CAAMB’s Press Conference on Bangladesh Constitution Amendment : Why Islamic Favoritism spoils the Secular essence of Bangladesh ??

Kolkata intellectuals lambast fresh bid to have pro-Islamic constitution in Bangladesh

Report : Animitra Chakroborty | Kolkata, 8th July 2011.

Endeavor of reigning Awami League-led Government in Bangladesh to retain “Bismillah ir-Rahman ir-Rahim” and Islam as State Religion through fresh amendment of Constitution, squashing hopes of secularists and Hindu minorities there of apposite restoration of Secular Constitution of 1972, and its feeble exculpation that some ‘realities’ forced it to do so leading to strong dissents there has touched the shores of Kolkata too and depiction of the same was witnessed in the recent press conference held at Kolkata Press Club under aegis of CAAMB (Campaign Against Atrocities on Minorities in Bangladesh), Kolkata-based human rights organization well-known for its struggles against minority persecution in Bangladesh, on 08/07/11.

Dignitaries partaking in the said press conference included Dr. Mohit Ray (CAAMB), Dr. Ratan Khasnabis (Economist, University of Calcutta), Sri Subir Bhowmik (Journalist and expert on Bangladesh affairs), Sri Bimal Pramanik (Head, Center for Studies on Indo-Bangla Relations), Sri Ratneswar Sarkar (President, All India Refugee Front), Sri Kalikrishna Guha (Poet and Social Activist). The meeting was also participated by Dr. Sabyasachi Ghosh Dastidar (Department of Politics, Economics and Law, State University of New York, Old Westbury).

It can certainly be said that this approach of Awami League Government has not only delighted and strengthened Islamic fundamentalists in Bangladesh but has terrified minority groups– on the way to oblivion, once more also.

Speaking in the meeting Sri Ratneswar Sarkar stated apparently how the two-nation theory, propounded by MA Jinnah and Muslim League during the last days of British Empire, led to atrocities, anguishes and State-sponsored Hindu persecution in East Pakistan (now Bangladesh). He also congratulated organizers of the conference to be vocal against the latest nefarious design of amending the Constitution in Bangladesh, stimulating hard-liners there only, and put forward that Bangladesh must forsake this novel bid once and for all.

Sri Bimal Pramanik, at the inception of his speaking, made it clear that Sheikh Hasina, reigning Prime Minister of Bangladesh, had no role in the Liberation War of Bangladesh. As per him, despite making glorious sacrifices for the cause of Bangladesh, including in its war of Liberation from Pakistan, Hindus have virtually no position in the nation. He also stated that amendments of constitution and of Enemy Property Act on the anvil were flag bearers of worst.

Dr. Ratan Khasnabis stated without reservation that Bangladesh had gone through a Pakistan-like situation for decades. In accordance with him, no nation can develop if not it admits all of its citizens devoid of discrimination. He also made it clear if Bangladesh degenerates more, a substantial portion of its citizens will lose faith on the nation. As per him, apart from Hindus and other minority groups, secular Muslims will be the greatest sufferers, and if the fresh amendment continues, Bangladesh will lose its legitimacy yet again.

Sri Kalikrishna Guha made it clear once all these rot sets in anywhere like Bangladesh, ill-fortune remains the one and only companion. He requested the Bangladeshi Government to rectify its stand once more and save the country from the impending doomsday, its settled effect.

Sri Subir Bhowmik citing his experiences in recent Sector Commanders’ Conference where it was reiterated time and again that Bangladesh, without any secular outlook, had no future, stated that the amendment was not a mistake but felo-de-se or self-annihilation. On the word him, even after lots of years, Awami League can’t win the election on its own. It can only if Bangladeshis opt for the party en masse. Speaking on the creation of Bangladesh, he posited with conviction had there been no Agartala Conspiracy Case 1968, Shiekh Mujibur Rahman wouldn’t have become BangaBandhu and also that despite being an ardent secular, Shiekh Hasina remains surrounded by a coterie of pro-Pakistan officials.

He was also found to stick a knife into Indian foreign policy for decades and recounted how it has miserably failed to differentiate between its friends and foes.

