attack/Looting: The homes of 2 Hindus, Subode Biswas and Swapan Ajker Kagoj
Upazilla - Rowjan Biswas were attacked by armed men, who also looted many valuables 05/20/07
District -Chittagong. including gold ornaments. Swapan Biswas, Subode Biswas, Gita Biswas and BHBCOP
Jhoshna Biswas were seriously injured in this attack.
30 Hussaintala Kidnapping: Sumi Rani Saha (14), a Hindu girl and student of Kompaniganj Ajker Kagoj
Upazilla - Muradnagar Badiul Alam High School was kidnapped by a group of Muslims led by 05/21/07
District - Comilla. Manik Mia.
31 Village - Suyapur Land-Grab/Temple Attack: The Temple property of Suyapur Sarbajaneen Juganthar
P.S- Dhamrai Durga Temple was occupied by Engineer Abdul Khaleque and Chenu Mia. 05/21/07
District – Dhaka BHBCOP
32 Village - Chirulia Land-Grab/Intimidation: The land of a Hindu school teacher named Sudir Sangbad
Upazilla - Sadar Kumar Chakraborty was occupied by a group of men led by a Muslim 05/21/07
District – Bagerhat Professor Mobasher Hossain. The men also threatened Sudir to leave the
country.
33 Purana Bazar Road Kidnapping/Murder: A Hindu housewife, Sabita Saha (23), was kidnapped Sangbad
Upazilla - Sadar and brutally killed. Police later recovered her body. 05/22/07
District – Gopalganj BHBCOP
35 Ban Khalishakhali Murder: Nakul Biswas (55) was brutally killed. Police later recovered his Ittafaq
Upazilla - Sadar body. 05/23/07
District – Narail BHBCOP
36 Maizdi Bazar Temple Attack/Arson: Shree Shree Gopal Jiew Temple was attacked and Ajker Kagoj
Upa- Sadar set on fire by Muslim fundamentalists. 05/23/07
Dist- Noakhali.
37 Bhowyal Mirja Gram, Attack/Land-Grab: 5 homes of the Rabidas Para were occupied by men led Ajker Kagoj
Upazilla - Sadar by Yajadur Rahman, Chairman of the local Union. Many members of the 05/24/07
38 North Tafalbari Land-Grab: The property of Ashotosh Halder was occupied by a group of Sangbad
Upazilla -Sharankhola people led by a BNP leader, Majibar Khalifa. 05/25/07
District – Bagerhat BHBCOP
39 Halir Road Attack/Looting: Bhuiya Das was attacked and looted. He was seriously Ajker Kagoj
Upazilla - Sadar injured in the attack. 05/25/07
District – Nilphamari
40 Upazilla - Anwara Kidnapping: Baishakhi Sarker (14), a Hindu student of class X of Singhra Juganthar
District – Chittagong Ramkanai High School was kidnapped. 05/25/07
BHBCOP
41 Panchandar Land-Grab: 3 Bighas of land of a Tribal was occupied by Golam Rabbani, BHBCOP
Upazilla - Tanore Chairman Panchandar Union Council.
District – Rajshahi
42 Cox-x-Bazar Land-Grab: About 120 Bighas of land of the Tribal Rakhain community BHBCOP
were occupied by the powerful land-grabbers.
1 Rajnagar Attack/Land-Grab: The house of Nirendra Malaker was attacked by 8 Pratom Alo
Upazilla - Kulaura Muslim men trying to occupy the home. Ratna Malaker (22) and Kalpana 06/01/07
District – Moulabibazar Malaker (20) were seriously injured in this attack, and the attackers BHBCOP
threatened to kidnap them.
2 Bhowyal Mirjapur Attack/Land-Grab: The homes of Bachiya Rabidas and Kamal Rani of the Pratom Alo
District – Gazipur Rabidas community were attacked by 60 to 70 Muslim men led by Union 06/04/07
Council Member, Hasna Hena, and Ex-member Sirajuddin, in order to BHBCOP
occupy their homes and land. Many of the Rabidas community, including
Anjali Rani were seriously injured in the attack.
4 East Narayanpur Land-Grab: The land of Ram Gopal Chakraborty was occupied with the Sangbad
Mohammedpur help of the local land office. 06/05/07
District – Magura BHBCOP
5 Ramdia Kidnapping/Murder: Sushil Bala (19) was kidnapped and brutally killed. Sangbad
Upazilla - Kashiani Police later recovered his body from the Kashiani Dhusur Brize. 06/08/07
District – Gopalgonj
7 West Alonia Murder: A Kabiraj named Arjun Chandra Roy was brutally killed. Pratom Alo
Upazilla - Faridgonj 06/09/07
District – Chandpur
8 Village - Shaligram Land-Grab/Intimidation: The land and garden of Goutam Ghose was Janakantha
Upazilla - Patnitala occupied by a group of men led by Ansar Ali, brother-in-law of Ex BNP M.P 06/09/07
District - Nougaon Shamsuzoha Khan. They also threatened to kill Goutam Ghose. Local BHBCOP
police and administration failed to take any action.
