Communal attacks are preplanned, say speakers

The incidents of communal attacks in the country are pre-planned, and the government or the state cannot avoid responsibility in any way, speakers said at a roundtable. 

As long as the state and the administration do not recognize the attacks as communalism or communal attacks, it will not be possible to take proper action against it, they added.

Prominent citizens of the country said this at the discussion on 'Communalism and Social Responsibility,'organised by Bangladesh Puja Udyapan Parishad in Cirdap Auditorium in the capital on Thursday.

JL Bhowmik, president of Puja Udjapan Parishad, presided over the discussion. 

He said, "Insulting religion, the process of driving away Hindus from the country is going on. It must be stopped. Otherwise, this country cannot survive."

Prof Chandranath Poddar, general secretary of the parishad, said planned communal attacks, torture, and oppression continue. 
"Can we say when communal attacks will end?" he asked.

The misuse of social media at the root of communal attacks, full implementation of the 1972 constitution, countering communal forces by activating cultural, social, and political organizations, and the state taking responsibility for all citizens, including religious minorities,  came up at the roundtable.

Prof Mizanur Rahman, former chairman of the National Human Rights Commission, thinks that to resolve communal issues, the constitution should be amended to include secularism.

Speedy enforcement of the law and realising compensation from those responsible for communal attacks, and redistributing it to the people affected could help resolve the problem, he added.

Dr Fauzia Moslem, president of Bangladesh Mahila Parishad, believes that using communalism as a political tool, various methods of torture are being adopted in society against marginalized people. 

Referring to the failure of police and the administration, she said police were not seen taking any action before an untoward communal incident happens.

Questioning the role of the deputy commissioner and superintendent of police during communal attacks, Prof Sadeka Halim, former information commissioner, said communal incidents should be resolved politically.

Sanjeev Drang, general secretary of Adivasi Forum, said the state should take responsibility to resolve communal issues. 

The state should recognize other ethnic and religious communities, he continued. 

However, the state does not even seem to express any regret about communal attacks, he said.

Journalist Abed Khan thought the passion and consciousness of the middle class is getting lost. 

Journalist Abu Saeed Khan said if politics was not right, society would not be right. The left wing has weakened and the Awami League has lost its way, he added.

Major General (retd) Mohammad Ali Shikdar, geo-political and security analyst of Bangladesh, Shamsuddin Chowdhury Manik, former justice of the Supreme Court, Pijush Bandyopadhyay, convenor of Sampriti Bangladesh, and Prof Mamun-al Mahtab, member secretary of Sampriti Bangladesh, Sohrab Hasan, joint editor of Prothom Alo, and Prof Robayet Ferdous of Dhaka University's Mass Communication and Journalism Department, also spoke at the programme.