As indicated by him, India’s execrable offense in foreign policy scenario took place in 2001, period witnessing worst religious persecutions on Hindus in Bangladesh, when Brajesh Mishra, then National Security Advisor and Principal Secretary to Indian Prime Minister, A.B. Vajpayee, being the first foreign dignitary went to Bangladesh to congratulate Begum Khaleda Zia on her landslide in nation-wide election. It is alleged, BNP, political party of Begum Khaleda Zia, in tandem with Muslim hardliners, was accountable to inflict worst torturing on Hindus then.

Dr. Sabyasachi Ghosh Dastidar, through this brief speech, brought forth a new view; terming each and every development towards hard-line Islam in earlier East Pakistan and present Bangladesh as ominous to Hindus. He also made it clear that Bangladesh War of 1971 was a brilliant maneuver of Pakistani leadership to racially exterminate Hindus. According to him, an assortment of facts and figures authenticate outright that more than 90% of martyrs in War of 1971 were Hindus.

Press Note CAAMB

CAAMB’s Press Conference on Bangladesh Constitution Amendment, 7 July 2011, Kolkata

CAAMB (Campaign Against Atrocities on Minorities in Bangladesh) organised a Press conference at Kolkata Press Club at 4pm on 7 July 2011, Kolkata. On 30 June Bangladesh Government under Seikh Hasina passed the 15^th Amendment bringing back the clauses of socialism and secularism in the constitution but retaining Islam as State religion. The meet was well attended. Mohit Ray (Convenor, CAAMB) initiated the meet with CAAMB’s protest against retaining Islam as State Religion in BD constitution and starting the constitution with Bismillah. CAAMB apprehended that it will encourage a new wave of Islamisation of Bangladesh and the Hindu-Buddhist-Christians will have to face the consequences. AdvocateRatneswar Sarkar (Gen Secy, All India Refugee Front) expressed his concern over the Islamisation and narrated his experience as minority in East Pakistan. Bimal Pramanik (Director, Centre for Research in Indo Bangla Relations) described the Islamic amendments brought by General Zia and General Ershad. He said Selikh Hasina lacks the spirit of liberation war and this is a betrayal to the all the secular and religious minorities. People voted her to bring back 72 constitution. Prof Ratan Kahasnobis (Economist, Calcutta University) expressed his concern about the developments in Bangladesh and feels this is also a danger for the secular Muslims there. Poet Kalikrishna Guha appealed to the conscience of Bangladesh to rise above fundamentalism. Subir Bhowmik, well known journalist, narrated his experiences with Bangladesh media and others. He was present in Dhaka seminar where about fifty organisations gathered to demand the restoration of 1972 constitution accepted under Selikh Mujibur Rahaman’s government. Prof Sachi G Dastidar of New York State University informed about their protest on this issue.

Atrocities on Minority Hindus also come under violation of human rights : CAAMB

Prof. Mohit Roy, CAAMB, adressing the gathering.

CAAMB participated in Human Rights Fair

CAAMB (Campaign Against Atrocities upon Minorities in Bangladesh) participated in Human Rights Fair on 10-11 December 2010 at Kolkata Academy of Fine Arts complex and put up its a stall. CAAMB stall like last year was most popular and mostly visited. People hardly has a chance to see this kind of stall displaying books of Muntasir Mamun, Salam Azad, Shariar Kabir, Taslima Nasrin, all the writers from Bangladesh advocating the rights of minorities there and voiced the humane thread of Bengali Culture and the BHBCUC publications in Kolkata. Also CAAMB's publications were there. The newly released booklet on the Assault on the Hindus in Deganaga in West Bengal (Paschimbanger Degangar Sankhyalaghu Hinduder upar Attyachar) was well received. This is the Bengali version of the original report on Deganga as prepared by CAAMB, which was first published in October, this year. CAAMB's representative also addressed the gathering. There were several stalls of different organizations concerning Human rights issues, Gender issues, Environmental issues etc. It was quite a successful event for CAAMB.