9 Kalibari Road Land-Grab/Intimidation: The Temple property of Shree Shree Durga, Shiba Ajker Kagoj
Upazilla - Sadar and Jagatdwatri was occupied by a Muslim man, who also threatened to 06/10/07
District – Barishal evict a Hindu family. BHBCOP
10 Upazilla - Sadar Kidnapping: A teenage Hindu girl (13) was kidnapped. BHBCOP
District – Rangpur
11 Talaram Road Attack: Paltu Chandra (24) was attacked by 3-4 armed men. He was Bhorerkagoj
Upazilla - Sadar seriously injured in this attack. 06/10/07
District –Narayangonj BHBCOP
12 Village - Kashibari Kidnapping: 4 Hindu female students, including Mallika Sarker, were Ittafaq
Upazilla - Shymnagar kidnapped. 06/11/07
District – Satkhira BHBCOP
14 Chakma Union Kidnapping: A teenage Hindu girl was kidnapped by 7 Muslim men led by Pratom Alo
Upazilla - Ramu Ramzan Ali. 06/11/07
District - Cox-x-Bazar BHBCOP
15 Village - Dachibunia Attack/Looting: The house of Samiran was attacked, and several valuables Juganthar
Upazilla - Batiyaghata were looted, including gold ornaments. Family members of Samiran were 06/11/07
District – Khulna seriously injured in the attack.
16 Village - Mainpur Land-Grab: A 125 year old crematorium ground of the Tribal Coach Sangbad
Upazilla - Sadar Community was occupied by land-grabbers. The local administration did 06/10/07
District – Jamalpur not take any action. BHBCOP
17 Village - Charidron Attack/Looting: The house of Malati Rani (50) was attacked and looted by Ajker Kagoj
Upazilla - Senbagh 15 to 20 miscreants. Malati Rani and her son Tapash were seriously 06/14/07
District – Noakhali injured in the attack.
18 Village - Garibpur Murder: Hemantha Gaine (48) was brutally killed by 7 to 8 men. Juganthar
Upazilla - Chitalmari 06/15/07
District – Bagerhat
19 Village - Chipatali Attack/Looting: The house of Prakash Barua, Dipan Barua and Asit Barua Bhorerkagoj
Upazilla - Rowjan were attacked and looted by armed men. Many were seriously injured in 06/15/07
District – Chittagong the attack. BHBCOP
20 Nandan Pratab Attack/Looting: The homes of Ashotosh Basak, Bankim Basak and Ajker Kagoj
Upazilla - Dighalia Swarbeshwar Basak were attacked and looted by 8 to 10 armed men. 06/16/07
District – Khulna Many Hindus, including Golak Biswas, were seriously injured in the attack.
22 Village - Bazarhat Attack/Looting: A Hindu businessman named Balaram Chandra Roy was Sangbad
Upazilla - Shahjatpur attacked, and looted of about Tk. 75,000. He was seriously injured in this 06/17/07
District – Sirajgonj attack.
24 Upazilla - Lohagara Attack: A group of men led by Hanif Gazi (20) tried to kill a Hindu Principal, Ajker Kagoj
District – Narail Biswanath Chakraborty (40), of Itna school and college. He was seriously 06/17/07
injured in the attack. BHBCOP
25 Village - Yunaikhara Attack/Looting: The homes of Nirmal Sarker and Gour Sarker were Bhorerkagoj
Upazilla - Singda attacked and looted by armed men. Several Hindus were seriously injured 06/17/07
District – Natore in the attacked including a 13 year old boy. BHBCOP
26 Dhapadanga Attack/Looting: The house of a Hindu, Bankim Saha was attacked and Samakal
Upazilla - Boalmari looted. Bankim Saha and another man, Goutam were seriously injured in 06/17/07
District – Faridpur the attack.
27 Village - Shrerampur Attack/Looting: The house of Dr. Kamini was attacked and looted by Juganthar
Upazilla - Ramganj armed men. 3 Hindus were seriously injured in the attack. 06/18/07
District – Laxmipur BHBCOP
28 Village - Sagardi Attack/Looting: The house of advocate Umesh was attacked and looted. Juganthar
Upazilla - Monohardi Pranesh Saha was seriously injured in the attack. 06/18/07
District – Narsingdi
29 Ward No- 04 Attack/Looting: The house of Abala Rani was attacked and looted by a Janakantha
Upazilla - Sadar Muslim man, who tried to rape her teenage daughter. 06/19/07
District – Bhola BHBCOP
30 Girls School Road Attack: A Hindu man named Uttam Kumar Basak was attacked and Ajker Kagoj
Tangibazar seriously injured. 06/20/07
District – Gazipur
31 Ashuganj Railway Murder: A Hindu man named Jitendra Sarker was brutally killed. Police Juganthar
Station later recovered his body. 06/19/07
Bhrammanbaria
32 Village - Mochara Murder: A Hindu man named Gopal Sarker (60) was brutally killed. Samakal
Upazilla - Akhaura 06/21/07
Bhrammanbaria BHBCOP
34 Shahajahanpur Attack/Looting: A Hindu home was attacked and looted by 15 to 20 men. Samakal
Upazilla - Madhabpur 10 Hindus including 5 women were seriously injured in the attack. 06/22/07
District – Habigonj
35 Gazalia Attack/Land-Grab/Looting: The house of Babul Kumar Saha was attacked Sangbad
Upazilla - Lama and looted by a number of Muslims led by Ranjita Begum and Abul Kalam 06/23/07
District -Bandarban Azad, a local BNP leader. They occupied 12 Bighas of land owned by Babul BHBCOP
Saha, and threatened Babul. Babul and his wife Gita Rani Saha were
seriously injured in the attack.
