Post-election violence against minorities, particularly the Hindu community, have reemerged in the country due to the authorities’ reluctance to implement the recommendations of the judicial commission that probed the 2001 post-polls violence. “No recommendation has been implemented yet. Had our recommendations been be implemented, the post-polls violence will not return,” president of the judicial probe commission M Shahabuddin said on Wednesday. The probe report handed over to Home Minister Sahara Khatun in April 2011 recommended bringing the people involved in post-polls violence in 2001 under trial, filling cases against the accused and restoring the cases withdrawn in political consideration, and providing compensation among the victims of political attacks, said a senior Home Ministry official. The judicial commission also suggested forming short-term investigation committees or investigation commissions at district level involving additional district magistrate, additional police and an executive magistrate to probe the incidents of political violence and attacks on minority, and setting up a monitoring cell at the Home Ministry to coordinator the tasks of the probe bodies. The three-member judicial commission, comprising M Shahabuddin (president), former deputy secretary of Home Ministry Monwar Hossain Akond and former additional DIG Mir Shahidul Islam (now DIG police), was formed to probe the 2001 post-polls violence. The judicial body during its probe into the 2001 post-polls violence (Oct 1, 2001 to Dec 31, 2012) received 5,571 allegations of killing, rape, arson and looting by activists of the then ruling BNP-Jamaat alliance and it took into account of 3,125 allegations, a member of the commission told UNB swishing anonymity. “During the probe, we found 355 politically motivated murders while 3,270 incidents of rape, arson, looting and other atrocities,” he said. The commission also found the involvement of some BNP and Jamaat leaders in attacks on minorities and oppression on Awami League workers after parliamentary polls in 2001. The commission named BNP leaders Salauddin Quader Chowdhury, former Home Minister Altaf Hossain Chowdhury, Abdul Wadud, Joynal Abedin (known as VP Joynal of Feni), Nadim Mostafa, HM Selim of Bagerhat, Maulana Shakhawat Hossain of Keshabpur in Jessore, Abdus Sobhan of Pabna, Maj (retd) Hafiz Uddin Ahmed, Ruhul Quddus Talukdar Dulu, Hafiz Ibrahim and Zahir Uddin Swapan for their involvement in the 2001 post-polls violence. Jamaat leaders Matiur Rahman Nizami, Abu Taher of Comilla and Delwar Hossain Sayedee were among the leaders of the then government who led the oppression on minority people and AL workers. President of the judiciary probe commission M Shahabuddin (now ACC commissioner) said, “We’ve identified over 18,000 people who were involved in gang rape, killings and attacks on minority and the Awami League activists that time.” He said identifying the accused the commission recommended filing 3,445 cases as per specific allegations against them on charge of their involvement in these incidents, but it is still unknown why the authorities did take legal action against the accused. However, the Home Ministry sources said the government and the complainants filed 100 and 45 cases against BNP and Jamaat leaders and activists in two phases during 2012-13 following the recommendations of report of the judicial probe body. The January 5 election have again reminded the vulnerable minority community of the brutal treatment it received 43 years ago at the hands of marauding Pakistani forces and their local cohorts. Hindus in particular have become easy targets of anti-election activists who attacked their houses and other properties, thinking that they have voted for the ruling Awami League ignoring their directive to refrain from voting. The attacks, most of which took place in the post-election period, have forced hundreds of minority members to flee their houses, according to media reports. Most of the attacks took place in the minority-dominated villages in Thakurgaon, Dinajpur, Rangpur, Bogra, Lalmonirhat, Gaibandha, Rajshahi, Chittagong and Jessore districts. – UNB