Unbiasedly, CAAMB have been fighting against the Islamic threat perception throughout Bengal, whether it is East or west, where the aggressive Islam in action to jeopardize the free thinking o any free and civil society. The organization is very much engrossed with the civil rights activities and consequently surfaced the strangulated situation of the Deganga Hindus after its victimization due to the perpetrated communality and persecution to the minority Hindus by the motivated Muslims there to do so. The 'Report on Deganga' by CAAMB has been successful to articulate the truth of Hindu persecution there in view of the acceptance for the same by the Bengali Intellectual Forums.

Come back Taslima :: Activists call for Taslima’s return to Kolkata

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Sambuddha Gupta || Kolkata.

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So far three long years passed away stealthily, still Taslima Nasreen is yet to come back to her most beloved city of Kolkata, due to the pressure of communal elements and obviously for the indulgence of the vote – monger political frenzies, allowing free hand to the fundamental freemasons.

Many award winners viz. Kurt Tucholsky Prize, Sakharov Prize , Ananda Literary Award and many others, Taslima Nasrin took refuge in West Bengal in 2004 as driven out from Bangaladesh by the fundamental Jamat-e-Islami Party in 1994 under the regime of Begum Khalead Zia, the then Prime minister of Bangladesh.

But, Taslima was compelled to leave her second home, by facing a staunch opposition from the orthodox Muslims through a drastic rioting in Kolkata in Nov, 21^st, 2007, out of an irritating debate for her book “Dikhondito”.

Since then, some human right activists and forums of intellectuals advocating free-thinking, free-speech and free-writing conduct a protest meeting against “Anti Taslima propaganda by the fundamentalists” and the inaction of the State to “Bring back Taslima to uphold freedom of expression and secular ideas”.

These ‘human rights’ forums and the ‘save the nature’ organizations under the banner “Paschimbanger Janney” (i.e. For the cause of West Bengal) and CAAMB ( Campaign Against Atrocities on Minorities in Bangladesh), jointly organized a sit on demonstration on 21^st Nov. 2010, afternoon in front of Academy of Fine Arts, Kolkata. The mum assemblers distributed leaflets, displayed banners and posters and demanded return of Taslima to her loveliest city of Kolkata, again.

From the organizers it was briefed to the press that all the political parties are playing the ‘religious card’ to make gain in the minority vote bank, whether they are in the Government or in the opposition side. So all the parties including their intelligentsia have drawn a nefarious design to disprove the return of Taslim in Kolkata. As per Mohit Roy, a key person in CAAMB, “this is quite contradictory to call this city as a citadel of freedom of expression, when the rights of a writer and a humanist are infringed in such a way in the hands of fundamental hooliganism”.

Through the leaflets, the organizers tried to convey that despite of canvassing the ideals of secularism and opposing the practice of any religion by the Communist, the ruling Left Front Government in West Bengal uses to capitalize the bare religious sentiment of a particular community. And the opposition also in the fray of such appeasement that occurred the situations like Taslima to Deganga. The organizers expressed their deep concern when the

impartial Bengali society finds the similarity between CPIM, Trinmool or Congress in the issue of political appeasement to a particular community. They said that in this matter of appeasement and instigation to a particular community, there is no difference between Mohammed Salim Of CPIM, Idrish Ali of Trinmool Congress or the Siddikullah Chowdhury of Jamat e Ulema Hind.

The assembly opposed the interference of the State in the matter of Freedom of a Writer in connection with constructivism in ideas and ideals.

The crowd for the gathering in a very good numbers marked the eminence of so many personalities in the sphere of literature, art & culture, social activities and other fields, including Mohit Roy and Chayn Roy (CAAMB), Swati Mitra ( Women against oppression), Deboyoti Roy (Ambedkar Study Circle), Srimanthan Arya (Rashtriyo Adhikar Mancho) and Prokash Das(Swadesh Samhati Sangbad).

Bring Taslima Nasreen back to Kolkata: Mahasweta Devi

Staff Reporter || The Hindu

On the third anniversary of the departure of controversial Bangladeshi author Taslima Nasreen from the city on Monday, Bengali writer and activist Mahasweta Devi demanded that the exiled author, be allowed to return to Kolkata and implored “those in favour of change” to join her in the cause.

Mahasweta Devi, who is known to be close to Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee, invoked the party's slogan of “change,” in a written statement stating her demand while also criticising the Communist Party of India (Marxist).

