Kidnapping of Hindu Girls for Raping or Conversion and Marriage to Muslims

Dr Radhasyam Brahmachari

Status of non-Muslims in an Islamic State:

It is well known that Hindus are treated as third grade citizens, or not citizens at all, in Islamic countries like Pakistan and Bangladesh. The reader may have an idea regarding how Hindus (or other non-Muslims) are treated in an Islamic state from a conversation between Sultan Alauddin Khilji and a qazi called Mughisuddin, narrated by Muslim chronicler Ziauddin Barni in Tarikh-i-Firozshahi.

One day Qazi Mughisuddin visited the court of Sultan Alauddin Khilji and his court chronicler Ziauddin Barni writes, “The Sultan asked the qazi, ‘How are Hindus designated in the (Islamic) law, as payers of tribute (Kharaj-gauzar) or giver of tribute (Kharaj-dih)?’ The qazi replied, ‘They are called payers of tribute and when the revenue officer demands silver from them, they should, without question and with all humility and respect, tender gold. If the officer throws dirt into their mouths, they must without reluctance open their mouths wide to receive it. By doing so, they show their respect for the officer. The due subordination of the Zimmi (tribute payer) is exhibited in this humble payment and by this throwing of dirt in their mouths. The glorification of Islam is a duty. … Allah holds them in contempt, for He says, ‘Keep them in subjection’. To keep the Hindus in abasement is especially a religious duty because they are the most inveterate enemies of the Prophet and because the Prophet has commanded us to slay them, plunder them and make them captive, saying, ‘Convert them to Islam or kill them, enslave them and spoil their wealth and property. No doctor but the great doctor (Hanifa), to whose school we belong, has asserted to the imposition of the jezya (poll tax) on Hindus. Doctors of other schools allow no other alternative but ‘death or Islam’.” (H. M. Elliot & J. Dowson, HISTORY OF INDIA: As Told by It’s Own Historians, III,184) One should notice that, though the above incident took place quite a long time ago and by this time many things might have changed but not the Islamic psyche. So, the attitude of the Muslims towards Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists and other non-Muslims in the Islamic Pakistan and Bangladesh remained unaltered even today.

As a result of the said Islamic attitude, bloody religious persecution is continuing against Hindus and other non-Muslims in Pakistan and Bangladesh, where Hindus are being converted to Islam by force, Hindu children are designated as Malauns or kafir-kutta (infidel dogs) and forced to perform namaz and roja or Ramathan fasting. Hindu employees are severely beaten up or killed within the factory premises and Hindu farmers and labours are forced to do their jobs as bonded labours, with very paltry payment. In Pakistan, Hindu children are denied admission in schools and provocations and hatred against Hindus are inserted in the school text books. Recently in Afghanistan, the Talibans imposed jejiya or poll tax on Hindus and Sikhs. Above all, the atrocity on Hindu women is really gruesome and pathetic.

Most importantly, abduction of Hindu girls and women, and molesting and raping them has become a regular occurrence in Bangladesh and Pakistan. In many cases, young and charming Hindu girls are married to Muslims, after their forceful conversion to Islam. It is also important to note that, such atrocities against Hindu women are now being regularly perpetrated in the Muslim majority districts, and also in the Muslim dominated pockets of West Bengal and other states. A few examples of such offences against Hindu women are narrated below.

Incidents in Bangladesh:

Since the October 2001 general election in Bangladesh that brought Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP)- Jamat-E-Islam led coalition government of Prime Minister Khaleda Zia to power for the second time, a new wave of brutality and violence has been unleashed against the minorities, the Hindus, Budhists, Christians and tribal people. The violence against minorities has surpassed that of 1992, when Begum Zia became the Prime Minister for the first time. Hundreds of thousands of minority families have been affected. The violence range from gang rape and abduction of minor children to elderly women, brutality, murders, attack on temples, churches and orphanage, looting, land grabbing, eviction and forced conversion to Islam. Minorities are being forced to pay Jizya tax to live in their own ancestral homes. The law enforcement authorities are not providing protection to the minorities, rather helping the criminals commit their heinous acts of barbaric dimensions. The violence against religious minorities has been going on unabated.