36 Village - Ayshar Land-Grab/Intimidation: The house and property of Kalidash Podder were Janakantha
Upazilla - Kalkini occupied by 6 Muslim men. They threatened Kalidash to leave the 06/24/07
District – Madaripur country, and he fled to save his life.
37 Satgoan Tea Garden Attack/Looting: The house of Tilababu Janmayjoy Dhar was attacked and Bhorerkagoj
Upazilla - Shremongal looted by 20 to 25 armed men. 06/25/07
Moulabibazar BHBCOP
38 Upazilla - Jamalganj Attack/Gang-Rape/Looting: Hindu populated area of Beheli Union was Ajker Kagoj
District – Sunamgonj attacked by several Muslim men, who looted several valuables. Many 06/23/07
Hindu women and teenage girls were gang raped by the attackers. Several
Hindus were injured in the attack, and many of them fled the area to save
their lives.
39 Upazilla - Bhanga Attack/Intimidation: Dilip Das, a Hindu teacher at Bhanga women college Pratom Alo
District – Faridpur and representative of the daily Sangbad, was attacked. They also 06/24/07
threatened to kill him. BHBCOP
40 Village - Mahakal Land-Grab: The property of Durga Rani was occupied by land-grabbers. Ajker Kagoj
Upazilla - Abhaynagar The local administration did not take any action. 06/26/07
District – Jessore
41 Village - Karimpur Kidnapping/Murder: A Hindu named Prashanta Saha was kidnapped and Ajker Kagoj
Upazilla - Bagarpara brutally killed. Police later recovered his body. 06/24/07
District – Jessore BHBCOP
43 Hilchiya Kidnapping: A Hindu businessman named Sunil Saha (65) was kidnapped Pratom Alo
Upazilla - Bajidpur for ransom. 06/28/07
District – Kishoregonj BHBCOP
44 Upazilla - Fakirhat Murder: A Hindu named Nani Gopal Mistri (25) was brutally killed. Police Juganthar
District – Bagerhat later recovered his body. 06/30/07
45 Village - Baneswar Attack/Gang-Rape: The house of Gobinda Sannashi was attacked, and Samakal
Upazilla - Dhamrai Gobinda’s daughters Sandya and China were gang raped by the attackers. 06/30/07
District – Dhaka They also tried to kidnap the girls and threatened Gobinda. Subsequently, BHBCOP
Gobinda fled his house in order to save his life. Police failed to take any
action.
46 Village - Ziapur Murder: Anil Chandra Das, a former teacher at Manikganj Govt. Primary BHBCOP
Upazilla - Jakiganj School was brutally killed.
District – Sylhet
47 Village - Mirabazar Land-Grab/Temple Attack: Temple property of Kancha Thakur Temple was BHBCOP
Upazilla - Sadar attacked by a group of men trying to occupy the land. The temple was also
District – Sylhet destroyed.
48 Village - Pirojepur Land-Grab/Temple Attack: The land/property of Bindaban Pal was BHBCOP
Upazilla - Sadar occupied by land-grabbers. The Temple on the property is being destroyed
District – Meherpur by the illegal occupiers.
49 Upazilla - Sadar Attack/Gang-Rape: Members of the Fishermen community were attacked BHBCOP
District – Kurigram and a house wife was gang raped by a group of attackers.
50 Gangarhat Land-Grab: One Bigha of land owned by Bahadur Chandra Rabidas was BHBCOP
Upazilla - Sadar occupied by Gangarhat Dakhil Madrasha (Muslim seminary).
District – Kurigram
51 Village - Baniapara Kidnapping: Sonali Kumar was kidnapped by a group of men. BHBCOP
Upazilla - Palashbari
District - Kurigram.
i
Das, Subhamoy. “Hindu Population in India.” About.Com: Hinduism.
http://hinduism.about.com/library/weekly/extra/bl-population1.htm
ii
“Hindu American Foundation Releases First-Ever Annual Survey of Hindu Human Rights.” Hindu
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“Hinduism in Pakistan.” Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia.
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"Bangladesh: Arbitrary Detention of 7 Student Activists by Joint Security Forces." Asian Human Rights
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"Bangladesh: Bangladesh's State of Emergency is Unjustifiable and Ensuring Abuses of Human Rights"
Asian Legal Resource Centre. September 6,
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Human Rights Defender Arbitrarily Arrested and Again Implicated into Fabricated Case." Asian Human
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"Communal Attack and Repression on Minority." Bangladesh Hindu Bouddha Christian Oikya Parishad.
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