“I also ask those in favour of change to come forward,” she urged questioning why a writer will not find a place in the city of literary greats like Rabindranath Tagore and Kazi Nazrul Islam.

All kinds of criminals can stay in the city, but Taslima can not. Her only fault is that she is a writer, Mahasweta Devi added.

“The way Taslima Nasreen was forced to leave the city is one of the reasons why CPI (M) is being asked to leave West Bengal. The notice for her departure was an unpardonable offence,” she said.

Mahasweta Devi's statement was read out at an event organised by Women Against Oppression, an organisation that observed the day as “Lajja Divas,” a day of shame. Activists claimed that both the State Government and the opposition were distancing themselves from Ms. Nasreen for the sake of vote bank politics.

Following violence in the city by protestors of the All-India Minority Forum, Ms. Nasreen was moved to Jaipur on November 22, 2007 and there after to New Delhi. Eventually, she was asked to leave the country only returning at intervals wait-ing for her visa to be rene-wed.

Ms. Nasreen, who has maintained that she would prefer to live in Kolkata – “her second home,” is currently living in New York.

Bring back Taslima, demand intellectuals

22 November 2010 || The Statesman Kolkata.

statesman news service

Kolkata, 22 Nov: Intellectuals today observed Lajja Diwas, organised by an NGO, Women Against Oppression (WAO), and demanded that Taslima Nasreen should be brought back to the city immediately.

Several members of the civil society gathered at the Press Club today to observe Lajja Diwas, the day when Taslima Nasreen was forced to leave the city on 22 November, 2007.

Mr Sujato Bhadra, social activist, slammed the state government for not being able to take a firm stand on the issue. He said that Taslima was forced to leave not because of religion but because of political gains.

The fact that the Union government has to keep her in an undisclosed place proves its failure in providing safety to artists and writers. It is indeed a matter of shame that a writer had to leave the cultural capital, that is, Kolkata, he added. “It is a secular country and forcing someone out on the pretext of being unreligious is totally unacceptable,” he said.

Mr Pachu Ray, another social activist, said that if indeed winds of change are blowing in the state, let Taslima’s return to the city be a part of it. Reiterating that the state government has failed to protect her rights and given her honour she deserved, he demanded that she should be brought back to the city and accepted here immediately.

The intellectuals further said that creativity is being censured everywhere in the country be it burning author Rohinton Mistry’s book called Such A Long Journey in Mumbai or be it uproar over MF Hussain’s paintings.

Poet Joy Goswami was also present at the meeting and condemned attack on literary personalities.

The decision to ask Bangladeshi writer Taslima Nasreen to leave Kolkata is one of the reasons why the Left Front government in West Bengal will have to go, noted writer Mahasweta Devi said.

In a written statement to the NGO the Magsaysay Award-winning writer said the move happened “under pressure from a particular group of people”.

“To take away the freedom of writing from a writer is not justified and we want Taslima back in the city,” she said and appealed to those working for bringing about a “change” in the state to fight for the writer's return.

Not a riot, but an Islamic Onslaught : CAAMB Reports on Deganga

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Deganga Visited – not a riot, but an Islamic Onslaught

A CAAMB Report 13 September 2010

There was looting, burning for three days. Military was called. Deganga is just hardly 45 km away towards northeast from Kolkata. But no TV camera reached there, no interview of victims

shown in any TV channel. After two days, some newspapers reported only of ‘violence between two communities’.

No reporting about the identity of the attackers, even if well-known to everybody there. No Human Rights groups went there. No intellectual brigade (Paribartankami - pro-changers) went there, not even a statement by the Santras Virodhi Mancha, the newly formed body to talk against all kinds of terror, both from the state and non-state actors. So some of us had to go there and report about the burning Deganga. It is perhaps the test case what the Hindus of West Bengal will have to face in the new CHANGE that is swaying West Bengal. In a nutshell, our findings indicate that what happened in Deganga was not a riot, but a one-sided pogrom with a clear planning and its successful execution. Read full report below in pdf.

Read the original CAAMB Report on DEGANGA in pdf format here :

http://www.adhikar.net/deganga_caamb.pdf