Anju Rani Das (16), a Hindu School Girl Kidnapped and Gang Raped on 19th March, 2010 at Patuakhali:

Hardly a week ago, Anju Rani Das, a Hindu adolescent school girl (16) gang-raped after kidnapping her from custody of her brother on 19th March, 2010, at Baufol Sub-district of Patuakhali district of Bangladesh. She was a student of Class IX standard was seized forcibly and kidnapped from custody of her elder brother Her father Amullya Chandra Das (45) is a resident of Kolapara village in the Patuakhali district. .Anju Rani Das was physically assaulted, their belongings loote by the perpetrators and took the victim away at Kaina and more than 8 Muslim perpetrators raped her one after another. Kaina is 10-15 kilometres away from the Baufal police station. Initially the local people came to know about this incident of gang-rape and informed the police.

The police then identified 8 miscreants, namely (1) Hanif Howlader ( 38), (2) Bashir Mollah (30), (3) Forkan Howlader (25), (4) Mohammad Masum – a.k.a. commander Masud (28), (5) Jamal Khan (35), (6) Mohammad Liton (25), (7) Abdul Mannan (30) and (8) Md. Abul Kalam (32).

The victim lodged first information report (FIR) at Boufol police station (case No. 20 dated 20.03.2010 under section 9(3)30 of Women and Children Repression Ordinace,2003 and 341/379 of Bangladesh penal code) against those perpetrators. Out of eight perpetrators two have been arrested by police in the meantime: Bangladesh Minority Watch (BDMW) Dhaka, immediately communicated with the Superintendent of Police, Patuakhali (Cell number: +01713374311) who admitted this unfortunate incident and he informed BDMW that two perpetrators are: Md.Hanif Howlader (38) and Md. Bashir Mollah (30) have been arrested. (courtesy: Advocate Rabindra Ghosh)

Bangladeshi Hindu Girl Abducted, Forced to Convert to Islam:

On October 7, 2009, the Bangladesh Hindu, Buddhist, Christian Unity Council (BHBCUC) recently reported the abduction and forced conversion of a Bangladeshi Hindu girl to Islam; two human rights organizations, Global Human Rights Defence (GHRD) and Bangladesh Minority Watch (BDMW) also investigated it. At 12:45am on 13 June, 2009, Koli Goswami was asleep in her bed when five Muslims broke into the family home in Ghosai Chandura, located in northern Bangladesh. They vandalized the home and grabbed the 21-year old Koli

Koli Goswami, a Victim of abduction and conversion to Islam

Koli Goswami, a Victim of abduction and conversion to Islam

Goswami, a college student. She cried out, but the miscreants easily overpowered her and covered her head to muffle the screams. When others in the house came to her aid, the perpetrators drew their guns, started shooting, and carried off the girl even as she struggled to break free. Her family has not seen her since that night three months ago.

According to human rights activist Rabindra Ghosh, who investigated this case, police deny that any crime occurred and refuse to file a case despite physical evidence of a break-in, which they admit having; the family’s video taped testimony. The legal complaint was however lodged by the girl’s guardians; Who also requested the police locate and recover their daughter. Police, on the other hand, tried to paint the incident as a love affair and refused to admit it as a case of kidnapping. “It is not kidnapping. It is a love affair between the kidnapper and victim”, said the police officer.

