Hindu persecution on the rise in Indian Subcontinent

This is the story of Mila Bakta (age 8), a school student of Class II at Mandra Government Primary School and also daughter of Mr. Milan Bakta or a minority Hindu individual living in the village of Mandra within the jurisdiction of the police station of Kotalipara in the district of Gopalgunj amid Bangladesh. The innocent girl became victim of a brutal rape perpetrated by Sohag Sheikh (age 20), son of Sekandar Ali Shiekh inhabiting the same village, on February 27. It has come to knowledge that Sohag Sheikh used to harass the girl for months and on the fateful day at 3.45 pm, Mila Bakta was tempted by the felon through a biscuit. Sohag promised her more biscuits only if she listened to him. When she agreed, Mila was taken to a residence and was raped brutally. Nevertheless, it must also be pointed out that it was not similar to any ordinary rape. On the word of her father, Mila’s face was anointed by the semen of Sohag Sheikh and as per investigators, it was nothing else save for the most brutal evidence of religious intolerance. She was discovered hours later by her aggrieved parents, neighbors and was both unconscious and bleeding profusely then.     

Mila Bakta, as a result, was admitted to the Health Complex at Gopalgunj in close proximity and when this report is being written, she is the hospital. Even if locals got hold of Sohag Sheikh, influential Islamists in the locality precluded Hindus from filing an official complaint to the local police station. While this ruckus was going on, Sohag Sheikh vanished literally. Moreover, Hindus were warned of dire consequences if they dared to proceed to the police station. But defying all these threats parents of Mila Bakta, with the help of local people, registered a First Information Report (F.I.R) – Case No. 9, under Section 9(1) of Women and Children Repression Act, 2000, on February 28, 2014 - to the police station of Kotalipara. The culprit was taken into custody after 15 days back. Even if Sohag Sheikh is behind bars yet, efforts to release him and also warning to Hindus there by radical Muslims cease to exist.  

On the other hand, on March 15, in the night, the city of Larkana, located in the north western part of Sindh province in Pakistan, witnessed a deadly assault on a Hindu temple when Muslims in large numbers burnt down the religious shrine claiming the desecration of al-Qur'an by a local Hindu. It has come to knowledge, as maintained by Muslims in the environs of Larkana, Surjeet Kumar, a local Hindu individual, had set fire to pages of al-Qur'an violating the rigorous blasphemy laws prevailing the entire country. However, lots of people including human rights activists have termed the allegation as baseless. In accordance with them, it’s beyond imagination of a member of the minuscule minority community of Hindus to defile al-Qur'an as they know very well of the vicious outcome in such cases. What is more, some term the entire incident as fallout of an evil design to settle personal scores and there have been myriad such instances across the country by now.   

Well, none could also stop irate Islamists from exchanging blows with police in the towns of Dera Murad Jamali and Osta Muhammad located in the southwestern province of Baluchistan, following the ostensible blasphemy of al-Qur'an. While four shops of Hindus were set in flames in protest, one policeman along with two protestors were found injured.

Hindu Samhati regularly monitors and reports violations against Hindus in West Bengal. We also work with both governmental and NGO agencies for proper education on protection and ensure remedies to the Hindu populace as per prevailing law of the land.