Actions must speak louder than words

Whenever an attack was carried out on a minority community people in past there was no short of sympathetic words to victims and promises by the government policymakers: stern action would be taken against perpetrators regardless of the political affiliation.

But no exemplary action was finally taken in almost cases. All the words turned into mere rhetoric. Promises were made to be broken.

Every incident infused fresh blood in the monster--culture of impunity. Vulnerability of minority community people has increased day after day.  

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Following the two recent heinous and barbaric attacks on Hindu community people in Brahmanbaria and Santals in Gaibandha, the government high ups toed the same old strategy. They issued warning against perpetrators and pledged to victims to take actions against culprits.     

Latest, the cabinet committee on law and order on Tuesday warned of taking tough action against law enforcement agencies if they fail to contain attacks on religious minorities.

It observed that attacks on religious minorities and vandalism of Hindu temples across the country put the government in an embarrassing situation, reports The Daily Star yesterday.

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But in the culture of impunity, it is difficult to keep confidence in any such promises.

The facts themselves speak the truth.

In last six years, 273 cases were filed in connection with the attacks on minority communities. Perpetrators were tried in only one case. Police even did not find any proof in 93 incidents of attack, according to the information of the police headquarters [The Daily Ittefaq on November 12].   

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The worst ever attack was carried out on minority community people immediately after 2001 parliamentary election. Major crimes like murder, rape, arson and looting took place.

Many local and mid ranking BNP leaders allegedly instigated the attacks. In many areas minority people fled their houses to avert the brutality.

The Awami League, the then main opposition, condemned the attacks vociferously. It even held a convention "crime against humanity" in the capital and promised to bring all the perpetrators to book.

An indigenous woman eats on banana leaves. Photo: STAR

No action was taken in five years since 2001 when the BNP was in power.

READ more: Handcuffing of Santal men barbaric and primitive

Following High Court directives, the AL-led government in December 2009 formed a three-member commission to probe the atrocities against members of minority communities and opposition parties.

The commission submitted the report to the home ministry in April 2011. The probe commission found the involvement of 26,352 people, including 25 ministers and MPs of past BNP-Jamaat alliance government, in 18000 incidents of major crimes including murder, rape, arson and looting.

Seven months after the commission submitted its report to her then Home Minister Sahara Khatun in a press briefing in December said the government would file cases against the alleged perpetrators if the victims were still afraid to file lawsuits against them for fear of reprisal.

What happened then?

Perpetrators in only one case -- Purnima rape case in Sirajganj -- were tried. A Sirajganj court in May 2011 sentenced 11 people to life-term imprisonment for violating a schoolgirl Purnima Rani Shil in 2001.

But Purnima is one of nearly 200 women from the minority Hindu community who were allegedly gang-raped by the cadres of the then ruling BNP-Jamaat alliance over a period of 15 months.

Many incidents of attack on minority community people took place even during the AL-led government since 2009.

Leaders of religious minority community at a meeting with police high ups at police headquarters raised the crucial question: why perpetrators were not brought to justice.

They blamed the local administration and police for their failure to contain the attacks on minority people in Brahmanbaria.

In addition, AL local MP and his followers were also accused of instigating the attack.

The same thing repeated in Gaibandha where Santals were brutally tortured and forcibly evicted from their households.

Leaders of Santals on Tuesday at a meeting with some ministers and AL leaders also accused local AL MP and his followers of instigating the attack on Santals. Local administration and police did also access to evict Santals from their households.

What will the government and ruling AL do this time? Will the government take actions against officials of the local administration for their negligence of duties in Brahmanbaria and Gaibandha? Will the AL take actions against its MPs and party men who instigated the attacks?

If the government wants to honour its own promises, it must hold a proper investigation into the two incidents of attacks. Investigation by the administration may not be credible and acceptable to people as local admin officials in the two districts were accused of neglecting their duties and doing excess.   

A judicial probe commission may be formed by the government for a fair investigation.

On completion of the investigation, the government and the ruling AL must take actions against people who will be found guilty of the two heinous incidents.

If exemplary action is not taken against the perpetrators of the two attacks and victims are not rehabilitated properly, the vulnerability of minority community people will increase further.

Inaction by the government may encourage culprits to go ahead for further actions against minority community people. Only tougher words cannot protect minority community people.