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Fight Over War Crimes
Bangladesh violence toll rises to 42
The toll in fierce clashes in Bangladesh between activists of an
Islamist party and law enforcers over a war-crime trial verdict
has risen to 42, the authorities said.
Dozens were injured in about a dozen districts of Bangladesh,
Xinhua reported citing an agency. »
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The acts of violence led by the
Islamists, Jamaat-i-Islami (JI) are tormenting our neighboring
Bangla Desh, more than 50 dead, injuries and destruction of Hindu,
Budhha temples amongst other losses. Its spill over is also being
felt in Kolkata to some extent (Feb-March 2013). In Kolkata a
strong crowd owing allegiance to Muslim communalism, different
organizations like Minority Youth Federation, and others went on
rampage. All this in response to the death sentence given to
Delawar Hossian Sayedee, the Vice President of JI by a war crimes
tribunal after he was found guilty for mass killing, rape and
atrocities during the nine month war against Pakistan.
He is the third office bearers of JI
to have been convicted of the crimes during Muktijuddha
(liberation war) of 1971 of the then East Pakistan people’s
resistance against the atrocities of Pakistan army. Sheikh Hasina
Government has set up the tribunal from last three years and now
the verdicts of the tribunal are being handed down. Currently in
Bangla Desh a large number of youth, believing in democracy are
demanding stricter action through protest at Shahbagh against
those who were hands in glove with Pakistan army while Jamaat
wings are out on streets opposing the sentence to the guilty of 71
liberation war. In India also the Jamaat-Islami has opposed the
Shahbag movement and is opposed to punishing the JI elements that
are guilty of 1971 war crimes. JI was opposed to the 1971
liberation war led by Mukti Bahini under the leadership of Sheikh
Mujibur Rahman and supported by most of the people from Bangla
Desh. The attack by Pakistan army led to the killing of nearly
three million people, rape of nearly 200000 women, by rough
estimates. During this period the East Pakistan’s intellectuals
and many political workers were done to death.
The tragedy of partition has a long and painful tale, which is
refusing to die down even now more than six decades after the
painful event. India was partitioned on the strange ground,
Pakistan in the name of Islam and India as a secular democracy,
apparently to solve the communal problem. British have left a long
and painful legacy of politics in the name of religion, violence
in the name of religion, which is continuing to dog the
sub-continent. The twin pillars of success of British policy of
‘divide and rule’ were the persistence of feudal classes, in the
face of rising industrialization and the deliberate British ploy
to recognize Muslim League as the representatives of Indian
Muslims right since its formation in 1906. Muslim League was
initially formed by the declining sections of Muslim Nawabas,
Landlords and later was joined by the section of Muslim educated
classes and elite. In no way it represented Indian Muslims.
Similarly the Hindu Mahasabha, the body parallel to Muslim League,
came up from amongst the Hindu Rajas, Jamindars and later joined
in by the section of educated classes and elite castes. Their
agenda was totally opposed to the one of Liberty, Equality and
Fraternity, which was the foundation of freedom movement of the
country.
There are lot of parallels between both these communal streams
(Muslim and Hindu), they could join hands in forming coalition
ministries in Sindh and Bengal just before the partition, they
kept aloof from freedom movement and opposed the social
transformation of caste and gender relations of the society. Their
lip service to some social reforms notwithstanding, they stuck to
the status quo in matters pertaining to social norms and political
relations.
After partition the Pakistan (East and West) came to be dominated
by the West Pakistan economic and political elite who occupied
important positions in the army, bureaucracy, economy and polity.
In the elections held in 1970 the Awami League (East Pakistan) led
by Sheikh Mujibur Rahman swept the polls, and emerged as the
majority party in Pakistan. Still, army backed by Zulfiqar Bhutto
did not permit the formation of Awami League Government. Here one
can see the difference between religion and politics. While Islam
calls for ‘all men are bothers’ the politics in the name of Islam
coming from Pakistani regime, discriminated not only against
people of other religions, Hindus in particular, but also against
the others Muslims. Muslims of East Pakistan were being dominated
and suppressed by the dominant ‘Muslims’ of West Pakistan.
With Awami League being denied the formation of Government and in
the absence of democratic channels of protest, alienation grew in
East Pakistan and Mujibur Rahman launched civil disobedience
movement. Massive protest erupted all over in East Pakistan and
Pakistani army, cracked down on its own citizens. In East
Pakistan, army unleashed a reign of terror; murders and rapes.
Hindus and Muslims both were targeted. The citizens from East
Pakistan were regarded as enemies and rampage went on till the
Mukti Bahini, with the help of Indian Army succeeded in defeating
Pakistani army to declare the formation of People’s Republic of
Bangla desh.
The formation of Bangla Desh decisively and irrefutable proved the
futility of the theory that Nations are synonymous with religions,
that religion can be the basis of nationalism. The ‘Two Nation
theory’ that Hindus and Muslims are two separate nations met its
graveyard in the formation of Bangla Desh. Still the communal
elements were not wiped out from the country and they do keep
coming up now and then. We had also noticed the response of Muslim
Communalists from Bangla Desh when they wanted to march to India,
in response to the demolition of Babri mosque. The plight of
minorities in Bangla Desh is pathetic. Many of the Hindus and
Muslims became refugees and came to different parts of the
country. Part of this contributed to the Hindu communalist’s
propaganda and creation of scare about Bangla Deshi immigrants.
The issue of sub continental politics has been presented on
communal lines.
Sixty years down the line the seeds of communal politics which
came up from the declining sections of landlords, were given
ideological veneer by section of elite-upper castes, and were
cleverly nurtured by the British. As such actually it was these
communal elements that fed in to the British policy of ‘divide and
rule’ and led to partition of the country. In the three countries
which emerged in the subcontinent, the degree of communal poison
today; is of course very different in intensity. Pakistan suffered
maximum at the hands of colonial-imperialist powers, the
minorities there, Hindus and Christians are having intimidating
time. In Pakistan the army has become the ally of communal forces
and keeps opposing the democratic aspirations of large sections of
society. In Bangla Desh, the democratically rooted parties have to
face opposition from the communal elements.
India, not to be left behind is being gradually weekend by the
Hindu communalists, who have been harping on the identity issue
like Ram Temple. They have given communal hue to the ‘left over’
problems of colonial rule. Bangla Desh is seen as the source of
infiltrators, despite the fact that the poor Hindus and Muslims
who fled the country in 1971 had to leave to escape the brutality
of Pakistan army. Kashmir, which again partly is a leftover
colonial parting kick supplemented by the ultra nationalism of
Pakistan-India on one side and communalism on the other.
Tragically this issue is also seen through the prism of Hindu and
Muslim alone.
Thus all the three countries in the subcontinent have to grapple
with this communal demon. To obfuscate the difference between
religion and politics has been the biggest ‘success’ of
communalists, cutting across the religious divides. Criticizing
these communalists can easily give you a label of being against
that religion. Does it need a rethink on the part of the
democratic people of these countries to collaborate with each
other to bury the demon of communalism, politics in the name of
religion? Will communalists, who are dominating the scene in
India, or Pakistan or Bangla Desh let it happen? Communalists are
adept at creating the tempest of hysteria in the name of their
religions, and can do the intense breast beating that the secular
democratic efforts are a threat to their ‘religion. The task to
save or promote democracy in the subcontinent is a mammoth one.
Can those elements yearning for a freedom and democracy in the sub
continent come together on this agenda?
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