Punish perpetrators of communal violence: Mahila Parishad
Bangladesh Mahila Parishad has called for ensuring punishment of perpetrators of communal violence, accountability of the administration and public representatives in these incidents and state security for minority communities.
The rights-based organisation also pressed for an end to the misuse of the Digital Security Act, its proper application, the complete ban on the use of religion in politics, the banning of misogyny in religious gatherings, the building of society and country based on the spirit of the Liberation War and modernisation of madrasa education.
The demands were made at a press conference in the capital's Segunbagicha on Monday morning on "Against Attempts to Destroy Non-Communal Culture".
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Maleka Banu, general secretary of the organisation, condemned the police harassment of mother and son for protesting against the occupation of the Tetultala playground of Kalabagan in the capital on Sunday.
"Today the justice system is broken, today people do not want justice for the murder of their children! The law and order situation in the country has deteriorated drastically," she added.
Rekha Chowdhury, vice-president of Bangladesh Mahila Parishad, said last month accusations of removing girls' headscarves and insulting religion were made against the principal of an educational institution, which was later proved to be false upon investigation.
She also brought the reference of Hridoy Mandal, a science teacher at a Munshiganj high school, who was recently falsely accused of insulting religion.
Brining several other incidents such as the attack on the house of Hindu community people and a temple in Amarbunia village of Moralganj Upazila of Bagerhat by using a Facebook post for insulting religion on 11 April, she said the communal violence and incitement is increasing day by day.
"We are demanding punishment for the culprits after investigations into these incidents," she added.
Fauzia Moslem, president of the volunteer-based organisation, said that the Pakistani communal evil is still rampant in various ways.
"They are spreading controversy over our thousand-year-old Bengali culture, dress, adornment, movement, questioning our Liberation War consciousness, these evil forces must be stopped and the government must bring them under the law," she added.
