Dr Anand Kumar writes in the South Asia Analysis Group about the rise of Islamic fundamentalism in Bangladesh and the marginalization of minority groups.

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Minorities in Bangladesh have been under the attack of Islamist forces, but even the state administration which claims to be operating under a democratic set-up has not been benign to them. Democratic, political and electoral reforms have been on the agenda of the new caretaker government after it took over on January 11 this year. These reforms are meant to strengthen democracy in Bangladesh, which has developed several flaws over the years, during the course of its operation.  Democracy in Bangladesh however would never be fully strengthened unless steps are taken to safeguard the pluralistic character of its society. Unfortunately, this does not appear to be on the agenda of the caretaker government or for that matter any political party. As a result of this, a systematic dispossession and eviction of minorities has been going on in Bangladesh.  

Minorities have been facing a number of negative discrimination in Bangladesh. The state has been following a deliberate policy to create unequal job opportunities for them. Government and military jobs are difficult for them to get. As opposed to this, in countries like India, minorities get special treatment. They get all facilities at par with other citizens. In addition to that, a number of state governments are considering giving them reservation in education and jobs. The central government is urging the financial institutions to give them credit on a priority basis. The educational institutions run by minorities get special status.

In sharp contrast, in countries like Bangladesh attempts are being made to snatch even the second-class citizenship from the minorities. When the voter-list was updated during the rule of four-party alliance, under the pressure of BNP and Jamaat cadres names of a large section of minority population was omitted. This was done as these parties feared that minorities of Bangladesh might vote for the Awami League.

It was hoped that these defects would be rectified under the present caretaker government which has taken several reform measures. Unfortunately, the Election Commission (EC) created by the interim authority may be unbiased but it does not seem competent enough to complete the task of updating the voter list effectively. So far, it has only managed to create confusion over the issue. Initially, it stated that camps would be organized all over Bangladesh where names of voters would be included in the voter list along with their photographs. It proposed a digital voter list which is present in some of the neighbouring countries of Bangladesh.  

The idea of holding camps for updating the voter list was opposed by nearly all the political parties of Bangladesh who feared that a large number of voters may not turn up to get themselves registered. Moreover, in rural areas awareness level is so low that many voters may not even know about the process.  

The EC has finally given up the idea of holding camps and has opted for door to door survey. But it has created once again confusion by saying that the photographs of the voters are now not necessary. The EC thinks that it is impossible to photograph so many voters in such a short duration. In this context, it is noteworthy that the caretaker government has announced an 18 month timetable for this task. This decision of the EC has left many people once again wondering about the authenticity of the revised voter list planned by the new caretaker government.  

Vested Property Act

The biggest oppressor of minorities in Bangladesh is a “black law” called Vested Property Act. Following the India-Pakistan war in 1965, the then Pakistan government introduced the Enemy Property (Custody and Registration) Order II, which was widely seen as a tool for appropriating the land of the minority population and forcing them to cross the border to India. The post independent Bangladesh government renamed it as the Vested Property Act 1974.

After a protracted campaign by the rights groups and different forums of the Hindu community the then Awami League government of ex-Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina scrapped the law at the fag end of their five-year tenure in 2001. But a recent study conducted by Abul Barkat, a professor of Economics at Dhaka University shows that the annulment of the act, appears to have brought no good to the minority Hindu community due to `deliberate delay' and `criminalisation of the political economy.' Under the new law, an inventory of the still unsold vested property was due to be prepared within 90 days but the move was virtually stalled when Khaleda Zia's Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) led rightwing coalition formed the government.  

Professor Barkat in his research paper “Deprivation of Affected Million Families: Living with Vested Property in Bangladesh”, says that nearly two lakh Hindu families lost 1.22 lakh bighas of land, including their houses, in the past six years since the Vested Property Act was annulled in 2001 to return the "vested" property to their original owners. According to Professor Barkat some 12 lakh or 44 per cent of the 27 lakh Hindu households in the country were affected since the Enemy Property Act of 1965 was enacted.

Minority Land Grabbed by Politically Powerful People

The study has found that the land of minority Hindus during the reign of the BNP-led alliance government between 2001 and 2006 has been ‘grabbed’ by politically powerful people. Forty-five per cent of the land grabbers were associated with the BNP, 31 per cent with the Awami League, 8 per cent with Jamaat-e-Islami and 6 per cent with the Jatiya Party and other political organisations.  

He mentions that the affected Hindu families met with more incidents of violence and repression in the immediate-past five years of the BNP-Jamaat coalition government than in the previous five years of the Awami League government.  

Political elements, locally influential people in collaboration with the land administration, trickery by land officials and employees themselves, use of force and crookedness, fake documentation, contracted farmers and death or exile of original owners have also been blamed for land grabbing and perpetuation of the `vested properties.'

The economist, who earlier had conducted a sensational study on Bangladesh's `Fundamentalist Economy', points out that 53 per cent of the family displacement and 74 per cent of the land grabbing occurred before the country's independence in 1971.

At the current market price, the value of the 2.2mn acres of land that the Hindu families were displaced from is nearly $4.22bn, which is more than half of the country’s gross domestic product (GDP), says the study. Barkat considers this as a man-made problem contrary to the spirit of humanity. He urges Bangladesh to get rid of this uncivilized state of affairs to establish a civilized society. He warns that otherwise the country would have to face a bigger historic catastrophe.

While trying to review the impact of the law on the land ownership of the Hindu community, Barkat has found that no list of the people evicted or the quantum of lands grabbed has been prepared to date. However, he dismisses the ‘Hindu versus Muslim’ polarisation in the problem and claims that it is an issue created by communal elements and vested interests groups. “Criminals do not bother whether a piece of land is owned by a Hindu or Muslim. They resort to easy means to loot property,” he adds.  

Indian Envoy Urging Bangladesh to Have True Secularism

The pitiable of state of secularism in Bangladesh under a democratic form of government has also been recently pointed out by the Indian High Commissioner Pinak Ranjan Chakravarty. He stated that democracy would be stronger in Bangladesh if it could establish a 'real secular country like India'. While addressing a function on the occasion of foundation laying of Chandranath Temple in Sitakunda in Chittagong he said, "Bangladesh is a secular country but there is no real practice of secularism... as there is a religious ministry here." The high commissioner said democracy is very strong in India as there is no division or discrepancy among the people of different faiths and values and real secularism is practiced there. He suggested that Bangladesh follow his country for practicing real secularism, which would help it establish a strong democratic country removing all discrepancies among the people of different beliefs and values.

Conclusion

In Bangladesh deliberate government policy of creating unequal job opportunities and removing names from the voter list has undermined the status of minorities in the country. The violence perpetrated against these communities especially during and after the elections has made minorities feel unsafe in their own country. But what has really threatened their existence is the Vested Property Act which has taken away the most secure means of livelihood from these people. International community which has been taking serious note of even the slightest aberration in some countries with established democratic credential must take note of the plight of minorities in Bangladesh.

Indifference would only provide further ground to the extremist forces of Bangladesh. Just saying that people of Bangladesh are not communal is not enough. It must show in the legislations they follow and the constitution under which laws are framed. Deliberate loopholes were created in subsequent law which was created after the annulment of the Vested Property Act. Since the land was appropriated from the Hindus and is meant to be returned to them a citizen committee of the same community should be formed to see that the property is returned to the rightful owners.

(The views expressed by the author are his own.  The author can be reached at e-mail anandkrai@yahoo.co.in)