An elderly Hindu female was severely beaten with bamboo stick in Bangladesh for the “crime” of chewing betel leaf during the month of Ramadan. According to eye witnesses, Pratibha Rani was confronted by a Muslim male named Nurul Amin Natehra village, located within the No. 7 Barakul Union of Hajiganj, under Chandpur district in Bangladesh. A furious Nurul Amin charged Pratibha Rani why being a Hindu was “showing disrespect to the holy month of Ramadan and chewing betel leaf in public”. As Pratibha Rani tried to defend stating being a Hindu why she should observe fasting, an angry Nurul Amin began beating her mercilessly with a bamboo stick, while the incident was watched by dozens of people. No one came forward to save the elderly woman. While beating Pratibha Rani, a furious Nurul Amin said, “a Kafir” who disrespects Islam deserves stern punishment.
Eye witnesses said, while beating Pratibha Rani, Nurul Amin shouted saying “Today I will kill you bastard. This is a Muslim country, and if you want to live here, you have to follow rules of Islam”.
According to sources, Nurul Amin is the son of Mohammad Kalimuddin Gazi hailing from Natehra village.
This incident took place in the afternoon of Tuesday, March 19, 2024.
As due to severe beating, Pratibha Rani fell unconscious, some local Hindus rushed on the spot and saved her from being murdered. She was later taken to Hajiganj Upazila Health Complex. However, as Pratibha Rani’s condition continued to deteriorate, medical professionals made the decision to transfer her to Chandpur Sadar Hospital for intensive care and treatment. Until now, she remains hospitalized in critical condition thus valiantly battling for her life.
According to medical sources, severe beating has resulted in fracture of bones in her legs as well as other parts of the body.
This case of extreme cruelty of an elderly Hindu female drew attention of this newspaper following publication of a post on Mega (Facebook) by drama director and staff correspondent of Blitz, Sonjib Chandra Das. In the post, Sonjib Das demanded exemplary punishment for such cruelty.
Sonjib Chandra Das expressed serious concern at such case of persecution of Hindus in Bangladesh stating, in a country that proclaims to be a secularist state, the case of Pratibha Rani becomes a burning example of how Hindus in Bangladesh are facing such harsh realities.
Through his post, Sonjib Das shed light on the prevailing conditions of Hindus in Bangladesh and their ongoing struggles.
“The Hindu population in Bangladesh is declining, accompanied by a disturbing rise in instances of persecution and torture against them. This plight extends beyond Hindus to encompass other minority groups who are similarly subjected to oppression and persecution”, he said.
Leaders of the Bangladesh National Hindu Grand Alliance have squarely blamed the ruling Awami League for persecution of Hindus in the country. They asserted that the persecution of religious minorities in Bangladesh have intensified following the January 7 general elections.
They said that such persecutions were widespread, affecting religious harmony in Bangladesh. Hindu Mohajote (Hindu Grand Alliance) leaders held ruling Awami League responsible for its failure in ensuring protection to Hindus and taking stern action against perpetrators of crimes. They demanded an immediate and thorough judicial inquiry into the cases of cruelty on Hindus in the country.
Palash Kanti Dey, Executive Secretary General and spokesperson of the Hindu Grand Alliance has strongly condemned the case of Pratibha Rani and demanded stern action against Nurul Amin.
He said, with each election cycle in Bangladesh, the Hindu community consistently face persecution. Such cruelties are continuing due to government failure in ensuring adequate security to Hindus in the country.
