THE country’s Hindu community has come under attacks due to post election violence at different places as news reports said raising questions about the government’s lack of preparedness in the first place to foil such attempts despite alerts from responsible quarters at home and abroad about the possibility of such incidents.
Initial reports said Jamaat-Shibir and BNP activists had carried out the attacks but some news paper reports have also blamed the rival Awami League candidates in the polls for having a hand behind unleashing the violence. For instance, the Malopara incident in Jessore has been attributed to the Awami League’s rival candidate who lost to the party nominated candidate in the polls.
It is reported that as soon as polling on Sunday ended Hindu villages in Thakurgaon, Dinajpur, Rangpur, Bogra, Lalmonirhat, Rajshahi, Chittagong and Jessore came under attack. At many places they fled their homes and at other places they reportedly resisted the attackers.
Many people believe that the unfortunate incidents could have been averted if the joint forces were strategically stationed at Hindu localized areas as a matter of precaution. The government and more so the Election Commission failed to assess where and how peace would be disturbed and violence take over. It appears that there was a visible gap in the government preparedness while the forces opposed to the one-sided election were very active to resist the polls while burning the polling centers and vandalizing public property. They also warned people not to visit the polling stations and cast votes. As we see, the government has mobilized every force to resist the opposition but left the Hindu community quite vulnerable and almost unguarded. The local administration has moreover termed most of the reports as untrue or highly exaggerated.
It is dangerous for both sides, the government and the opposition, when politics means violence and violent elements are much in demand. In every case even the motive of violence is not easy to understand. The truth is violence is money in politics. Blaming one side by the other side can also be exploited by the violent elements.
Indian government’s open support for the highly disputed election should not have been so open when the whole world was trying to persuade both sides for reaching a compromise to make the election inclusive and credible. An election is not only following the constitutional time schedule and ignore the very purpose of allowing the voters to cast votes freely. Free and fair election is essential for peace and stability in the country.
To speak of the constitutional compulsion for holding the election by defeating the very purpose of the election was not very sensible on the part of India.
The Santhia incident in Pabna before the election clearly showed that Awami League cadres had carried out the attacks on the Hindu village and burnt their business, homes and temples. But since they became publicly identified as State Minister for Home Shamsul Islam Tuku’s men and their photographs were also published with the state minister, the attack failed to hit its pre-election publicity campaign target.
It is also known to all that the activists of the government are too eager to blame Jamaat and Shibir elements and punish them as Islamic terrorists.
The government after winning the election, though farcical, must ensure peace and stability. We want the government to do everything for peace and stability in the country. Communal harmony must be maintained specially when the government of India was so helpful to Sheikh Hasina’s government.