Hindu Girl Kidnapped, Converted to Islam, Raped and Married to a Muslim in Satkhira:

According to a report appeared in the March 27, 2007 edition of Dainik Statesman, a Calcutta based Bengali daily, 7 advocates kidnapped a minor Hindu girl, daughter of Hiralal Das of Babulia village under the police station of Satkhira, in the district of Khulna, Bangladesh. According to the criminal case filed by Motirani Das, the mother of the unfortunate girl, 7 culprits, namely (1) Ajharul Islam, (2) Sirajul Islam, (3) Rezauddaula Bachchu, (4) Haidar Ali, (5) Imam Hossain, (6) Ashraful Alam Siddiqi and (7) Rizaul Islam committed the crime.. Investigations revealed that the culprits kidnapped the daughter of Hiralal Das on March 13, from the village Babulia. On the next day, they took her to the Satkhira court and converted her to Islam by a affidavit (on which she was forced to put her signature) and on the same day, by another affidavit, she was married to Haidar Ali. The above mentioned affidavits were prepared by other culprits Ajharul Islam and Sirajul Islam.

Kidnapping and Forceful Conversion of Two Minor Hindu Girls to Islam in Bangladesh

According to a report by Human Rights Congress for Bangladesh Minorities (HRCBM) published on August 5, 2002, two minor Hindu girls, namely Sushma Rani Malo (15), daughter of Shri Anil Chandra Malo and Putul Rani Malo (15), daughter of Shri Monoranjan Malo of village Kulpaddy, Police Station and District of Madaripur, were kidnapped from their houses one kilometer from Madaripur police station. The guardians of the victims described in a very heart-rending manner to Advocate Rabindra Ghosh, President HRCBM, Dhaka, Bangladesh, that their minor daughters were students of Class VIII. The minor girls were kidnapped by some Muslims of the same village, led by the Imman of Madaripur Sadar Hospital Mosque. They were forced to sign an affidavit that they are 19 years of age and they wanted to convert to Islam at their own will on 25th of July, 2002. In addition, they were allured and detained and compelled by some Muslims of the same locality, particularly the supporters of Jamal-E-Islami Party, to swear an affidavit by a Notary Public at Madaripur.

The victims, Putul Rani Malo and Sushma Rani Malo, came back to their parents on 25th July, 2002, in the evening. On hearing the news that the two girls had gone back to their parents some Jamal-E-Islamic supporters numbering about 250/300 surrounded the houses of the victim-girls at about 11 P.M. at night. The criminals started assaulting Arun Chandra Malo (26), brother of victim Sushma Rani Malo. Arun Chandra Malo sustained severe injuries on the lower portion of the eyes, which were still visible after 8 days. He was under the treatment of local doctor. Ultimately those two victim girls were again kidnapped by the Muslim criminals on 26th July, 2002. The police and law enforcement authorities did neither provide any protection to the girls and their families nor arrested the criminals.

Not only that the miscreants with the help of some police officials of Madaripur police station tactfully obtained an undertaking from the guardians of the victim girls that they do not like to lodge any complain with the police and they did not take any cases against the criminals. Advocate Rabindra Ghosh finally was successful in filing two F.I.R.’s with the Madaripur Police Station during his visit. As per statements of the guardians of the victims, the following criminals were identified, all of them from the village of Kulpaddy, P.O, P.S. and District of Madaripur, who were primarily responsible for the offence and their names are in the F.I.R.

Sumi Rani Saha, a Hindu girl could not rescued after three months of her abduction:

The Daily Amar Desh (Bangladeshi daily) reported on August 6, 2007, that police could not rescue Sumi Rani Saha (14), a Hindu school going student even after three months of her abduction. Law enforcing agency also could not know whether Sumi was alive or she was killed after her abduction. Swapon Saha, father of Sumi Rani Saha is now moving at the door of police and different human rights organizations after he failed to find out his daughter. However, the police could arrest a youth named Mamun in this connection but failed to collect any information from him the whereabouts of Sumi Rani Saha. It was learnt that National Women Lawyers Association was trying to rescue Sumi Rani Saha.

