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Date: October 30, 2005
The
Hindu American Foundation (HAF) expressed deep distress at the murder
of a Hindu priest, Gopal Chandra Barman, 60, in the Narsingdi District
of Bangladesh on October 18, 2005. The priest of the Kali Mandir at
Shibpur was found murdered, and the dead body traced in a river three
days after he was kidnapped on October 18, "The Daily Ittefaq" reported
on October 24. It was also reported that the deity in the temple, worth
about ten million taka, is missing.
"This latest incident in the
decades-old saga of repression of religious minorities in Bangladesh
should be condemned, and the local authorities should be asked to
quickly account for this crime", said Ramesh Rao, Ph.D., executive
council member of the Hindu American Foundation.
In its recently released annual
report on human rights of Hindus in South Asia in 2004, HAF observed
that over 400 attacks against Hindus were reported in Bangladesh in
2004, including murder, rape, kidnapping, temple destruction and
physical intimidation. Hindus who comprised nearly 30 percent of the
Bangladesh/East Pakistan population in 1947, now constitute less than
ten percent of Bangladesh's population.
"In recent years, the growth of
Islamic fundamentalism has led to the further marginalization of
minorities in Bangladesh," said Dr. Rao. "Hindus, as the largest
minority group, bear the brunt of terrorism and intimidation, and
government apathy and abetment." |