A Hindu Teenage Girl Kidnapped and Raped in Natore District:

According to a press report released by The Daily Janakantha, a Dhaka based Bengali daily, on May 20, 2007, a minority girl named Beauty Rani(16) was kidnapped and raped in Natore district, although the victim used to regard the rapist as her sworn father (Dharma-baba). She could not be rescued despite repeated requests to the law enforcing authorities. Beauty’s mother told the police that a man named Gazi who was a ring leader during the regime of the alliance government came to her house on Thursday night and took Beauty to his house saying that he had some important talks with her. When aunty of Beauty Satyarani and a man named Narayan resisted Beauty, they were scolded by Gazi at that time. Every local of the area was afraid of Gazi. Later, Gazi did not take her in his house rather took her in a banana garden and there he beat Beauty and raped her threatening to kill her if she discloses it to anyone else and then fled from the spot. A case was lodged in this connection with the police station on Friday and the medical test of Beauty was also done. Police told that there were many cases against terrorist Gazi. The locals told that Gazi and his associates were very silent for so many days after the hand over of the power of the alliance government. But recently, they got very active. They again started snatching at the dead of night and other crimes.

Chanda Rani, a Hindu Girl Kidnapped and Forcefully Converted to Islam:

According to a report by HRCBM, on August 3, 2007, Chanda Rani Das, a minor Hindu girl (15), daughter of Ms.Sumitra Rani Das (Mother) and Bikash Chandra Das (Father) of Shanti Nagar Lane, under police station Sonadanga, in the district of Khulna, was kidnapped on 10th July,2007 from Khulna town by Shamim Aktar (nick-named Maya) (35) son of Md. Iqbal Hossain, an Assistant Sub-Inspector of Police. Kidnapper Shamim has got two previous wives and children and he is known to every body as notorious criminal in the locality. A case with the Sonadanga police station (case No. 09 dated 10.07.2007) was registered against the kidnapper- Shamim Aktar, (who was absconding) by Sumitra Rani Das and Rabindra Ghosh, the president of HRCBM, investigated into the incident.

Legal guardian of the victim sent us an appeal requesting us to put pressure on the law enforcing agency to recover their children. They also reported to us that Md. Iqbal Hossain, a .sub-inspector of Police now, posted at Dinajpur police camp, have been putting pressure on victim’s legal guardian to withdraw the case immediately, or to face dire consequences. The threat left the guardians scary. .“We have gone to the spot and Sonadanga Police station at Khulna on 3rd August,2007 at about 12 p.m. and met Abdul Mabud, the officer-in-charge of Sonadanga police station. He informed us that the perpetrator has already married this victim girl although he has two previous wives.

Bangladeshi Juvenile Girl Kidnapped and Got Pregnant by Muslim Cleric:

A poor girl became pregnant by an Imam of a local mosque in Faridpur. The girl is now on her seven months pregnancy with high physical and mental risk of immature pregnancy. Omar Faruk is an Imam and teacher of a “Maktab” (Islamic School) of remote village Padmar Char in Faridpur district of Bangladesh. Imam Omar Faruk misguided the minor girl and rapped her for long time. The poor minor girl could not speak out in fear and shame. As the girl stepped into her deep pregnancy the news spread out in the village. Some local influential people called arbitration on July 18th. The arbitration council decides that the Imam Omar Faruk would marry the pregnant girl, said locals (William Gomes Current Affair Jul 20, 2009, http://www.persecutionbd.org/news/bangladeshi-juvenile-girl-get-pregnant-by-musl cleric/)

Some other incidents:

Ms.Shila Rani, wife of Nitur Panua, a Hindu women (20) at Choura Patakata village, under the police station Amtali, in the district of Barguna was raped on 15th April,2007 by Md.Habibur Rahman (40) son of late Chudu Howlader of Chowra, in the same district. An F.I.R. lodged by the victim on April 16, 2007, at the Amtali police station.

Investigative Report of HRCBM, Dhaka, said that on the gang rape of a destitute Hindu girl Ramala Sarkar alias Mouri (17), residing at South Taktabunia village, under Amtali police station, in the district Barguna fell a victim of gang rape. The incident took place on April 13, 2007. (Investigation conducted on April 27, 2007, by HRCBM representative Ms. Minati Datta at Patuakhali).

Part of this article taken from here.